The next-generation version of the Dropbox app for macOS, which finally adds native support for Apple silicon chips, is now available to all in beta.
It comes less than a week after Dropbox began testing Apple M1 support with a small number of users. You can try it out for yourself by enabling “early releases” in your account preferences. We’ll show you how.
Dropbox finally adds Apple silicon support
Dropbox has received criticism from subscribers for its apparent unwillingness to support Apple’s early crop of M1 processors. Users of its official forum were initially told that there were “no plans” to optimize Dropbox for Apple silicon.
It seems, however, that there was some miscommunication within the company. Although Dropbox has been much slower than other big developers at making its app native on the latest Mac models, M1 support has finally arrived.
The newest Dropbox beta is now available to all macOS users. Dropbox doesn’t tell us much about it, but you can expect noticeable improvements in performance and efficiency if you’ve been using the Intel version of the app.
How to get the Dropbox beta on an M1 Mac
To try out the beta for yourself, you’ll need to enable “early releases” in your Dropbox account settings. Here’s how:
- Sign into your account at Dropbox.com.
- Click your avatar in the top-right corner.
- Click Settings.
- Select Preferences, then choose General.
- Enable Early releases.
“You’ll automatically receive access within 24 hours of joining Dropbox’s early releases program,” Dropbox says.
Because this is a beta version of the app, there may be some bugs. But you can expect regular updates that “continue to improve the experience.” You can help Dropbox with its fixes by reporting any issues you encounter.
