Dropbox may stop working properly with a new version of macOS
Dropbox is warning customers that they might not be able to open some types of files easily in a forthcoming update to macOS.
Dropbox offers a facility where users can choose not to fully synchronize all of their files and folders to their computer. These so-called “online only” files are normally downloaded on demand if a user chooses to open them. The feature is designed to save storage space on people’s computers.
However, Dropbox is warning that the forthcoming macOS 12.3 update will partially break support for these online-only files and may result in third-party applications (such as Microsoft Word or Adobe Photoshop) being unable to open these files directly.
As a short-term workaround, Dropbox says customers can pre-download these online only files via the Dropbox folder, before attempting to open them in third-party applications.
Dropbox says it’s working on delivering full support for macOS 12.3 (Monterey) and will begin rolling out a beta version of its new software in March. The issue is also reported to affect rival services, such as Microsoft’s OneDrive.
There’s a good chance Dropbox (and others) will have resolved the problem by the time macOS 12.3 arrives with Mac owners. macOS is currently on version 12.1, with 12.2 due to be released imminently.
That means version 12.3 will soon be arriving with beta testers, which is likely why Dropbox has moved to warn customers of the impending problem now.
