Are you suffering from "Dropbox sync deleted my files"? This article helps you restore deleted files on Dropbox and stop Dropbox sync deleted your files from your local drive and cloud.
Something strange is going on. Today I've got a notification that I've removed some files, I opened app from icon and in sync history I can see that random files are being deleted right now. I've quit Dropbox, went to web version and restored deleted files. However, when I'm starting Dropbox app, it started to delete random files instantly, so I had to quit to stop this and restore files with web interface. What is going on? How can I stop this weird behavior?
- Question from Dropbox Community
Are you suffering from "Dropbox sync deleted my files"? Why Dropbox deleted all my files? And if you also don't know how to stop the deleting behavior and how to restore your deleted files on Dropbox, this article may give you a hand in solving this problem. Keep reading to get more details! We hope this guide helps!
One of the reasons for Dropbox sync deleted my files is that many people don't realize the two-way sync feature of Dropbox, Which means the deletion of files from your Dropbox folder on your computer will mirror in Dropbox cloud. Conversely, when you delete files within the cloud, it will mirror in your computer's Dropbox folder. So it is not about Dropbox files missing but deletion by yourself.
Another answer from Dropbox's official website said: "Dropbox does not delete your files, without any user interaction on them." This means if you or someone else authorized user deletes files within Dropbox, the platform performs its intended function by synchronizing the deletion across all devices and users. This ensures that everyone with access to the files remains aligned in terms of file changes.
Dropbox sync deleted files? Maybe not. As I mentioned before Dropbox is a two-way sync tool, so if you delete files from your Dropbox folder on your computer, they will be deleted in the Dropbox cloud.
Besides that, you also have to notice other issues such as shared files/folders being deleted or permissions being removed, which will also cause Dropbox files to be deleted. In a word, when using Dropbox to sync files, deleting files should be careful.
If you accidentally delete your files on Dropbox, Dropbox will save your deleted files but the recovery period is limited. For Dropbox Basic, Plus, and Family users, it is 30 days. While for Dropbox Professional and Business users, it is 180 days. If your recovery time is enough, you can follow the guide below to recover your deleted files.
If you want to find your deleted files, first you can check your Dropbox trash bin. Let's take a look at how to let Dropbox recover deleted files from the Dropbox trash bin.
1. Sign in to your Dropbox account on Dropbox website.
2. Click Deleted files on the left side and find your accidentally deleted files.
3. Tick files you want to restore and hit Restore.
Dropbox provides a versioning function for files - Dropbox version history. Through this function, you can view older versions of files that you stored in Dropbox, and can restore older versions or accidentally deleted files. If you want to restore files of previous versions, you can follow the steps below.
1. Log in to your account on Dropbox.
2. Click the three-dot icon at the end of a folder > click Activity > choose Rewind this folder.
3. Click Get started and choose a day on the chart > click Continue > select time that you want to start restore and click Rewind.
Indeed, as previously mentioned, Dropbox retains deleted files for a duration ranging from 30 to 180 days. If these deletions go unnoticed within this timeframe, the files will be deleted forever. To ensure the security of your valuable data, you can choose CBackup, which can protect your files from any unforeseen data loss and sync your files to Dropbox without deleting them.
CBackup is a free cloud backup service that can help you one-way sync files to Dropbox with a few clicks and no worry about deletion. Moreover, it allows you to add cloud drives including Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive. You can choose sync your computer files to cloud or backup files to Dropbox with its Backup feature. By the way you don’t have to worry about the size of your data, there is no file size limitation in CBackup.
Let's see how to sync files to Dropbox.
1. Download the CBackup desktop app, sign up for an account, and log in to it.
2. Select Storage on the left pane, add Dropbox > click Authorize Now, and follow to complete the authorization.
3. Click Sync button > Sync PC to Public Cloud to sync a new task.
4. Tick files you want to sync to Dropbox > choose a Dropbox folder as the destination of your file> click Start Sync. Your files will directly sync to Dropbox.
Tip: If you want to sync your files automatically at a scheduled time, before starting the sync task, you can click Settings at the left bottom > choose Scheduler and tick Set a Sync schedule for automated Sync > now you can select schedule modes > click OK. Your files will automatically sync at the designated time. (Available in paid version)
This article explains why "Dropbox sync deleted my files", and provides some ways to stop and restore accidentally deleted files or folders, and it is well known as the recovery time limitation of Dropbox. This article also gives advice - on using CBackup sync your data to Dropbox without deletion.
Besides, you can use this tool to backup Dropbox to Google Drive, OneDrive, or other clouds to prevent data loss after accidental deletion. We hope it will help you a lot.