Is there any way to block cloud drives from appearing in search results?

[RobbaDobba]

Newer versions of Pro Tools have changed how cloud drives - namely Dropbox and Google Drive - are treated as volumes.

As a result, Dropbox and Google Drive are now always seen as a mounted volume by Pro Tools, so when I try to search for audio via the Import Audio screen, results from Google Drive and Dropbox are now appearing alongside my local volumes.

Is there any way to prevent Google Drive and Dropbox from being "seen" by Pro Tools, so my audio searches are local-only?

[Eric Lambert]

Originally Posted by RobbaDobba

Newer versions of Pro Tools have changed how cloud drives - namely Dropbox and Google Drive - are treated as volumes.

As a result, Dropbox and Google Drive are now always seen as a mounted volume by Pro Tools, so when I try to search for audio via the Import Audio screen, results from Google Drive and Dropbox are now appearing alongside my local volumes.

Is there any way to prevent Google Drive and Dropbox from being "seen" by Pro Tools, so my audio searches are local-only?

I haven't played with this in a long time so it may not be accurate today but the Favorites and Locations and Media, etc. shown in the Import Audio box echoes your Finder settings. If this is still true, you can go to your Finder, then Finder Menu, then Settings, then the Sidebar tab. If you deselect Cloud Storage (or whatever now relates to Google Drive and Dropbox) do they disappear in the ProTools Import Audio box?

[nednednerb]

Yes, in fact, in older versions the Import window was a totally Pro Tools App contained or created dialog window, I believe anyway.

Now, it looks on my system (latest versions of PT and MacOS) like it is a native Finder Open/Save/Export type dialog, with an enclosed "pane" where the customization for audio files, like sample rate etc, appear.

I definitely remember when "these changes" occurred sort of... between PT and MacOS updates, for more reasons than PT, I started to more systematically refine my Finder view settings, as things seemed to be less random and more self-definable (wow!) One of the things was definitely all the cloud drives. I just stopped viewing them, but I can always access them as needed other ways, such as an alias on a desktop or anywhere, rather than the Finder Sidebar, for all time.

So, while this behaviour of "updating apps to modern UI" is a little jarring to configure for users on the spot, it's also what I see asked for again and again on the forum, for more flexible dialogs etc. For example, the new "Finder-local" open/import dialogs can be expanded, allowing more view for files and folders, while the PT embedded part keeps its dimensions and size, and floats in the centre of whatever rectangle you can shape.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by RobbaDobba

Oh and you can "Show Sidebar" from that pulldown menu in the import dialog... which should make stuff agree with what the Finder shows in it's folder sidebars as well.

But *cough* if you do that "Show Sidebar" there is no way from Pro Tools or macOS to easily hide the sidebar again. But you can manually delete ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist ... And that will be support case 04740843

Well you can scratch that support case. Trying to report the most simple UI bug in Pro Tools is a pain in the ass with Avid's lazy and incompetent front line support.

[RobbaDobba]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

What exactly are you seeing? Maybe post a screenshot.

You should be able to choose to constrain the search location in the Import dialog UI. See my screenshot.

Like Eric I suspect the options show there are tied to the sidebar preferences.

Oh and you can "Show Sidebar" from that pulldown menu in the import dialog... which should make stuff agree with what the Finder shows in it's folder sidebars as well.

But *cough* if you do that "Show Sidebar" there is no way from Pro Tools or macOS to easily hide the sidebar again. But you can manually delete ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist ... And that will be support case 04740843

In previous OS versions, Google Drive didn't show up constantly in the sidebar. It only showed up if you opened the app and it mounted as a volume. Now, since it's managed by CloudServices, it's always in the sidebar as a Location or a Favorite, so it's always searchable in the Import Audio dialog.


The audio files you see under "This Mac" when I search for "Crowd" are all on Google Drive and in the cloud (not locally stored). Yes, I could take the extra step(s) and choose the local audio drive I want it to search in specifically, but I never had to before. I need it to search local drives only. And if I remove Google Drive from the sidebar, I'll have no easy way of accessing Google Drive when I need it, because it no longer mounts as a volume.

[RobbaDobba]

Originally Posted by Eric Lambert

I haven't played with this in a long time so it may not be accurate today but the Favorites and Locations and Media, etc. shown in the Import Audio box echoes your Finder settings. If this is still true, you can go to your Finder, then Finder Menu, then Settings, then the Sidebar tab. If you deselect Cloud Storage (or whatever now relates to Google Drive and Dropbox) do they disappear in the ProTools Import Audio box?

That means I'd have to deselect Cloud Storage before using PT and re-enable it when I need it? Not loving that solution.

[its2loud]

You should be using Workspace Browser to search. You can choose which volumes to search.

[RobbaDobba]

Originally Posted by its2loud

You should be using Workspace Browser to search. You can choose which volumes to search.

20 years of using the Shift-Command-I shortcut and having it just work will be a little hard to erase.

[BScout]

Open a default workspace, go to Volumes and set the cloud drives to "T" for permissions (Transfer). It's a global setting for the system per volume (so you only have to do it once)

The problem here isn't Pro Tools but macOS which changed Cloud Drives into mount locations so then they became "volumes"

[RobbaDobba]

Originally Posted by BScout

Open a default workspace, go to Volumes and set the cloud drives to "T" for permissions (Transfer). It's a global setting for the system per volume (so you only have to do it once)

The problem here isn't Pro Tools but macOS which changed Cloud Drives into mount locations so then they became "volumes"

Changing those drives to "T" doesn't eliminate them from being searched in "Import Audio" dialog. Files from Google Drive still showing up in the results.