[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”1.5em|20%|1.5em|20%|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”|0%||0%|true|true” custom_padding_phone=”|0%||0%|true|true” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”7b1bf5ad-cc2a-4448-981c-4963d88bd6e8″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|true” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
You may have heard about the recent macOS update, which ends support for Dropbox<\/a> sync folders on external drives<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This update has quickly proven to be a disaster for filmmakers and media professionals<\/span> who use external drives alongside their Macs and cloud storage such as Dropbox (and similar services) to store, back-up, and share files.<\/p>\n Keep reading to learn more about this update, how it may affect you, and how Dropbox users can continue to sync files from their external drive using MASV.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_id=”physical” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” header_4_text_color=”#444444″ background_color=”rgba(158,213,247,0.19)” custom_padding=”2%|3%|2%|3%|false|true” border_width_left=”5px” border_color_left=”#3d72e7″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n This post was produced with the support of Vladyslav Ilchenko<\/strong>, Test Automation Engineer and <\/span>Julio Farell<\/strong>, Applications Developer at MASV<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”2514b1ee-af07-4bc3-a96b-c9aaa32f4a18″ text_font_size=”24px” width=”100%” width_tablet=”100%” width_phone=”100%” width_last_edited=”on|tablet” max_width=”100%” custom_margin=”|-54px|0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px|||0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”2514b1ee-af07-4bc3-a96b-c9aaa32f4a18″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_cta title=”Send Large Files to Dropbox” button_url=”https:\/\/app.massive.io\/en\/signup” button_text=”Sign-Up for Free” module_class=”starttrial” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” header_level=”h5″ header_font=”||||||||” header_font_size=”27px” header_line_height=”1.3em” body_font_size=”18px” body_line_height=”1.8em” background_color=”#202332″ background_color_gradient_start=”#3d72e7″ background_color_gradient_end=”#202332″ background_color_gradient_direction=”206deg” custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#FFFFFF” button_bg_use_color_gradient=”on” button_bg_color_gradient_start=”#3d72e7″ button_bg_color_gradient_end=”#53a0fe” button_bg_color_gradient_direction=”293deg” button_border_width=”0px” button_border_radius=”50px” button_use_icon=”off” button_custom_padding=”10px|42px|10px|42px|true|true” custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” link_option_url=”https:\/\/app.massive.io\/en\/signup” border_width_top=”10px” border_color_top=”#3d72e7″ border_color_left=”#3d72e7″ box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”-13px” box_shadow_style_button=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”on|hover” button_custom_padding__hover_enabled=”on|hover” button_custom_padding__hover=”|2em|||false|false” button_border_width__hover=”0px”]<\/p>\n Send terabytes of data to Dropbox using MASV’s Dropbox integration.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_cta][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”1.5em|20%|1.5em|20%|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”|0%||0%|true|true” custom_padding_phone=”|0%||0%|true|true” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”7b1bf5ad-cc2a-4448-981c-4963d88bd6e8″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|true” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_id=”update” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”2514b1ee-af07-4bc3-a96b-c9aaa32f4a18″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” header_3_font_size=”26px” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”||12px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”off|desktop” custom_padding=”||||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Starting with the Monterey update for macOS, and continuing with Ventura, Apple has deprecated kernel extensions used by the likes of Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive<\/strong>.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/massive.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/dropbox-sync-folder-thumbnail.jpg” alt=”dropbox sync folder fading away with the macOS Ventura update” title_text=”dropbox-sync-folder-thumbnail” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_id=”physical” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”2514b1ee-af07-4bc3-a96b-c9aaa32f4a18″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” header_3_font_size=”26px” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”||12px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”off|desktop” custom_padding=”||||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n In other words, a change in Apple\u2019s File Provider API<\/a> requires cloud file-sharing apps like Dropbox to save system files in a set location: ~\/Library\/CloudStorage<\/em>.<\/p>\n That means users can no longer keep their Dropbox sync folder on an external drive<\/span>. It also means anyone using Dropbox or similar apps as a cloud folder on an external drive must change the location to their internal drive.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not ideal for media professionals and others who work with batches of massive files<\/a> that would easily blow up most internal hard drives.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a sampling of the changes, courtesy of Dropbox Help Center<\/a>:<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” background_color=”#f2f4f9″ custom_padding=”3%|3%|3%|3%|true|true” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n \ud83d\udca1 Read More:<\/span><\/strong> How to Back-Up Your External Drive to the Cloud<\/a><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_id=”physical” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”2514b1ee-af07-4bc3-a96b-c9aaa32f4a18″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” header_3_font_size=”26px” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”||12px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”off|desktop” custom_padding=”||||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The update actually wasn\u2019t all that recent: MacOS Monterey 12.3, the first OS to feature the new API, was released in March 2022, although rumblings about potential disruptions began to emerge as early as January of last year.