We're making changes to the Community, so you may have received some notifications - thanks for your patience and welcome back. Learn more here.

Forum Discussion

jim_in_public's avatar
jim_in_public
Helpful | Level 5
7 years ago

Can I retrieve an old version of a file without *restoring* it?

I have a file in my Dropbox account that is frequently updated; thus I have a bunch of previous versions of it, which appear on the "Previous versions" page.  I see that, on that page, I can click a button and *restore* the old version, which I take to mean that the current version would be replaced with the old version.

 

So: Is there a way to keep the current version in place but download the previous version I'm interested in?  I have a feeling that if I click the link on the previous version it'll let me do that, but the design of the page is not very clear about this, and I want to make sure I don't accidentally clobber the current version.  Thanks!

  • Thanks.  I did kinda the same, but, instead of clicking on the "restore" button, I clicked the link attached to the old version (again, on the Previous Versions page).  I got this:

     

     

    The Restore button here does the same kind of restore as the Restore button on the Previous Versions page, but the Download button does, indeed, download the file to wherever my browser puts those things.  So, unless you find something different, clicking the file link seems to give me what I want.

     

  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II

    jim_at_dropbox wrote:

    Is there a way to keep the current version in place but download the previous version I'm interested in?


    No, there isn't. If you click Restore, the current version of the file will be overwritten. However, that current version will now be listed in Version History and itself can be restored as well.

     

    I've just edited a text file and saved it. The new version appears in Version History along with previuous versions from October. I restore the last previous version of that file, prior to today's edit. Today's edits are now gone, and that version of the file is listed in Version History.

     

    • jim_in_public's avatar
      jim_in_public
      Helpful | Level 5

      Thanks.  I did kinda the same, but, instead of clicking on the "restore" button, I clicked the link attached to the old version (again, on the Previous Versions page).  I got this:

       

       

      The Restore button here does the same kind of restore as the Restore button on the Previous Versions page, but the Download button does, indeed, download the file to wherever my browser puts those things.  So, unless you find something different, clicking the file link seems to give me what I want.

       

      • Rich's avatar
        Rich
        Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II

        jim_at_dropbox wrote:

        I clicked the link attached to the old version ... the Download button does, indeed, download the file


        Ah, nice find! Never realized that was there.

  • Are you on a Mac by chance ? If so "Revisions for Dropbox" on the App Store can connect to your Dropbox account and it is able to download a file to a different location on your Hard Drive.  I have no affiliation with the developer, I do own the app, though I purchased it a long time ago. 

     

    I don't find it the easiest to use. The indexing process takes a long time. I also had one file that refused to unzip. Though that could be for any number of reasons. 

     

    Revesions also appears, to now be free, and available outside of the App store. https://www.revisionsapp.com

     

    Disclaimer: I cannot speak to its safety and security, as I have not used it in sometime now. That would defiantly be a decision you need to make on your own.  Having said that it was passed and approved for sale by both Apple and Dropbox (Assumes vetted due to API usage by Dropbox)

     

    ----



    If this has helped you, please "kudo" this post.
    If it has solved your issue please "Accept as Solution".

     

    • Jay's avatar
      Jay
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
      Actually, when I view version history, if you click the filename on the left, you'll be able to immediately preview that file, and then on the top right you’ll get the options to either restore to that version or to directly download the file.
       
      See the following images:
       
       
      Could you try testing it out to let me know if it works for you?

About View, download, and export

Need support with viewing, downloading, and exporting files and folders from your Dropbox account? Find help from the Dropbox Community.

Need more support

If you need more help you can view your support options (expected response time for an email or ticket is 24 hours), or contact us on X or Facebook.

For more info on available support options for your Dropbox plan, see this article.

If you found the answer to your question in this Community thread, please 'like' the post to say thanks and to let us know it was useful!