Box Drive for Mac Still Not Working Properly With macOS Big Sur and M1 Macs

Nearly three months after Apple publicly released macOS Big Sur, a growing number of users have expressed frustration that the Box Drive app is still experiencing issues on the latest version of the operating system. Many users rely on Box as a cloud storage provider, similar to iCloud, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, and Google Drive.

On both Intel-based and M1-based Macs, users have reported receiving the following error message after attempting to open the Box Drive app: "Box Drive's system extension failed to load. Please make sure it has been enabled in System Preferences > Security & Privacy and then restart your computer."

While enabling the app's system extension and rebooting as advised should resolve the issue for most Intel-based Mac users, this is not always the case, and the solution does not work at all on Apple's new M1-based Macs. As a result, M1 Mac users have been forced to use the web or mobile versions of Box while waiting on a compatibility update.

A few months ago, Box said that it planned to release a beta version of the app with M1 support in early 2021 for enterprise customers. However, the company has not provided a more specific timeframe since then, leading some users to grow impatient and consider migrating their individual or corporate accounts to rival services.

"We're going to start looking for alternative products that do the same and work on M1 machines," wrote one user in the Box support forums.

In a statement shared with GeekWebGuides today, Box reiterated that it is "actively updating" the Box Drive app to be fully compatible with macOS Big Sur and M1 Macs, but the company did not provide an update on timing.

"We're actively updating our Box Drive desktop application to be compatible with the new M1 Macs and Big Sur," said Box. "We'll share more information on this release, including timing, as soon as possible. In the interim, all users can continue to securely access Box through the web and on the Box mobile apps."

macOS Big Sur beta testing began in June 2020, and the operating system was released in November, the same month that M1 Macs launched.