<\/p>\n That\u2019s when Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive both warned of looming compatibility issues, such as difficulties opening online files in third-party apps<\/a>, associated with the OS update. Problems opening online-only Dropbox files was another huge issue that cropped up, although one that seems to have been resolved after Dropbox\u2019s August announcement<\/a> that it would release a public beta of its new Mac desktop app with full macOS Monterey support.<\/p>\n Users, however, weren\u2019t entirely convinced. As recently as October of 2022, Dropbox users posting in Mac forums openly wondered, \u201cIs it safe to upgrade macOS past 12.1 now?<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n While some at the time expressed hope the release of macOS Ventura would resolve everything, that doesn\u2019t appear to be the case. As more and more users have updated their operating systems and restarted their apps, they\u2019ve discovered the issue around Dropbox and external hard drives appears to be permanent.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_id=”physical” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”2514b1ee-af07-4bc3-a96b-c9aaa32f4a18″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” header_3_font_size=”26px” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”||12px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”off|desktop” custom_padding=”||||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n We\u2019ll be honest: There is widespread confusion and not much solid information about why this has happened.<\/p>\n \u201cThe secrecy around the operation is bound to create consternation,\u201d predicted Computerworld<\/em><\/a>, accurately, back in January 2022.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Some online say it\u2019s about security. Media outlet 9to5Mac<\/em> says it was for privacy reasons<\/a>, without further explanation. Others say it\u2019s to ensure a more \u201cMac-like\u201d user experience for these online storage applications. Still others wonder if it\u2019s all a ploy to force consumers to buy Macs with more robust internal storage.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_cta title=”Fast, Reliable Transfer of Large Files” button_url=”https:\/\/app.massive.io\/en\/signup” button_text=”Sign-Up for Free” module_class=”starttrial” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” header_level=”h5″ header_font=”||||||||” header_font_size=”27px” header_line_height=”1.3em” body_font_size=”18px” body_line_height=”1.8em” background_color=”#202332″ background_color_gradient_start=”#3d72e7″ background_color_gradient_end=”#202332″ background_color_gradient_direction=”206deg” custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#FFFFFF” button_bg_use_color_gradient=”on” button_bg_color_gradient_start=”#3d72e7″ button_bg_color_gradient_end=”#53a0fe” button_bg_color_gradient_direction=”293deg” button_border_width=”0px” button_border_radius=”50px” button_use_icon=”off” button_custom_padding=”10px|42px|10px|42px|true|true” custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” link_option_url=”https:\/\/app.massive.io\/en\/signup” border_width_top=”10px” border_color_top=”#3d72e7″ border_color_left=”#3d72e7″ box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”-13px” box_shadow_style_button=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”on|hover” button_custom_padding__hover_enabled=”on|hover” button_custom_padding__hover=”|2em|||false|false” button_border_width__hover=”0px”]<\/p>\n Send large videos, images, and other media assets to anyone, anywhere with MASV.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_cta][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”1.5em|20%|1.5em|20%|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”|0%||0%|true|true” custom_padding_phone=”|0%||0%|true|true” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”7b1bf5ad-cc2a-4448-981c-4963d88bd6e8″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|true” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_id=”affected” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”2514b1ee-af07-4bc3-a96b-c9aaa32f4a18″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” header_3_font_size=”26px” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”||12px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”off|desktop” custom_padding=”||||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n While Dropbox describes the update as \u201ca more seamless experience\u201d for Mac users, users say it\u2019s a \u201cdisaster\u201d<\/a> that will likely force them off the file-sharing platform entirely:<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a showstopper for us, and will mean we have to move to another service. We have a large distributed team using DB for video work, no way it’ll fit within internal drives.\u201d – Jon C.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cThis is bad, bad news, and may make Dropbox unusable for me, as well.\u201d – Apothekerry<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cThis is a disaster for my small business. We have 5 Mac Mini’s with tiny 250gb hard drives\u2026 Now I am reading that Dropbox just won’t work on them at all? So Dropbox has to use what little space is available in the 250gb internal drives?? If this is true…we will have no choice but to leave Dropbox and migrate to something else.\u201d – Businessman994<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n But it\u2019s not just Dropbox users who will ultimately be affected by the API change: Apple Insider<\/a>\u00a0says any cloud storage app using the File Provider API will have to deal with the same inconvenience as those on Mac.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, this macOS update is unavoidable and installs automatically. Files are promptly moved to ~\/Library\/CloudStorage<\/em> upon users restarting their Dropbox application. And if the user doesn\u2019t have enough internal space, they will run into an error message.