Dropbox, need advice when I get a new Mac.

I've always had good luck using Apple's migration assistant.


Whenever I get a new Mac, I always change the Home Folder name. I do this because the old Mac is often repurposed to another family member.

So the old Mac is called “macmini2018” and the new Mac will be called “macmini2025”. The problem is, Dropbox (and iCloud) hates this.


So, I always delete Dropbox from the old computer before I use migration assistant. Once I've migrated over to the new Mac, I change the Home folder name, then I reinstall Dropbox. Everything I read on the Internet tells me I must thoroughly delete Dropbox. Doing this is not easy, so far I have found around 30 files. (I use “AppCleaner”, which is always been good at deleting apps and their supporting files. But it does not find everything.) Currently, I am struggling with some Dropbox files and folders that I cannot delete, EVEN USING TERMINAL.


Maybe I'm unusual, some people can just name their home folder “BobsMac” and use it forever. I don't see how I can do that.


Thank you for any advice.

Mac mini (M4)

Posted on Sep 24, 2025 8:16 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 24, 2025 8:42 AM

Ziatron wrote:

...
Maybe I'm unusual, some people can just name their home folder “BobsMac” and use it forever. I don't see how I can do that.
...

The usual option is to do the following with the old Mac after migrating and then set it up as new for the next user. Then there is no need to change the name on the new Mac. What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support


6 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 24, 2025 8:42 AM in response to Ziatron

Ziatron wrote:

...
Maybe I'm unusual, some people can just name their home folder “BobsMac” and use it forever. I don't see how I can do that.
...

The usual option is to do the following with the old Mac after migrating and then set it up as new for the next user. Then there is no need to change the name on the new Mac. What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support


Sep 24, 2025 11:11 AM in response to Ziatron

I think most people give the macOS user accounts names associated or reflecting the actual person such as "Steve Jobs", "stevej", or "hwtech", or maybe "ziatron". These types macOS names don't need to be changed when moving to another system.


Keep in mind you can give your computer an actual custom name independent of the macOS user name, so if you want to find your specific computer on the local network, then you can give the computer its own name such as "macmini2018", etc. while still having a macOS login user account named "ziatron".


I think you are focused on the wrong issue here.

https://xyproblem.info/

Sep 24, 2025 9:55 AM in response to FoxFifth

I'm not selling the old Mac, it will be used elsewhere in the house. It does not seem logical to call my NEW 2025 Mac mini “macmini2018”. I can't really name my home folders "bobsmac", I have 4 Macs, don't I need to distinguish between them?


I don't need to delete anything from my old Mac. It can be used by another person as is. I just want to distinguish my 2018 Mac mini from my 2025 Mac mini.

Sep 24, 2025 10:15 AM in response to FoxFifth

Thinking, perhaps I was an "oddball" I decided to ask artificial intelligence. (Something I'm not really a fan of.)


AI: "People change their Mac's home folder name on a new machine to avoid naming conflicts with old backups or network devices, to align the home folder name with a preferred user account name or a specific device name (like "2019 MacPro"), and for better identification of backups and network shares. Although some users may do this for privacy or cosmetic reasons, the primary motivations are organizational and functional, ensuring smooth operations when using multiple Macs or transferring data."


The reasons given above are why I do the same. I just wish it wasn't so hard.

Sep 24, 2025 10:25 AM in response to Ziatron

Ziatron wrote:

Thinking, perhaps I was an "oddball" I decided to ask artificial intelligence. (Something I'm not really a fan of.)

AI: "People change their Mac's home folder name on a new machine to avoid naming conflicts with old backups or network devices, to align the home folder name with a preferred user account name or a specific device name (like "2019 MacPro"), and for better identification of backups and network shares. Although some users may do this for privacy or cosmetic reasons, the primary motivations are organizational and functional, ensuring smooth operations when using multiple Macs or transferring data."

Note that the AI didn't say this was something that many people do.


And of course, we all know how much to trust AIs.

Dropbox, need advice when I get a new Mac.

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