How to disable the backup feature in Dropbox and Google Drive (macOS)

Owned by Andrew Molloy
Last updated: Oct 10, 2023
2 min read

On SU-managed Mac computers, OneDrive will backup/sync the Desktop and Documents folders by default.

Since Dropbox and Google Drive also have this feature, it is important to disable it in these apps to avoid conflicts. Note that Dropbox and Google Drive backup is an extra feature not related to the normal use of your Dropbox or Google Drive folders on your Mac.

Follow the steps below to disable this feature or verify that it is turned off.

Dropbox

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  • Click the Dropbox icon on the Mac menu bar, then click Preferences.
  • Click the Backups tab, then Manage Backups.
  • Click the Change folders button.
  • Uncheck both Desktop and Documents.
  • If asked, choose to keep the files on your Mac. It may take some time to download these files.

Google Drive

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  • Click the small Google Drive icon on the Mac's menu bar. Then click the gear wheel icon, then Preferences.
  • On the left, click on My MacBook Pro (or whatever your computer is named). Then notice which folders are being backed up. The only ones we are concerned with are Documents and Desktop.
  • Click on the first folder name, in this case Documents.
  • On the Documents settings window, UNCHECK 'Sync with Google Drive' to disable the backup for this folder.
  • Confirm by clicking 'Stop syncing'.
  • Repeat for Desktop.