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How do I install the desktop app and configure it to use an external drive on macOS?

FBT_MacOS26

Typically I have not used the SYNC feature. My system drive space is limited. I now have purchased an 8 TB drive and would like to SYNC my 2TB DropBox account (files) with my external drive.

Find more posts tagged with

Desktop

Storage space

Sync

Mac

Accepted answers

Hannah

Thanks for trying, @FBT_MacOS26.

Can you follow these steps to see if they help?

Make sure the Dropbox desktop application is running
Click on the Dropbox icon in your menu bar and then click your profile picture or initials
Select 'Preferences'
Click on the 'Account' tab
Hold down the 'Option/Alt' key
Click on the 'Fix Permissions' button (make sure you're still holding down the 'Option/Alt' key)
You may be prompted to provide a username and password, this is your computer login credentials, not your Dropbox account ones

Thanks!

All comments

Hannah

Hey @FBT_MacOS26, thanks for taking the time to post your question!

I'm assuming that your computer is using the File Provider API, right?

If that's the case, can you please take a look at the info in this article about how to use the Dropbox app with an external drive on macOS on File Provider and let me know if you have any questions?

Thanks!

FBT_MacOS26

New 8 tb drive portioned as GUID and formated APFS ENCRYPTED. When I load DropBox Desktop, turn on SYNC (one folder), and select my drive, DROPBOX desktop just quits.

Tried this multiple times. No success

Hannah

Hey @FBT_MacOS26, I moved your second post under your first one, since they're about the same issue, to avoid confusion.

Did you take a look at the resources I provided above?

Is it possible that your Dropbox folder has more than 500.000 files in it?

FBT_MacOS26

Believe less than 500k files. Don not know if my computer is using the File Provider API. I just have used the default OS upgrades to 26.5.2.

I do get a dropbox_error8wz7s4_i.txt

bn.BUILD_KEY: Dropbox
bn.VERSION: 268.4.4072
bn.constants.WINDOWS_SHELL_EXT_VERSION: 96
bn.is_frozen: True
machine_id: 7bb1bdd7-eedd-5941-a00c-dfa75b7ca79d
pid: 52527
ppid: 1
uid: 501
user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='fatboytourist', pw_passwd='', pw_uid=501, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='fatboytourist', pw_dir='/Users/fatboytourist', pw_shell='/bin/zsh')
effective_user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='fatboytourist', pw_passwd='', pw_uid=501, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='fatboytourist', pw_dir='/Users/fatboytourist', pw_shell='/bin/zsh')
euid: 501
gid: 20
egid: 20
group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root'])
effective_group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root'])
DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH: None
cwd: '/'
real_path='/'
mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0
parent mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0
HOME: '/Users/fatboytourist'
appdata: '/Users/fatboytourist/.dropbox/instance6'
real_path='/Users/fatboytourist/.dropbox/instance6'
mode=0o40700 uid=501 gid=20
parent mode=0o40755 uid=501 gid=20
dropbox_path: None
not found
parent not found
sys_executable: '/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox'
real_path='/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox'
mode=0o100775 uid=501 gid=20
parent mode=0o40775 uid=501 gid=20
trace.file: '/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/python-pypkg.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'
real_path='/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/python-pypkg.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'
not found
parent not found
tempdir: '/var/folders/qn/91pz05z13rq6k55dxb1n5ctw0000gn/T'
real_path='/private/var/folders/qn/91pz05z13rq6k55dxb1n5ctw0000gn/T'
mode=0o40700 uid=501 gid=20
parent mode=0o40755 uid=501 gid=20
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "desktop/dropbox/client/main.py", line 7426, in _setup_root_for_account
File "desktop/dropbox/sync_root/helpers.py", line 204, in create_root_for_account
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 934, in result
File "desktop/dropbox/exception/exception_decorators.py", line 47, in newfn
File "desktop/dropbox/sync_root/handlers/macos/file_provider.py", line 347, in _completion_domains
File "desktop/dropbox/sync_root/handlers/macos/file_provider.py", line 334, in set_result_or_convert_exception
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 751, in set_result
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 714, in _on_post
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 1133, in _stage1
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 993, in _when_done
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 1152, in _stage2
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 751, in set_result
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 714, in _on_post
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 1114, in _stage1
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 451, in _then_callback
File "desktop/dropbox/sync_root/handlers/macos/file_provider.py", line 1214, in _init_completion
File "desktop/dropbox/exception/exception_decorators.py", line 47, in newfn
File "desktop/dropbox/sync_root/handlers/macos/file_provider.py", line 1135, in _init_completion_inner
dropbox.mac.internal.MacError: [Errno 513] Error Domain=NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=513 "The file couldn’t be saved because you don’t have permission."

Walter

Thanks for the additional information there @FBT_MacOS26 - much appreciated.

Could you perform a clean, advanced reinstall using the offline installer from this page and let us know how it goes?

