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AndyPas's avatar
AndyPas
Explorer | Level 4
9 months ago

Dropbox on File Provider support for macOS questions

I'm reading quite a few threads on File Provider support for MacOS and I have some questions.   What exactly does this get me? It seems like a step backwards. I'm losing Dropbox Vault support and...
desktop
Mac
Setting up the apps
sync
anmipa's avatar
anmipa
Explorer | Level 4
8 months ago

Why do I want it?  What does it get me over traditional sync?

 

The lack of LAN sync really sucks. And not being able to keep my Dropbox folder on an external drive also sucks.

 

If I am giving up both those things, what am I getting in return to make my experience better?

  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    8 months ago

    Hey anmipa - thanks for using Dropbox and welcome to the Community!
     

    You can see all the expected changes on the Dropbox for Mac OS on File Provider on this page.

     

    Let us know if you have any other questions.

    • anmipa's avatar
      anmipa
      Explorer | Level 4
      8 months ago

      I saw that page before. I don't see the benefit of using it.

       

      As an en-user of Dropbox, how will this help me over the built in Dropbox sync?

      • billgdbx's avatar
        billgdbx
        Icon for Dropbox Engineer rankDropbox Engineer
        8 months ago

        File Provider is Apple's API for syncing going forward on their newer OS versions, and replaces the use of legacy means for supporting download-on-demand.  Dropbox users who have not yet opted into FP are running a version of sync that provides most, but not all of the functionality of Online-Only files.  Even that level of support is not guaranteed by Apple long-term, therefore all users on macOS will eventually need to move onto FP, or live in a world without download-on-demand (which is acceptable to some, but not all of our users--in particular those with more Dropbox than can fit on their local hard drive).  We're continuing to work towards delivering the full feature set for FP, including external drive support and more.

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