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Syncing Documents and Downloads folders across multiple macOS devices

I have used Dropbox for years to sync the Documents and Downloads folders of my home, office, and travel Macs (i.e., I can work on any of the three machines at anytime and they are all synced). Last year, I discovered that I heed to use symlinks to do this on a new office machine and so far, it seems to be working. Today I am setting up a new MacMini at home and am trying to figure out how to set up syncing again. I installed Dropbox and files were added to the new Mac, but the Dropbox folder is in my user library, and an alias (or symlink) to my Dropbox appears in my user folder. Clearly something has changed in Sequoia compared with earlier OSs. Can someone share the terminal code that I need to replace the Documents folder on my new Mac with a symlink pointing to the Documents folder in Dropbox?

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Comments

Walter

Hey @keplerD - thanks for using Dropbox and happy Monday!

When you say you used Dropbox to sync your Documents and Downloads folders, can you clarify if you used the Dropbox desktop app and copied or moved them in your Dropbox folder to have them synced across your devices or maybe you were referring to the Dropbox Backup feature instead?

Let us know more and we'll take it from there!

keplerD

Back before the M chip Macs, I simply kept Documents and Downloads in my dropbox. All Macs used those same Document and Download folders, as alias Doc and Download folders where on each machine, pointing to the folders in Dropbox. With my first M machine (M3), I discovered that that wasn't possible anymore, but that I could use terminal to accomplish the same thing. Now with an M4 machine, it seems yet another change is making this a challenge, as the Dropbox folder is automatically copied into a path like user/library/cloud/Dropbox or something like that. Sorry, but I am not at the Mac at this time, so can't see the exact path. Does this help?

Walter

So it sounds like you're using Dropbox on File Provider now on the new machine which moves your Dropbox folder to the location you mentioned @keplerD

Symlinks aren't really the official way to sync your Documents and Downloads folders, but you should be able to achieve it through the Dropbox Backup feature and/or move/copy the actual folders into the Dropbox folder and have them synced.

I hope this helps a tad and please keep me posted on your progress.

keplerD

Actually, I'm quite the novice at Dropbox. I do not know what Dropbox Backup or Dropbox of File Provider are. Thought I was using Dropbox.

At any rate, I have a working solution at the moment with the symlinks on my work Mac and alternate Document and Download folders on my newest home Mac. Will reach out locally to the guy who introduced me to Dropbox years ago to see how he deals with this.

Many thanks!!

Walter

Sure thing @keplerD - let us know if anything else comes up in the meantime!