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External hard drive won't back up on Mac desktop app

xuser06

I am currently not able to get any external hard drive to backup to Dropbox backup.

I have previously backed one up successfully, but then that backup got corrupted and had to be deleted.

I even picked up a new Western Digital external drive to start fresh.

I have followed all instructions here:

https://help.dropbox.com/organize/how-to-use-dropbox-backup

I have the box ticked in preferences to "Show setup notifications when new external drives are plugged in."

Yet this notification (which I have seen before), won't show up with existing or the new drive.

The Mac Dropbox Backup app (on MacBook Pro, Venture 13.1) it will recognize that the drive is there.

But when I click to back up it just spins and never actually backs up any files.

No files or backup show up online, and the desktop client doesn't show that it is backing up files either.

I see the drive with the "back up Drive" option below.

But when I do it just spins (second screenshot) and nothing ever happens.

DBX Backup.png

DBX Backup Spinning.png

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Comments

Megan

Hey @xuser06, I hope you're doing well!

Could you please clarify the exact OS of your device and the file-system and size of the external drive you're trying to backup?

Also, what’s the app version of your desktop app, as well as its current syncing status?

This will help me assist further.

xuser06

Hi @Megan,

OS - Macbook Pro (Apple M1) on Ventura 13.1

Drive - is 4TB, and the format is "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)"

Desktop app is v163.4.5456. It currently says it's status is "Done" in the backup desktop app.

Thanks

Nancy

Hey @xuser06! Sorry for jumping in.

Can you try something else as a test? What I’d like you to do is open your Backup page, click on “Manage backups” and “Open Backup settings” and try to select this external drive and back it up.

Let me know how this goes and if you see any difference.

xuser06

I've tried that several times, and it only leads to the same outcomes that I described in the original post.

The drive is recognized.

I click to back it up.

But nothing actually happens or gets backed up.

Thanks for your reply.

Let me know if there's anything else to try.

Jay

Hi @xuser06, it can take some time to begin backing up the drive when you first enable it. How long have you waited for the process to be completed?

xuser06

About 14 hours - the better part of a day and overnight.

When still nothing had happened by the following morning I presumed it wasn't working.

Nancy

Thanks for giving that a try, @xuser06.

Let’s check something else, then; the external drive that you’re having trouble backing up, is it HFS+/APFS/exFAT/FAT32-formatted?

Please kindly note that encrypted APFS drives, read-only drives, and CD-ROMs aren’t currently supported, so I’d like us to rule that possibility out.

xuser06

Hi @Nancy, thanks for your reply.

The Mac is formatted with APFS.

The Western Digital drive is formatted with "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" and is not encrypted.

I can't discern any other formatting name on it, and I've looked using the mac disk utility app for that.
If you have any instructions on what to look for please let me know.

Nancy

Hi again, @xuser06, and Happy New Year!

Can you please let me know if you’re still having issues with this and if you’ve updated/replied to your support ticket recently? I can see that there’s one already opened with our support team which is being handled by our specialists.

xuser06

Hi @Nancy ,

I am still having this issue, I can't get Dropbox to actually backup my old (I've had it for a while) or new (just bought it to test this) external drive.

My latest response was to you about the formatting of the computer and drive, and I never heard back.

I reach out in the forum again because the other thread I had was open for 2+ months, and I wasn't getting any help and then the ticket kept getting closed. I'd ask for it to get reopened, then I wouldn't receive any help and it would get closed yet again.

Nancy

I totally understand. From what I can see on my end, you still have an open ticket regarding this, so can you please check your email address once again and try to reply back to our support agent?

Please let me know when you’ve done so, so that I can also leave them an internal message with our convo.

xuser06

Hi @Nancy, I have replied to the email thread with the support agent.

Thanks for the help on your end.

Nancy

It was my pleasure, @xuser06!

tetonman

Did this get fixed? If so, how? I am having the same issue with nearly identical information.

Nancy

Hey @tetonman! Can you let me know of the differences you have with the OP? I’ll be able to further help this way.

tetonman

I have an external drive that I had Dropbox backup from 2022 to now. In February of this year I got a new computer and it stopped backing my drive up. I see the drive on the Backups window on the desktop app and it has the green check with "Done" next to it but it hasn't backed it up. My computer recognizes the drive and so does Dropbox but it doesn't begin the backup sequence.

The drive is partitioned and the only part I am backing up is a 700 GB Photos Library.

Computer - M3 MacBook Pro - OS 14.3
External - WD My passport 1 TB - APFS

Thanks!

Jay

HI @tetonman, if you're using a new computer, then it isn't possible to continue using the same backup as before, since you're on a different machine.

You'll need to create a new backup with this external drive to your Dropbox account.