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Forum Discussion
How can I have my Dropbox folder on an external drive with macOS on File Provider?
What is the deal with External drive support for Dropbox for macOS on File Provider, as described in this article?
https://help.dropbox.com/installs/mac-external-drive-support
I am on the latest macOS Sequoia 15.0.1 and latest Dropbox client v210.4.4854. I have an USB external drive, AFPS-encrypted. After I go through the steps described in the article - Dropbox is no longer in File Provider mode, and it shows as "ineligible" in Preferences.
What I am missing here? The article vaguely mentions this being in "Beta". How do I get this working?
- Hannah
Dropbox Staff
Hey ctyrider, thanks for joining our Community.
Where is your Dropbox folder currently located?
If it's already (and has always been) on your external drive, you won't be able to update to the File Provider version of Dropbox and subsequently, you won't be able to utilize the File Provider version of the external drive support.
Let me know more about your current setup and we'll go from there.
Hannah,
My Dropbox folder is in its default location on internal drive:
/Users/myusername/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox
I am following the exact steps described in your article to move to External drive:
To move the Dropbox folder:
Click the Dropbox icon in the menu bar.
Click your profile picture or initials.
Click Preferences.
Click Account.
Click Sign out.
Click Sign in with Dropbox.
Click Next.
Click Advanced settings when you see, “You're almost finished.”
Under Dropbox folder location, select a folder location.
You can choose to store the Dropbox folder on your external drive from this screen.
Click Done.
Upon completion - the client says I am no longer in "File Provider" mode, and I am ineligible to covert to it. What I am missing?
- Rich
Super User II
ctyrider wrote:
I am on the ... latest Dropbox client v210.4.4854. The article vaguely mentions this being in "Beta".
Seeing as this is a Beta feature, I wonder if you need to be running the Beta client. You're running a stable release (middle digit of the version is a 4). Try installing the latest Beta from the Clients Builds section. The middle number in the version should be a 3 for the beta versions.
Rich wrote:
ctyrider wrote:I am on the ... latest Dropbox client v210.4.4854. The article vaguely mentions this being in "Beta".
Seeing as this is a Beta feature, I wonder if you need to be running the Beta client. You're running a stable release (middle digit of the version is a 4). Try installing the latest Beta from the Clients Builds section. The middle number in the version should be a 3 for the beta versions.
I tried it with the latest beta build 211.3.5981 - no change whatsoever. I wonder if this is something Dropbox has to enable on my account server-side.
Does anyone actually have this working as described in the article?
It sounds like the issue may be due to the feature still being in beta, which can cause compatibility issues. For now, Dropbox only supports certain types of external drives for File Provider mode on macOS, and it might not work perfectly with AFPS-encrypted drives. Make sure you’re enrolled in Dropbox’s beta program (in Dropbox settings under Early Releases). If it's still showing as "ineligible," the feature may not fully support your setup yet.
nickemery wrote:It sounds like the issue may be due to the feature still being in beta, which can cause compatibility issues. For now, Dropbox only supports certain types of external drives for File Provider mode on macOS, and it might not work perfectly with AFPS-encrypted drives.
Is this just your guess or do you have specific info about which "certain types" of external drives are or aren't supported? I'd really like someone from Dropbox to explain what's required for external drives to work.
I am already enrolled in Dropbox Early Access, so that isn't it.
