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What happens if I don't update to the new Dropbox for MacOS?

I have Dropbox on my M1 MacMini, M1 Macbook Air, old 2015 MacBook Air (all three on Monterey 12.6.3) as well as my iPad Pro and iPhone 13. On the computers, my DropBox folder is in users/{myname}/Dropbox. All files are on the two M1 devices are saved offline (one reason I went with Dropbox, access to my files when I have no internet) and there is a folder that is shared with my spouse on his Dropbox account. I have nothing saved offline on my iPad or phone, but some specific folders are saved offline due to hard drive space. I travel frequently and don't always have WiFi, thus it's critical my files are accessible to me all the time (I am a writer). I am terrified of this update and wonder what happens if I just ignore it?

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Jay

By default, new files added to the account from the site or another device would sync as online-only on your machine, but you can still mark them as available offline.

Files will still sync as normal, and yes, you'd need to change your aliases if any apps of programs need to locate the Dropbox folder.

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Jay

Hi @DBMcNic, thanks for messaging the Community.

The new version of the Dropbox desktop application on Mac OS will move the Dropbox folder into the CloudStorage folder primarily, and can only be stored on your local disk.

You can find out more changes from this on this article. If you choose to upgrade or not, files will still sync from one device to another like normal.

Once the rollout is complete, all users on Mac OS 12.5 or above will be running this version, so it would eventually upgrade to this version.

If you have any further queries, feel free to message back.

DBMcNic

I guess the name "CloudStorage" confused me, making me think the files would only be in the cloud. You're saying nothing would change, I'd just have to update all my aliases on my devices?

Jay

By default, new files added to the account from the site or another device would sync as online-only on your machine, but you can still mark them as available offline.

Files will still sync as normal, and yes, you'd need to change your aliases if any apps of programs need to locate the Dropbox folder.

Macki

I have several macs that I sync using dropbox, none of which has a large hard drive. I keep my dropbox files on encrypted removable drives which are stored at a different location when not in use.

The removable drives are several terabytes in size, giving ample storage capacity for my needs - my dropbox folder is currently close to 600Gb and will continue to grow in size.

If the new dropbox software tries to move my dropbox folder to my mac drive it will fail as there will not be enough room given the space requirements of other software installed on the machines. In any case I specifically do not want the data stored on the mac hard drive due to the physical security requirements. One of the significant benefits of Dropbox has been that I have been able to move the dropbox folder to wherever I want it without any hassle.

Does this mean I have ditch Dropbox and use a different provider? Can I create a symlink to one of the external drives and continue to use that? Is there another solution? Although there are plenty of alternatives I would prefer not to have to change to a different provider if I can avoid it.

Hannah

Hey @Macki, thanks for taking the time to reply to this thread.

As part of the Dropbox for macOS update, the Dropbox folder must indeed be located in ~/Library/CloudStorage on your Mac.

We definitely understand any inconvenience caused by this.

As with any operating system, macOS is updated regularly and with that, we must keep the Dropbox app aligned with any requirements set out by an OS.

I will of course, pass your comments along to our team about this, so thanks for your feedback here.

Jeremy M.24

I've been reluctant to update to Dropbox under MacOS 12.5.1. The reason is a bad experience with OneDrive. I far prefer Dropbox to OneDrive, but my employer is a Microsoft ecosystem and I have to use OneDrive for work-related files. After updating OneDrive under 12.5.1, my files no longer sync automatically; they are kept in the cloud and I have to manually click a button to download them to sync. It's like I'm back in 2014 using Unison.

I don't love the other changes under the new version of Dropbox (presumably foisted upon you by Apple), but having to manually sync is a non-starter for me; I want all my files synced on all my machines at all times. So, before I update, I want to make sure: Am I going to have this same problem if I update Dropbox?

DBMcNic

Still not pleased with the news that I will have to manually mark any new files as off-line on multiple devices. I'm in my late 70s and memory is not my forte. I will avoid the upgrade as long as possible, even if it means not upgrading my OS. Sad that this has become a requirement with the new DB for OS. One HUGE advantage was not having to think about it and having all file synch to all devices.

jwisser

@Jay wrote:
If you choose to upgrade or not, files will still sync from one device to another like normal.

Jay, I think this is the core of the comms problem Dropbox has around this update. If this is true, then there is simply no reason to "upgrade" to the new version of the app, which provides an inferior experience.

