Using Dropbox with Mojave

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Level 1

35 points

Using Dropbox with Mojave

I upgraded from Sierra to Mojave on a MacBook Pro (2016) and iMac (late 2017), for the wrong reason, it turns out, but mostly I'm happy with the outcome. Ever since I started running Sierra on those two machines, I'd been plagued by what I first thought were spontaneous unmonitored (that is, when I wasn't actively using the machine) reboots. Turns out, the machines weren't rebooting, just logging out of my user space, and only because there's a System Preferences>Privacy and Security setting to do just that that began with Sierra. Even though it took a massive disruption in my daily work to expunge that behavior (a correspondent informed me of this setting), I now have an up-to-date OS.

I did my updates by "Clean Install" from backup clone boot drives created in "SuperDuper!"; i.e., I erased my boot internal SSD (MacBook Pro and Fusion Drive (iMac) and ran the Mojave installer while booted from the respective bootable clone drives, then used the installer to "pour" my user accounts, apps, and other files back into the new installations. When I did so, the installer asked me whether I wanted to use iCloud Drive to manage several types of information; e.g., PDFs from Preview, videos from QuickTime player, and everything from Dropbox.app. This last puzzles me.

The way I use Dropbox is as a private but multiply-located file cabinet. While iCloud Drive accomplishes many of the same goals, they differ in one respect (and more), in that iCloud Drive will use my behavior to manage my internal boot volumes' data storage as the volumes fill close to capacity, by keeping just a pointer to some of less frequently used actual files on my boot volume, keeping the "reference" completed file in the cloud for retrieval when needed.

It seems to me that using iCloud Drive to manage what Dropbox has been managing is redundant; i.e., if everything I now store in my Dropbox folder is automatically copied into iCloud as well, there will be TWO local copies of those files, filling my boot volume twice as fast. Am I not understanding this correctly?

Thanks so much for any responses.

MacBook Pro 15", macOS 10.12

Posted on Mar 17, 2019 10:15 AM

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Answer 1

leroydouglas

Level 10

199,398 points

Mar 17, 2019 11:20 AM in response to JimRobertson

What I don't understand is why I would want to use iCloud to manage what's already on each of my machines and in the Cloud already by being in my Dropbox folder, putting it all on iCloud drive as well? Can you explain that for me?

Why is this so hard to understand. iCloud is a built Apple resource to use or not. Your call.

Dropbox is a third party cloud service to use or not.

What am I missing here(?) It seems obvious to me, you don't have to.

The benefit of iCloud independent of the tiny amount of storage they give you , is you can synchronize between all devices including Notes, Calendars, Reminders, Photo Stream, back to my Mac, Contacts, Safari book marks, passwords, etc... this would include iPhones, iPads.

You can see the complete options >System Preferences>iCloud

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Answer 2

leroydouglas

Level 10

199,398 points

Mar 17, 2019 10:55 AM in response to JimRobertson

It seems to me that using iCloud Drive to manage what Dropbox has been managing is redundant; i.e., if everything I now store in my Dropbox folder is automatically copied into iCloud as well, there will be TWO local copies of those files, filling my boot volume twice as fast. Am I not understanding this correctly?

You can read more if you google "3-2-1 Backup Strategy" three copies of your data, two different methods, and one offsite.

I would not put all my faith in Cloud backups.

Boot clone https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-10081

How to use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201250

Use DiskUtility Restore feature https://support.apple.com/guide/disk-utility/restore-a-disk-dskutl14062/mac

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Answer 3

JimRobertson Author

Level 1

35 points

Mar 17, 2019 10:39 PM in response to leroydouglas

Apparently, you don't understand the question I'm asking. When I completed my installation of Mojave, the last thing the installer application asked me was to specify what I wanted to be managed by iCloud Drive, in a list of about a half dozen types of files, Apple chose to offer me everything that had previously been managed by Dropbox.app. Not INSTEAD of Dropbox.app, but IN ADDITION TO being managed by Dropbox. I'm not currently using any other cloud-based storage, much, but I do have Office 365, so by default, I have OneDrive as well. Apple presents me the option of using iCloud Drive as an additional place to put everything that's already in at least 3 places; i.e., my laptop, my desktop, and on Dropbox's servers. And, since Apple is suggesting I store everything in Dropbox also in iCloud Drive, why does it not also offer the same suggestion for the files I have in Microsoft's "OneDrive." (I think I know an answer to that, which is OneDrive's background file synchronization capabilities)

Why on EARTH would a user want to consumer his/her local storage space with duplicate Dropbox and iCloud storage? Both can cause the user to incur ongoing costs, as you mention. I convinced a sufficient number of my acquaintances to create Dropbox accounts when Dropbox was new so that I have a quite nice amount of free storage on Dropbox. Dropbox won't sequester large files solely in the cloud by "managing" my local storage, leaving only pointers to them locally when my local SSD nears full use, but will warn me if I run up against the limits imposed on me by the amount of server storage permitted to me.

The very fact that Apple presents me a finite list of items that I'd like to store on iCloud Drive, and what puzzles me is that one of those suggested categories is all the files I already have duplicated by server-based storage in Dropbox, with the inference that those files would be better managed by being housed on iCloud Drive as well. The sole question I've asked is "what would be the benefit of doing that." I cannot think of any. Of course you're correct that I'm not obligated in any way to use iCloud Drive, but I'm still curious regarding what Apple considers to be the point of doing so for the files I'm also storing in Dropbox.

Thanks again.

Perhaps I've not explained myself well, but I do understand the question I'm asking.

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Answer 4

JimRobertson Author

Level 1

35 points

Mar 17, 2019 11:06 AM in response to leroydouglas

You can read more if you google "3-2-1 Backup Strategy" three copies of your data, two different methods, and one offsite.

I would not put all my faith in Cloud backups.

Sorry if I didn't make myself clear. My use of Dropbox isn't primarily as my backup. I use BOTH encrypted Time Machine backups and automatic update SuperDuper! clones for that. Putting most of the "stuff" that I need recurring access to in the Dropbox folder that's at the top level of ~/User accomplishes that for me.

What I don't understand is why I would want to use iCloud to manage what's already on each of my machines and in the Cloud already by being in my Dropbox folder, putting it all on iCloud drive as well? Can you explain that for me?

Thanks so much for your so-quick response.

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Using Dropbox with Mojave

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