Accessing 2 separate accounts from 1 computer

Hi there DB_LisaV - sorry to hear you're having issues with this.

At first, can you please clarify what plan you're on both of your Dropbox accounts and send me a couple of screenshots showing what you described (omitting any personal information) so that we can have a visual too?

Thank you so much!

I believe both are basic accounts. I can't easily access each to check the account information to provide it. I will not switch logins on my browser until there is a solution from Dropbox because I cannot further risk issues with the content on my 2 accounts. 

The visual of the 2 Drobox accounts:
imagine 2 accounts that have the same files and folders on each when 1 is supposed to have fewer AND DIFFERENT files/folders (no repeated content). 

[see screenshot] Today, after attempting to switch logins (from the web browser login ONLY), this is what the Dropbox folder on my computer looks like. This happened after switching logins (on the web browser) from the original account to the second account; the desktop app remained logged in to the original account the whole time. 

DB_LisaV wrote:

I can't easily access each to check the account information to provide it. I will not switch logins on my browser until there is a solution from Dropbox because I cannot further risk issues with the content on my 2 accounts. 

Dropbox doesnt allow you to have 2 accounts on one computer log on at a time unless one is a paid for Business plan. 

What you want to do is not possible with a basic plan.

When you've logged in and out of the accounts on the machine unless you told Dropbox to put the folder elsewhere you agreed to use the current folder on the machine meaning it merged all the files from both. You can safely delete the ones not needed from one account and put them back on the other.

To do what you want to do you need to either use one online only and one via the computer OR use 2 different windows logons and switch between them.

It is clearly explained that one account (the 2nd) was logged in online only. Not on the desktop and it is NOT going to be logged in on the desktop app. That is not a part of this discussion.

I have no need to be logged in to 2 accounts at the same time. I opened Dropbox in my web browser and logged out of Account 1 (I did not need to stay logged in to that account). Then I logged into Account 2 as I have in the past on my web browser in order to access files sent by a client to that account. Then I logged out of Account 2 and logged back in to Account 1 (which is the normal level of access needed to Account 2). However, getting into Account 2 and accessing files located only on that account no longer functions as it always has due to whatever issues Dropbox has created in 2025. This has not been an issue in the past (13+ years).

There is no information provided during the Dropbox login process (on a web browser) that explains what to do (while logging in OR settings to change before switching logins) if you have 2 accounts in order to protect your content from whatever is now happening with Dropbox.

There are no warnings provided in the desktop app (or on the browser login) that say something like "you logged into another account online and that means __________ will happen with your desktop / offline files if you don't adjust __________ setting. Log out in order to _______ before logging into another account." An app providing the information to customers is what will help prevent customer issues when the app chooses to change previously trustworthy functions into less functional systems.

Hey DB_LisaV, what you're describing does sound quite strange, but we'll try to get to the bottom of it together.

So, say you login to account 2 online using a different browser or a private browsing/incognito window; do you see the same files that are supposed to be only in account 1?

Hi Hannah​ - I just tried logging in to Account 2 from a different browser in a private window. All the Account 1 files still appear.

This also pushes past my Account 2 storage limit, but I did not add the Account 1 files onto Account 2 because I know not to do that due to the storage limits on Account 2 (which are suitable for client file transfer and temporary access).

I haven't deleted anything from Account 2 because I have no information (since I am not employed by Dropbox and therefore do not have employee-level expertise) that assures me these files WILL remain on Account 1 if they are deleted from Account 2. If I CAN safely delete the repeat content off of Account 2 I could potentially discover if the original Account 2 content/files is still there or if it got written over by whatever happened with Dropbox this year.

Thanks for the update, Lisa.

I believe that as long as your files are saved and available in account 1, you can delete them from account 2.

If you feel uncertain, you can download them from the website first, just to have a local copy and then delete them from account 2.

I hope this helps.

Thanks Hannah​ — I do need to know what to do when clients send files to my Account 2 Dropbox.

Will using a different browser in a private/incognito window (on the same computer as my Account 1 is kept logged in 24/7) allow me to log in to Account 2 without causing syncing issues between the two different accounts? 

For sure! Logging in to your second account on the Dropbox website will not affect your first one in any way.

Let me know if some kind of issue comes up, though!

Hannah​ sorry to clarify again—the issue is the desktop app/offline (Account 1) files not being synced properly on the desktop app OR having the Account 1 files added to Account 2 when I need to log in to Account 2 briefly (online only). 

So, logging in via a private/incognito window in a different browser will prevent either issue from happening?