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”1.5em|20%|1.5em|20%|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”|0%||0%|true|true” custom_padding_phone=”|0%||0%|true|true” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”7b1bf5ad-cc2a-4448-981c-4963d88bd6e8″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|true” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_id=”workflows” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”2514b1ee-af07-4bc3-a96b-c9aaa32f4a18″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” header_3_font_size=”26px” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”||12px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”off|desktop” custom_padding=”||||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The most immediate impact is that Mac users won\u2019t be able to place their Dropbox sync folder, or folders with similar cloud storage services, on external storage.<\/p>\n This has profound implications for any post-production workflow<\/a> with Dropbox or a similar service baked in for archive or backup storage, including video editing workflows and VFX pipelines<\/a>.<\/p>\n The update affects all Mac users running macOS 12.5 (Monterey) or macOS 13-plus (Ventura) \u2014 which is to say, all Mac users who also use Dropbox, since following its update the app is now only available to Mac users with those operating systems.<\/p>\n It\u2019s currently unclear which other file-sharing apps and cloud storage providers will ultimately be affected, although we can say for sure that OneDrive was one of them. OneDrive announced<\/a> it had developed a workaround (untested by us) to the issue last year.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_cta title=”File Transfer for Creative Workflows” button_url=”https:\/\/app.massive.io\/en\/signup” button_text=”Sign-Up for Free” module_class=”starttrial” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” header_level=”h5″ header_font=”||||||||” header_font_size=”27px” header_line_height=”1.3em” background_color=”#202332″ background_color_gradient_start=”#3d72e7″ background_color_gradient_end=”#202332″ background_color_gradient_direction=”206deg” custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#FFFFFF” button_bg_use_color_gradient=”on” button_bg_color_gradient_start=”#3d72e7″ button_bg_color_gradient_end=”#53a0fe” button_bg_color_gradient_direction=”293deg” button_border_width=”0px” button_border_radius=”50px” button_use_icon=”off” button_custom_padding=”10px|42px|10px|42px|true|true” custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” link_option_url=”https:\/\/app.massive.io\/en\/signup” border_width_top=”10px” border_color_top=”#3d72e7″ border_color_left=”#3d72e7″ box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”-13px” box_shadow_style_button=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”on|hover” button_custom_padding__hover_enabled=”on|hover” button_custom_padding__hover=”|2em|||false|false” button_border_width__hover=”0px”]<\/p>\n Creative professionals trust MASV to securely transfer their large volumes of data.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_cta][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”1.5em|20%|1.5em|20%|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”|0%||0%|true|true” custom_padding_phone=”|0%||0%|true|true” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”7b1bf5ad-cc2a-4448-981c-4963d88bd6e8″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|true” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_id=”masv” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”2514b1ee-af07-4bc3-a96b-c9aaa32f4a18″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” header_3_font_size=”26px” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”||12px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”off|desktop” custom_padding=”||||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n While MASV can\u2019t completely solve this problem, we have a decent workaround to help you transfer your large video files from an external drive to Dropbox<\/strong>.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/massive.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Dropbox-Workflow.png” alt=”how to automatically upload files to Dropbox from an external drive ” title_text=”Dropbox Workflow” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how to do it:<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve done this, you can either:<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not on Dropbox but worried about similar issues with your cloud storage, MASV offers seamless integrations<\/a> with cloud storage services such as OneDrive<\/a>, Google Drive<\/a>, Box<\/a>, Amazon S3<\/a>, and Backblaze<\/a>.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ background_color=”#f2f4f9″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”1.5em|20%|1.5em|20%|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”|0%||0%|true|true” custom_padding_phone=”|0%||0%|true|true” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”7b1bf5ad-cc2a-4448-981c-4963d88bd6e8″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|true” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_id=”summary” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”2514b1ee-af07-4bc3-a96b-c9aaa32f4a18″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” header_3_font_size=”26px” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”||12px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”off|desktop” custom_padding=”||||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Apple\u2019s Monterey and Ventura updates are a huge blow to media professionals who depend on sync folder solutions like Dropbox to keep their workflow running.<\/p>\n If you use Dropbox and have a cloud sync folder location on an external drive, please note that your files will be migrated to ~\/Library\/CloudStorage<\/em> in your Mac\u2019s directory \u2014 and you need to have enough space on your local drive to accomadate the migration. This will be done automatically with the latest update and there is no workaround (yet).<\/p>\n\n
What\u2019s This New macOS Update, and Why Should I Care?<\/h2>\n
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When Did This Happen?<\/h3>\n
Why Did This Happen?<\/h3>\n
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Not Just Dropbox Affected by macOS Update<\/h2>\n
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What Does This Mean for Creative Workflows?<\/h2>\n
Is There a Workaround?<\/h2>\n
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Summary<\/h2>\n
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