If Apple will at some point forcibly EOL the old version of Dropbox, Dropbox needs to communicate that (along with the expected timeline) to customers. If this change isn't actually required by Apple, but is being pushed by Dropbox for some other reason, then Dropbox needs to own up and clearly communicate that to customers. As it stands, the message you're sending to long-time customers is "Upgrade to this limited version of our software for no reason. There's no consequence for not doing so except constant vigilance against our suggestions to upgrade."

Can you provide a clear explanation of the benefit to Dropbox customers of accepting this upgrade, rather than just staying on the current, working version?

Macki

Hannah,

As your response to my concerns was basically to suggest that the issue is with the Mac OS and was out of Dropbox's hands, I took the time to look at alternatives, and found that none of your competitors seem to be having the same problem and that there are quite a few alternative options. I spent the time since my last message testing out three of them, and found one in particular that I like a lot. It's less expensive, gives me a much more granular level of control over what files and folders are stored where, and lets me put them wherever I want - and not in some specific location that they decide on. They also offer a deal with a one-off lifetime payment for a positively huge amount of storage (10TB) which I will probably take. So I guess I should thank you for giving me the reason to look at better solutions.

I hope someone at Dropbox figures out how to work with Mac OS so that they can do something similar, otherwise I suspect that they will lose quite a few customers who have Apple computers and like to have control over their own systems.

millifoo

Hi,

We have a business account, and the Mac I use has a 10tb external drive connected to Dropbox. That data obviously can’t be moved to ~/Library/CloudStorage: there simply isn’t enough room.

Are your saying that after the update (when will that happen?) any change I make on the external drive will no longer be synced?

That’s a non starter for us. It’s the whole reason we pay for a Dropbox Business account, to keep our stuff in sync. I have to have my data both local and in the cloud and in sync.

And I don’t want stuff only in the cloud. If I did I’d be using a much cheaper cloud provider. The benefit of DropBox is the sync of ALL our data, where I need it.

I suggest you escalate this, and force Apple to change course. This change is completely ridiculous.

Macki

I think the problem is not with Apple. No cloud storage company other than Dropbox that I could find is having this problem or imposing a change on their users as a result of anything Apple has done.

JasperD

Hi, would you be so kind to point us to the other solutions? (the one you picked specially)

Macki

Sure, although I have a feeling the post may get deleted by Dropbox

The one I went with is pCloud. They get good reviews and their system seems to work as advertised. They also offer an option for end-to-end encryption among other add-ons.

The other one I liked was Tresorit and I also looked at IDrive. I wanted to get something in place quickly before Dropbox unilaterally upgraded their app and tried to reorganize my hard drive, which would have resulted in a catastrophic mess as there was not enough space on any of my machines. I can't imagine trying to unravel that.

Based on a comparison over a day or so, which is less time than I would normally take for a decision like this, I concluded that pCloud was the best fit for me. So far, it's working out well and I like it a lot.

Dropbox has been around a long time and I expect they're working with legacy systems that that may not be easily modified whereas a lot of the alternatives are much younger companies and have had the opportunity to start from scratch and use up to date technologies and approaches.

jwisser

@Macki wrote:
Dropbox has been around a long time and I expect they're working with legacy systems that that may not be easily modified whereas a lot of the alternatives are much younger companies and have had the opportunity to start from scratch and use up to date technologies and approaches.

That's what's so weird about this, though—Apple's whole File Provider API thing hasn't been around long at all, maybe 3-4 years at most IIRC. So any changes Dropbox is making to work with it are brand new, not related to legacy systems.

It seems like what Dropbox could easily do is leave the existing app in place for those of us it works for, and then roll this new, limited File Provider API version only to people who keep some of their files online-only, since those are the only people who seem to have problems with the existing app. But instead they're throwing out the baby with the bathwater and forcing everyone over to this limited version to make their own lives easier.

bkwagner

Dropbox Folks: In all the communications I've seen so far, there has been no indication of what's being "upgraded"--only things that are becoming less easy to use, irksome, and/or more complex for users.

For work I manage customer change communications for large scale, web-based IT projects. As an avid user of Dropbox, I'm not eager for these changes and will avoid them as long as possible. As a professional watching your change communications regarding this, you're failing.

