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Forum Discussion
Issues with retrieving a previous version of a file I recently edited
Hello,
I'm confused and I need help.
I had file last time edited 2023-07-15 it was on dropbox. Today my dropbox app was closed and I opend my file via File Explorer and tried to edit it, sadly at some point my windows got blue-screen something about "power" was written. PC restarted 0->100% blue screen "collecting info". My windows loaded normaly, but file which I edited was broken and i could not open it.
So I though okey need to open dropbox app and recover 2023-07-15 file and will need edit everything again, when I loaded dropbox app it has uploaded lastest broken file. I felt like okey it had to upload, but funny... OR MAYBE NOT it shows me that broken version of file is the LAST version............
HELP...
5 Replies
- Mark
Super User II
Dropbox only keeps 30 days of edits (for free, 180 for paid), so, unfortunately if the last edit before today is 15th July 2023 Dropbox wont have a previous version for you to restore :(
So you wana tell me that if file breaks Dropbox uploads (overwrites) and File is gone???
So whats the point of having Cloud storage which kills my LAST ONLINE COPY ?
- Mark
So you wana tell me that if file breaks Dropbox uploads (overwrites) and File is gone???
Unfortunately, yes.
So whats the point of having Cloud storage which kills my LAST ONLINE COPY ?
Dropbox syncing isnt a backup tool unfortuanetly.
Also, its worth pointing out this isnt how it used to work, but, a few years ago it changed to this. I have to say I have no idea why, as I cannot see how at least one version couldn't be kept (i.e. the version you just overwrote).
That sounds really frustrating — sorry you’re dealing with this. Since Dropbox synced the broken version, it likely overwrote the previous one. But there’s still hope: Go to Dropbox.com, log in, find the file, click the three dots next to it, and select “Version history.” Dropbox usually keeps older versions for 30 days or more. You can restore the version from 2023-07-15 or whichever was last before the crash. I had a similar scare once while working on a side project (something solitaire-ish 😅), so I get the panic. Let me know if the version history doesn’t show up — happy to help more.
- Rich
You can restore the version from 2023-07-15 or whichever was last before the crash.
No, that won't work. Dropbox only keeps versions that have changed within the last 30 days (for Basic, Plus and Family accounts).
If you have a file that hasn't changed since 2023 and you overwrite it today, it won't be possible to recover the version from 2023.
