How to Install Dropbox’s New Apple M1 Optimized Beta

Before now, Dropbox was one of the worst cloud storage applications to run on an M1 Mac. It didn’t offer native Apple Silicon support, so it wasted system resources, gobbled RAM, and burned through battery life. But just as Dropbox promised, its latest app beta is finally optimized for M1 Macs.

We’ve installed the Dropbox Beta Build (version 140.3.1903) and can confirm that it offers native Apple Silicon support. Installing this beta is easy—just visit Dropbox’s latest Beta Build page and select the macOS X installer (which also works on macOS 11 and 12, don’t worry).

This installer will automatically replace whatever version of Dropbox you’re running on your Mac. Still, I suggest checking that the beta installed correctly. Expand the Dropbox icon in your Menu Bar, click your profile photo, and select Preferences. Then, check “About Dropbox” for your version number. You should be running Dropbox v140.3.1903 or later.

If you want to double-check that Dropbox is running natively, click the Apple icon on the left side of your Menu Bar and select About This Mac. Then, click System Report, navigate to the Applications tab, and search for Dropbox. The words “Apple Silicon” should appear on the far-right column.

Again, Dropbox with native Apple Silicon support should use less system resources and burn through less battery than the old Dropbox app. Just bear in mind that this is a beta app, and as such, it may be a bit unstable.

Source: Dropbox