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Many files not in cloud after removing & deleting client from former company's laptop
Hi this may be a popular question...
I was using the free version of Dropbox to back up content from a few years back...work related stuff from a long-ago job. Nothing proprietary, but important to me. My assumption is that this is a common problem and Dropbox has them backed up somewhere unless I inadvertently deleted them permanently.
How can I determine if it's possible to get back the files that were lost?
Sequence of events & unsuccessful strategies so far:
9 weeks ago, I left my last job and deleted all (everything) of the content from the Dropbox client from my work computer and then uninstalled the client. I ensured that all files were still in the cloud version of Dropbox before and after this procedure. 2 weeks ago, I installed the Dropbox client on my new computer and now hundreds (but not all) of my files are missing!
I looked at "Recent Activity" in the cloud version of my account and can see a record of where I apparently deleted these files on July 26th...I did many screen captures of the deleted items listed in the activity log (see screengrab below).
Using "Deleted Files" for any or all folders w missing content has resulted in nothing; there are no deleted files listed in the folder in general, regardless of the locations or dates selected.
Using "Rewind" also does not work because the folders cannot be rewound to July 26th, for whatever reason. I even started a trial of Dropbox Pro in order to see if I have the capability of rewinding my account to contain everything that was there on July 25th...that would be awesome! It did not work.
Thanks in advance!
From what you've described, it isn't possible that the files were on the Dropbox site since there is no recent deletion or event history to show that the files were there.
If you're not seeing the missing files on the deleted files page, then there's a few possibilities as to why this might be the case:
- The files are on another Dropbox account
- They were on a shared folder you don't have access to any more
- The files were deleted outside of the 30 day period, and not two weeks ago
- The files were permanently deleted
16 Replies
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- Jay
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hi AnitaNixon, on the free plan, files can be recovered 30 days after their deletion from the site. If an account is deleted instead, then the files are deleted permanently.
When you say the files remained on the cloud, are they still visible when you login to the site?
- Same exact thing happened to my files
When we deleted files from the local client on the work computer, the client synched with the cloud backup and deleted some (but oddly, not all) of the files. After that sync, your files will be “permanently” deleted and not listed in the deleted folder in the cloud interface.
Absolutely weird, and irreversible sadly, but only because Dropbox has zero appetite to dedicate customer service minutes to recover deleted data for free version users. - Hannah
Hey TobyBaz, files can only be permanently deleted from Dropbox, if someone manually does that, using our website.
If you delete files from a computer that is linked to a Dropbox account, the files will indeed get deleted, but will still be recoverable.
If it's been less than 30 days since the deletion, you should be able to locate and recover them from your deleted files page.
- Thanks Hannah, but that was not my experience
I was backing up documents from a few years ago—work-related materials from a long-ago job—using Dropbox's free version. Nothing confidential, but it is significant to me. Unless I unintentionally deleted them permanently, I assume Dropbox has a backup copy of them if this is a common issue. I was backing up documents from a few years ago—work-related materials from a long-ago job—using Dropbox's free version. Nothing confidential, but it is significant to me. Unless I unintentionally deleted them permanently, I assume Dropbox has a backup copy of them if this is a common issue.
- Jay
Hi Rebel1, if the files are deleted from your account, you'd have 30 days to recover them, or longer depending on your current subscription.
If you have any further queries, feel free to message back.
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