FBT_MacOS26

These instructions are a bit confusing. It appears that I am moving a previous install. Right now, I am manually downloading DropBox files/folders to a 1 TB backup drive. Once done, (sometime Thursday, 9/3 evening, I will be happy to do a complete uninstall and then a clean advanced reinstall.

Would you please direct me to a complete deinstall and a clean advanced install?

Thank you

Walter

The complete instructions can be found in the help center article I linked above @FBT_MacOS26.

Can you clarify what exactly is confusing you so that we can assist further if needed?

FBT_MacOS26

Screenshot 2026-09-02 at 5.20.44 PM.png

I captured a portion of the instructions above. The do not seem like deinstall. They seem more like move.

FBT_MacOS26

I copy/pasted these commands one at a time. I modified them

sudo chown "$USER" "$HOME"sudo chown -R "$USER" ~/Dropbox

sudo chmod -R u+rw ~/Dropbox

sudo mv ~/.dropbox ~/.Trash/dropbox.old

sudo chmod -N ~

sudo mv /Library/DropboxHelperTools ~/DropboxHelperTools.old

———I followed this instruction too — If you’re using Dropbox for MacOS on File Provider, you need to replace all instances of ~/Dropbox with ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox.I

sudo chown "$USER" "$HOME"sudo chown -R "$USER" ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox

sudo chmod -R u+rw ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox

sudo mv ~/.dropbox ~/.Trash/dropbox.old

sudo chmod -N ~

sudo mv /Library/DropboxHelperTools ~/DropboxHelperTools.old (no file found)

sudo mv /Library/CloudStorage/DropboxHelperTools ~/DropboxHelperTools.old (no file found)

—-And I still produced this error after launching DropBox app and trying to setup my DropBox folder on my external drive.

bn.BUILD_KEY: Dropbox
bn.VERSION: 268.4.4124
bn.constants.WINDOWS_SHELL_EXT_VERSION: 96
bn.is_frozen: True
machine_id: 7bb1bdd7-eedd-5941-a00c-dfa75b7ca79d
pid: 1279
ppid: 1
uid: 501
user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='fatboytourist', pw_passwd='', pw_uid=501, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='fatboytourist', pw_dir='/Users/fatboytourist', pw_shell='/bin/zsh')
effective_user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='fatboytourist', pw_passwd='', pw_uid=501, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='fatboytourist', pw_dir='/Users/fatboytourist', pw_shell='/bin/zsh')
euid: 501
gid: 20
egid: 20
group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root'])
effective_group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root'])
DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH: None
cwd: '/'
real_path='/'
mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0
parent mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0
HOME: '/Users/fatboytourist'
appdata: '/Users/fatboytourist/.dropbox/instance1'
real_path='/Users/fatboytourist/.dropbox/instance1'
mode=0o40700 uid=501 gid=20
parent mode=0o40755 uid=501 gid=20
dropbox_path: None
not found
parent not found
sys_executable: '/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox'
real_path='/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox'
mode=0o100775 uid=501 gid=80
parent mode=0o40775 uid=501 gid=80
trace.file: '/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/python-pypkg.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'
real_path='/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/python-pypkg.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'
not found
parent not found
tempdir: '/var/folders/qn/91pz05z13rq6k55dxb1n5ctw0000gn/T'
real_path='/private/var/folders/qn/91pz05z13rq6k55dxb1n5ctw0000gn/T'
mode=0o40700 uid=501 gid=20
parent mode=0o40755 uid=501 gid=20
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "desktop/dropbox/client/main.py", line 7426, in _setup_root_for_account
File "desktop/dropbox/sync_root/helpers.py", line 204, in create_root_for_account
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 934, in result
File "desktop/dropbox/exception/exception_decorators.py", line 47, in newfn
File "desktop/dropbox/sync_root/handlers/macos/file_provider.py", line 347, in _completion_domains
File "desktop/dropbox/sync_root/handlers/macos/file_provider.py", line 334, in set_result_or_convert_exception
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 751, in set_result
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 714, in _on_post
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 1133, in _stage1
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 993, in _when_done
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 1152, in _stage2
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 751, in set_result
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 714, in _on_post
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 1114, in _stage1
File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 451, in _then_callback
File "desktop/dropbox/sync_root/handlers/macos/file_provider.py", line 1214, in _init_completion
File "desktop/dropbox/exception/exception_decorators.py", line 47, in newfn
File "desktop/dropbox/sync_root/handlers/macos/file_provider.py", line 1135, in _init_completion_inner
dropbox.mac.internal.MacError: [Errno 513] Error Domain=NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=513 "The file couldn’t be saved because you don’t have permission."

___________So…no what?

Hannah

Thanks for trying, @FBT_MacOS26.

Can you follow these steps to see if they help?

Make sure the Dropbox desktop application is running
Click on the Dropbox icon in your menu bar and then click your profile picture or initials
Select 'Preferences'
Click on the 'Account' tab
Hold down the 'Option/Alt' key
Click on the 'Fix Permissions' button (make sure you're still holding down the 'Option/Alt' key)
You may be prompted to provide a username and password, this is your computer login credentials, not your Dropbox account ones

Thanks!