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How can I restore files from a locked state?
Hi all,
Hoping someone may be able to shed some light on this one.
I've been trying to access my companies old files in a Dropbox folder. The dropbox folder has since been emptied with no files ...
Hi Totem Road,
I understand your concern about recovering files from a locked Dropbox account. A locked account typically occurs when Dropbox detects suspicious activity, policy violations, or prolonged non-payment (for Business/Pro accounts). If the account was locked permanently, Dropbox may have initiated deletion after a grace period.
Unfortunately, if the account was permanently deleted, recovery is usually not possible. However, from my experience, here are steps to check:
- Contact Dropbox Support Immediately
- Submit a ticket at Dropbox Support and explain the situation.
- Provide:
- The account’s email address.
- Any emails about the "locked state" (screenshots help).
- Proof of ownership (e.g., domain verification for the company).
- Check Backups or Local Copies
- If any team members had local synced copies of the files, check their devices.
- Look for backups in email attachments, external drives, or cloud backups (e.g., Google Drive, Time Machine).
- For Business Accounts
- If your company had Dropbox Business, admins might have a 30-day window to restore deleted files via the Admin
