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Forum Discussion
I renamed one of my folders and now all of its files have disappeared.
Question or Issue
On Fri 16 Jan 2026, I was organising Dropbox and instead of creating a new folder for Comms 2026, I renamed a current folder called Comms 2025 to Comms 2026. Now I can't find the files in that Comms 2025 folder.
There are no files in Deleted Files and Activity isn't showing deletion of these files.
When viewing all the Dropbox folders, Comms 2026 shows a drop-down sub-folder but I can't click on it.
What can I do to find / recover / restore the file? I'm on a Dropbox Plus account.
7 Replies
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- Walter
Dropbox Community Moderator
No worries thedomorefoundation2017 - I've just followed up via email so that we can investigate further.
Whenever you get the chance, please have a look at your inbox and we'll take it from there.
It says 'start a conversation below' but I can't type anywhere in that box. And I can't find an email, phone or ticket option. What am I missing?
- Walter
Thanks for the additional information thedomorefoundation2017 - much appreciated.
Have you tried reaching out to our support team directly to ask for assistance as they'd be better equipped to handle your request?
The last time I accessed the files was this year, so within the file recovery period. See screenshot attached of Folder Activity. Is it not possible for Dropbox to retrieve the files on your end?
- Nancy
Thanks for the additional info. Is there any chance at all that these files had been deleted in the past (outside of your file recovery window)? When was the last time you could access them on www.dropbox.com?
If you were able to see them until recently, you can use the search bar on the Dropbox website and use any filenames/keywords that you may remember to find them (feel free to send me one more screenshot of the results, if you wish).
I found the Events section where it said the Comms 2025 folder was deleted (although it wasn't in the Deleted section). I've restored the folder (see screenshot), however, it's empty - the files that were originally in the folder aren't in the restored folder. I can't find the view that showed me the drop-down.
- Nancy
Thanks for your post today, thedomorefoundation2017!
Renaming a folder on Dropbox shouldn’t have an effect on the files that are stored within, so let’s have a look into this.
Right before renaming your folder to “COMMS 2026”, were you able to see all of your older files/subfolders within?
I can see that there’s a folder called “Synergy Summit 2025” in your screenshot, which appears to have been deleted. Is this one of the folders that you’re now missing and, if yes, can you see it under your Events page here?
Finally, I’d like a screenshot of the dropdown subfolder that you mention in your “COMMS 2026” folder.
Let me know, once you have more info.
