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Forum Discussion
Shimaeaga
3 months agoHelpful | Level 6
Will all my shared links be deleted if I delete my Dropbox account?
If I delete my personal Dropbox after canceled professional plan, will all shared links, viewing or editing , be deleted after 30 days?
13 Replies
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- Hannah3 months ago
Dropbox Community Moderator
Thanks for reaching out to us, Shimaeaga, and thanks for the question!
If you delete your Dropbox account, all your shared links along with all your files and folders will be deleted immediately.
I hope this clarifies things, but if you have any more questions, let me know.
Cheers!
- Shimaeaga3 months agoHelpful | Level 6
Hi hannah
Thank you for the quick reply.
I was told that my files and shared links are deleted immediately after I delete my account.
However, the links are still active right now. Is this because of a time lag, or a 30-day recovery period?
Also, will shared links with editing permissions (and no other members) definitely be deleted after that period? - Hannah3 months ago
Dropbox Community Moderator
Thanks for the update, Shimaeaga!
Hmm, in that case, it's possible that the account is not deleted.
Can you open a different browser or a private browsing window and try to sign in (not sign up or create an account) to see if you get an error message?
- Shimaeaga3 months agoHelpful | Level 6
Thanks for your reply. I did what you suggested:
When I try to sign in with the deleted account in another browser/incognito mode, I don’t get an error, but I’m taken to the sign-up page — so the account is definitely deleted.However, when I open a shared link (with edit permissions) while not logged in, the folder contents are still visible.
When I log in with a different account, it shows “request access,” which makes sense.So why is the content still visible if the account is deleted?
Is this due to the 30-day retention period?
And can I be sure that all such links will be fully disabled after that period? - Hannah3 months ago
Dropbox Community Moderator
Thanks for keeping me updated!
The 30-day recovery window has to do with file deletions and file recovery while the account owning the files is still active.
And just to confirm, are you able to access and edit the files through the "can edit" link while not logged in to any Dropbox account?
That shouldn't be possible, as you would need to be signed in to a Dropbox account to access and edit files through a "can edit" link.
Is it possible that the link points to a shared folder? Meaning, a folder that has other members apart from you?
- Shimaeaga3 months agoHelpful | Level 6
Thank you for your reply.
It seems there might be a misunderstanding.
The link was created for editing, but when accessed without being logged in to Dropbox, it's behaving like a view-only link. I can access the files from a web browser (view and download), but I can't edit them. I also confirmed that even when logged in to Dropbox, I cannot edit or join the folder.
The link points to a shared folder where I was the only member.
Given this situation, will the link and the files definitely be deleted after the 30-day period? My concern is that they might remain on the server indefinitely since there are no other members to take ownership.
I have already contacted support, but I wanted to understand if this is how Dropbox's default functionality works—that files are indeed deleted in this specific scenario. - Walter3 months ago
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hey Shimaeaga - thanks for the additional information. Since you're already in touch with our support team about this, can you please share your ticket ID with us so that we can look it up in our system?
- Shimaeaga3 months agoHelpful | Level 6
Sure, my support ticket ID is #25484894.
I realize I’ve already contacted support directly, but I was so anxious that I also asked here in the community to better understand how this works. I’m truly sorry if that causes any duplication.
This issue has been very stressful for me. I can hardly sleep and it’s affecting my health. Since the data involved is very precious to me, I sincerely hope the shared link (or the data itself) can be deleted as soon as possible to give me peace of mind.
Thank you very much for your patience, understanding, and continued support.
- Hannah3 months ago
Dropbox Community Moderator
Thanks for your update once again, Shimaeaga, I completely understand how stressful this can be.
Since your ticket is with our specialists, I would suggest just keeping an eye on the email chain for any updates from the team.
I've passed your comments along to them as well and raised the priority of your ticket and hopefully they'll get back to you with answers the soonest possible.
- Shimaeaga3 months agoHelpful | Level 6
Thank you so much for your understanding and for raising the priority of my ticket.
I really appreciate your support during this stressful situation, and I’ll keep an eye on the email chain for updates.
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