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Forum Discussion
Opting out of cloud storage?
I've been a Dropbox user for about 10 years. Today, I was greeted with a demand from my Dropbox client to move all of my Dropbox synced folders from ~/Dropbox to ~/Library/CloudStorage. I've done...
Hey sfsdfd, thanks for taking the time to provide additional info on your query.
Allow me to clarify that even if you update your Dropbox application to Dropbox for macOS on File Provider, you'll still have the option to have your files available offline.
Even if you don't make the choice to initially sync them as available offline, you can still manually do so afterwards, with a simple right-click choice.
The usability of the app remains the same, with the added option to switch your files to online-only, to save up hard drive space.
However, we do appreciate your feedback on this and I'll make sure to pass it along to our team.
Let us know if you have any other questions.
Rich, your response is both dismissive and unhelpful.
I will repeat my questions above and bold it for your attention:
If one of the base folders on Dropbox is included in Selective Sync on my Mac, and if I mark that folder as "make available offline," will that designation be enforced for all files and folders? Or will this setting have to be managed constantly - e.g., I might find that newly created files were marked as "on-demand" by default and need to be updated?
Neither of the links you provided addressed those questions in the slightest.
As for this comment:
> It's actually Apple that has pushed this, with their File Provider API.
...I will refer you to the Apple FileProvider API documentation, which reads:
"You don’t need a File Provider extension to allow access to documents that your app stores locally."
Dropbox isn't required to use the FileProvider API. And even if it felt compelled to do so, Dropbox could have used the FileProvider API for on-demand files, and could have continued using conventional sync methods for "keep on device" files. One such option: allow users to designate each top-level folder (those that are subject to Selective Sync) as either on-demand or keep-on-device. The former could have been stored in ~/Library/CloudStorage and could have used the FileProvider API; the latter could have been stored in ~/Dropbox and could have used the existing Dropbox sync features.
Dropbox chose not to do that, and instead shove everyone into ~/Library/CloudStorage and the FileProvider API, whether or not users wanted to designate certain folders as keep-on-device. It chose to serve certain kinds of users over other users, and to serve the latter a second-class, poorly-documented, unreliable hack as a consolation prize.
Pejorative responses like yours fully track with that decision-making process.
Since Dropbox is no longer interested in serving users like me, I'm taking my subscription money to one of its competitors. The tone of your response validates that decision.
@sfsdfd which alternative service did you decide to switch to?
These Dropbox changes are horrific and nothing is working as expected for me. It's impossible to know whether files are local or on the cloud, since many are displaying BOTH a green checkmark AND a cloud icon. The contextual commands to make a folder "Online Only" or "Available Offline" don't reliably do anything. It's simply unacceptable.
I've been a loyal customer for 10 year but it's clearly time to part ways.
I second the very well-outlined opinion of this thread's author.
One additional datapoint is that in my case i'm using an alternative file-browser (not Mac's finder). This file-browser (Path Finder) does not have an indication of the file's status (cloud or local), so i usually rely on a "common" setting that ensures all my files are stored locally (then i enable or disable sync for each individual folder in the advanced tab). This has always worked, but not after upgrading my mac OS all the sudden my files start living in the cloud, and are no longer available locally. This move made me loose my face a number of times while traveling in Japan on low bandwidth, and I don't find a way to restore my files to reside locally. My Mac locks while trying to load data that i thought was local, but is now all the sudden offlined for some random reason. Please explain to me how i can keep my files locally, and give me back my control or i will cancel my subscription.
I want this answer as well - all files sync'd on all devices as my default... I reviewed the thread seems no one has the answer
- Megan
Dropbox Staff
Hi Darrin Harris F, I hope you're doing well!
If I understand your questions correctly, it seems you'd like to know if you can sync as available offline, all of your files.
During installation, you should be asked how you wish to sync your content: available offline, or online only.
However, even if the files don't start as available offline by default, you should be able to change that setting, in order to sync them locally to the device, and keep them like so.
If you have any questions, let me know!