DBMcNic

Macki, do either of those provide for multiple devices and both OS & iOS as well as shared folders? I have to keep files on a desktop, 2 laptops, phone & tablet and have shared folders with my husband, my son, & our accountant. I hate this change...I will avoid it as long as possible and need to warn hubby to not upgrade his account, too.

slkoehler

Just my experience with PCloud. Back in 2020 I learned the hard way that their backup system didn't work as it was supposed to. I lost several files when my laptop crashed and they were never recovered. Response from PCloud was not good (they had no clue what happened and couldn't reassure me that the same wouldn't happen again). So I canceled my subscription and then a few months later they billed me upon renewal! And then I had to go back to them to get a refund.

Maybe they're better a couple of years later but I did NOT have a good experience.

Macki

I think you should check the relevant websites but I have tested pCloud with Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android and it appears to work with all of those.

Macki

I've used a lot of backup solutions over the years, and every single one has failed at some point - sometimes in a minor way, and sometimes a major one. I think it's unwise to use a backup strategy that relies solely on any one method. For me, cloud storage is a convenient and valuable way of syncing information across computers, but I would never rely on it as the sole backup for critical information.

slkoehler

Agreed on not using one thing as the sole back up. I use 2 external hard drives. But my bad luck at the time was the crash came before I could back up to either HD (I usually do at end of day or after working on a few files). One file crashed in the middle of working on it (which is where a regularly syncing online backup is handy). Short of running 2 online backups simultaneously (which I'd think would be a terrible idea for your operating speed), I'm not sure what I could have done differently.

My experience with PCloud wasn't just the failed back up; it was their customer service or lack thereof. Again, they could be better now. Just thought I'd give others fair warning.

DBMcNic

The crux of the issue for me....

"After the update, all new files added by other computers, will sync as online-only by default."

This is why I can't & won't do the update and have now turned off auto app updates on my desktop and two laptops. I can't lose the feature of auto-syncing between devices. That was the feature that got me to upgrade so I could have access to multiple folders/files automatically on my six devices (iPhone, iPad Pro, iPad Mini) as well as easily share files with my husband. We travel frequently, I write books, and the auto-syncing is a must for us. There is no way I would always remember to mark new files for offline use on each of my devices. Makes no sense... I don't know if there are other applications that can replace this function, so for now I won't upgrade Dropbox or my Mac OS (currently happy on Monterey).

millifoo

@DBMcNic

"This is why I can't & won't do the update and have now turned off auto app updates on my desktop and two laptops."

Turning off app auto update won't fix this: Dropbox isn't installed thorugh the Mac app store; it chooses if & when and how to update itself. In this particular case, they've said that upon reboot that the new behavior will take effect.

DBMcNic

"Turning off app auto update won't fix this: Dropbox isn't installed through the Mac app store; it chooses if & when and how to update itself."

Well, you can see how non-technical I am...and I just paid $132 for the next year. Back to looking for other solutions, not a happy camper at all.

Stuart L.9

Me too - i also use external storage. My internal ssd is far too small - this sucks

fssbob

Re: "After the update, all new files added by other computers, will sync as online-only by default."

Yes, but you can change this in a second. Initially after the update, the default for new files is online only. But you can select all your top-level folders and in one update (right click) specify that you want everything to be "Make Available Offline". Once I did that, all new and edited files inside these folders and their subfolders were saved offline, just like they used to be.

The only exception would be new files and folders saved in the top level of your Dropbox folder--you would need to remember to right click and mark those as "Make Available Offline" as well.

(To avoid confusion, I'm only addressing the issue of people thinking files and folders will default to online-only. The inability to place the Dropbox folder on an external drive is still an issue--probably one that can't be fixed given Apple's current requirements.)

jillbz

Macki - I'd love to know the service you found. Can you share?

discofuel

The new Dropbox update that forces you to store your files in /Library/CloudStorage will not work for me.

If I ignore the update, will I be able to continue using Dropbox as normal? Or, at some point, will I be forced to update?

discofuel

I posted that last message as a new thread because it's difficult to get a straight answer from the Dropbox team, but they just moved my message to be a reply in this thread...

CarloUK

Perfect exactly what I was thinking. I use Dropbox for all the things in the previous version. The new version and its file location is something I do not want or will subscribe to. If forced I will just delete Dropbox and move to the Apple version as I only have Apple devices.

fssbob

@CarloUK: When you say "all the things in the previous version", I'm curious what you're referring to. Not being able to place the Dropbox folder on an external drive is definitely a disadvantage. But other than that, I haven't seen any loss of functionality.