I am not a heavy user of DropBox but despite the changes, I have not had issues on Ventura. I use DropBox two or three times a week to share files with others, using a variety of OSs. Sometimes I have to wait a while for files to download but we’re talking minutes not hours.
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I use Dropbox daily with Ventura and I have no issues :-)
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thank you. Did you experience and problems or irritants linked to the fact that the dropbox folder was moved from documents to the library ? Did the transfer from the old to the new version of dropbox with file provider extension cause any problems ?
It was a small irritation to move, and I was nervous, but I just followed the instructions and everything transferred with no issues. I know people seem to have a ‘thing’ against Dropbox but the basic features I use (file storage essentially) has always worked flawlessly for me. I am on the Dropbox Professional plan.
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My Dropbox on Ventura is working fine and I have not had the folder move to the internal drive yet.
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The update to latest Dropbox using the new file access method was seamless under Ventura (and continues with Sonoma) but caused apprehension regarding full independent backups of Dropbox contents.
Maestral, introduced to me by this topic, is now ensuring I have an always-resident copy of my Dropbox folder for backup purposes, primarily using Carbon Copy Cloner for multiple offsite and local copies.
This is one more example of the help I have received as a subscriber to TidBITS Talk over the years. I am extremely grateful.
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I too used symlinks with Dropbox until Dropbox informed me these would no longer be allowed. I was using symlinks so that folders were at the “normal” location and not something I would have to remember were stored in Dropbox. So I stopped using Dropbox. The links allowed me to have an online backup of by Documents folder. I want both my documents on my Mac drive and backed up online. I don’t want to use the Apple approach where everything gets uploaded, there are times I don’t want to have to log onto a unfamiliar WIFI to see documents. I now use Backblaze.
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I used to keep symlinks in Dropbox which pointed at folders I wanted it to keep in sync. Some years ago, that stopped working, so I reversed the process, putting the folders themselves (Downloads, for example, and some support folders used by Lightroom) in Dropbox’s folder and symlinks where the apps expected the folders to be. That worked, and continues to work pretty well even after the compulsory move of Dropbox’s folder.
There are some anomalies. Some applications don’t “see” items in Dropbox’s folder now it’s in the new location: for example, new Lightroom plugins don’t work unless they’re moved elsewhere. Some installers (those from Topaz, for example) give curious errors when run from Dropbox’s new folder but run perfectly from elsewhere (such as the desktop). Dropbox also has a problem with aliases to packages (applications, for example), which just don’t work at all - they tell me they have reproduced the bug, which I reported a few weeks ago, and will fix it.
But on the whole, the main problems I encounter are the result of my trying to be too clever for my own good.
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you article is extremely interesting. A must for any Dropbox user migrating to Apple’s File Provider Extension. It also piqued my interest in CloudSync. I searched TidBits and could not find anything you have written on CloudSync. Is this correct ? If so, it’s unfortunate because you write so well. Could you perhaps suggest a reference on CloudSync ?
I have no experience at all with CloudSync, alas, so an article is very unlikely.
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I have no problems with dropbox on Ventura. I only sync files in the actual dropbox, and generally only one person uses the DropBox, although I occasionally give people links. I have one Mac that is on the beta of whatever the next version OS is, and it is fine. I do also use iCloud Drive, and find that DropBox is more reliable.
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would you happen to know if dropbox can function with one user using the old file system in Monterey 12.6.8, and another user using Ventura and the new Apple’s File Provider. I am asking you because I don’t trust Dropbox support one bit. thank you
I have no idea but I was using Dropbox with a Mac Studio running OS12 Monetary (and then OS13 Ventura) and a laptop running OS 10.15 Catalina with no issues. As it is just synching files with Dropbox cloud, I don’t think the Mac OS has much influence (apart from where local files have to be stored),
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There’s no problem with different Dropbox users using different versions of macOS.
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I’ve been using Dropbox (now v180.4.4912) on Ventura through 13.4.1 (c) on a MacBook M1 without ANY issues syncing or otherwise (icons show check marks). I save everything worthwhile on Dropbox and use iCloud as a secondary backup for critical items.
Ventura itself was a jolt to the senses and habits – colors, terminology, placement of some things. Took longer (a few weeks) to make changes and get comfortable. Fortunately all of my scripts (Bash, Keyboard Maestro, Python, Applescript, Javascript) ran fine, so no work disruption.
As always recommended by @ace , please backup everything to a reliable site or drive before moving to Ventura.
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nice to know that Keyboard Maestro works. I depend on my zillion macros. thank you
hello @ace
Preamble: You are the expert and I am a simple dilettante.
I read your excellent reference, other articles and the dropbox documentation and warnings.
What is strange is that I arrive at a diametrically opposite conclusion, which is to NOT install the new Dropbox Apple File Provider in Ventura. I welcome your criticisms, and that of other forum members.
Pros and cons of upgrading in Ventura from Dropbox as a kernel extension to to the new Dropbox using the Apple File Provider API
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pros: none that I can see
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cons
- just upgraded to Ventura, and Dropbox kernel extension works seamlessly. Upgrading Dropbox to the Apple File Provider API is just an option, not a necessity
- according to all sources, it will probably take a few years for Apple to no longer support Dropbox kernel extension during which time Dropbox developers will be able to address many remaining issues
- the new Dropbox Apple File Provider version is associated with a whole slew of problems, for example
- risk of broken links with hundreds of Keyboard Maestro macros (I probably have a thousand macros), many alfred workflows, launchbar, Better Touch Tool actions, all of which could turn out to be the mother of all headaches.
- Dropbox being more a device than a folder, ie located in ~/Librarv/CloudStorage which is inconvenient. No longer located in the Finder Favorites, but rather in Locations
- syncing Dropbox accounts with more than 300K files is slower
- can no longer sync files with long filenames in deeply nested folders for a total path length of more than 1024 characters
- Dropbox vault no longer accessible offline
To be clear, I don’t have strong feelings about this, and I don’t use Dropbox much anymore in comparison with Google Drive and iCloud Drive. For what it’s worth, none of the things you specify as cons have affected my Dropbox use in any way. (In particular, the sidebar location is a non-issue because you can just move Dropbox out of Locations to wherever you prefer.)
That said, my understanding is that this isn’t a choice you necessarily get to make. Dropbox will upgrade you to the new system when it wants to. It may give you a choice for now, and you may be able to downgrade, but those won’t always be true.
Last I knew, which is a few months ago, having your Dropbox folder stored on an external volume would prevent you from being upgraded because of the loss of functionality that entailed. That still seems to be true.
But at some point, an upgrade will be necessary, and in my experience, putting upgrades off for as long as possible usually makes the eventual process harder and more likely to cause problems.
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