Disaster: Dropbox removing external disk support for Mac users :(

[Jon C.10]

In case anyone's unaware... if you're a Mac user storing your Dropbox on an external drive, you'll shortly lose that ability.

https://talk.tidbits.com/t/dropbox-drops-support-for-storing-files-on-an-external-drive-and-onedrive...

https://help.dropbox.com/installs/macos-support-for-expected-changes

Just confirmed this with DB support (see below).  Gutted - been with Dropbox for years and our entire video team flow is based around it 😕

>Hi there, I read today that you are scrapping the ability to store the Dropbox folder on external disks, on OSX. I'd like to ask more about this please.

> Hello Jon, and thank you for contacting Dropbox Support. My name is Joseph, and I will be more than happy to look into your request, right away.  

That is correct Jon, as part of the Dropbox for macOS update, the Dropbox folder must be located in ~/Library/CloudStorage.

>This is a showstopper for us, and will mean we have to move to another service. We have a large distributed team using DB for video work, no way it'll fit within internal drives.
Is there a workaround?

> I totally understand and I apologize for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, there is no workaround on this as changing the location of your Dropbox folder is no longer supported by macOS.

>This change doesn't seem to have hit us yet - we're running a variety of machines inc Ventura
What will trigger its enforcement? Can we stay on an earlier OS or Dropbox version?

>The updates happening automatically every time the Dropbox app is restarting, for example if your device never restarts it should maintain the older version but we can't guarantee full functionality on older versions of the application.

>So what will happen - if we have a Dropbox folder on an 8TB drive and a tiny internal drive - will it try to clone stuff across and eat up the space? What's the mechanism?

>That's right, it will try to move the content on your internal drive until it has no space and gives you an error.

>Is Smartsync still supported? I.e. will it move stuff to being online only if it won't fit?

>It is, however it is now known as online-only.

[Bookpast]

Very useful information on Sync. Thank you for looking into it and sharing. 👍

[melking]

So is this problem fixed yet?... I miss using Dropbox

[UKD]

@melking not fixed and won't be fixed for months. If you want to store files on an external drive, you won't be able to with Dropbox with the new update. Dropbox are not going to support external drives. All Apple's fault of course!!

[fjazzfjazz]

Can you please spell out for us with "next update" means? Next OS update, or next Dropbox update? Also, can we potentially avoid these updates until it gets fixed, if we can hold it longer? 

[ArthurPix]

Well, I guess that’s the information I need, @UKD ! Thanks so much. Guess I need to switch over, but I’m procrastinating until mid-April. 

I’ll miss you, @Dropbox , and I may return if you ever get your act together.

[ArthurPix]

@UKD I want to know  if there’s a Dropbox to Sync upgrade path as well. Please let me/the-community know what you discover, and I’ll do the same. Ditto Synology Cloud compatibility , as I’ve synced all three of my current storage services (Google, Dropbox and OneDrive) on my NAS.

[melking]

So no work arounds?

[ArthurPix]

@melking If by “work-arounds” you mean “ways to get Dropbox to work with external drives”— strictly speaking, I don’t think anyone knows yet, because the “no external drives” rule hasn’t yet been enforced. The stroke of doom will (apparently) occur in May.

Dropbox has, however, informally told us in this forum that it is seeking ways to keep supporting use of external drives. I think this means that our discussions here have caught someone’s attention.

But, if and when the new rule is enforced I don’t expect there will be anything you can do short of switching to a different provider.

At least a few of us have either switched or are preparing to do so. Count me among the cautious latter, looking twice before I leap.

Among alternative cloud storage providers, at least one — namely Sync.com — is on the record supporting use of external drives, according to a recent post by @UKD . I’ve been investigating user experiences with Sync.com and so far, the reports I’ve seen are great.

Before going through the tsores of switching, however, I’m procrastinating until[ mid-April, hoping against hope that Dropbox will announce it has found a way to keep supporting external drives AND Apple’s new API.

Windows users are, I expect, SOL.

[fjazzfjazz]

Amazing summary @ArthurPix.

I'm going to get onboard with your deadline.

If @dropbox doesn't announce a fix for this by mid-April, I'm going to have to go elsewhere.

[UKD]

I'm looking at it now because I will have to move 41TB off from Dropbox to another company and that's no easy feat.

I don't think people realise that if they have updated their MacOS already to 12.3 and above, that when Dropbox do launch their final update/new version then the software is going to start moving files for you to the new location (I believe anyway).

If that happens people are going to seriously screwed...