Dropbox desktop app no longer compatible with Windows File History

Understood, and thanks for the info. So it is as I feared, then. Whilst I’m unhappy with the changes that led to this break in compatibility, at least I’m now aware of this limitation.

Thanks again.

jmcken​ thanks for relaying all of this detailed info, it was really helpful on diagnosing this.

While Dropbox files are stored locally when marked “available offline,” Windows File History does not always reliably back up folders managed by sync apps, and behavior can change after Windows or Dropbox updates. If you need long-term versioning beyond what your Dropbox plan includes, the most dependable workaround is to keep a separate backup outside the Dropbox folder

Walter​ Apologies if you get two notifications for this, but my original reply seems to have gotten eaten. To reiterate: All my Dropbox files and subfolders are marked as available offline (solid green checkmarks), and “available offline” is the default sync setting for new files.

Howdy Walter​ , all files and subfolders in my Dropbox folder are marked as available offline (solid green checkmarks), and “available offline” is the default sync setting for new files.

Thanks for the additional info jmcken - much appreciated. 

Just one last clarification here, are your files in the Dropbox folder available offline or online-only? 

Heya Jay​ , unfortunately my memory fails me. I do remember noticing when the new sync icons appeared, but I couldn’t tell you when exactly it happened other than it was “maybe a few months ago”. It’s very possible it happened on or around September 26 (it sure doesn’t feel like it was much earlier or later than that). I just can’t tell for sure.

HI jmcken, do you know approximately when you switched to the new version of the Dropbox desktop application for Windows, when the sync icons switched over to the new version?

Heya Hannah​ , welcome aboard 🫡

The Dropbox folder location is at C:\Users\<username>\Dropbox, as seen here:

Regarding your question, I’m afraid I have absolutely memory of that. It’s possible I did see a prompt, but I really couldn’t say either way, sorry.

Hey jmcken, I hope it's okay for me to jump in here.

We appreciate the screenshots and the details!

Can you let us know what the location of your Dropbox folder is, as it appears in the "sync" tab in your Dropbox app preferences?

Also, when this behavior changed (around Sept 26), do you remember the app prompting you to update to the "Dropbox for Windows" version?

Hello Walter​,

I have not reinstalled the Dropbox app since I noticed this; I have not installed/reinstalled the app in years. Should I do so now?

As for screenshots – at the risk of sending more than you needed, here’s one example folder as it presently exists on my drive:

(Please ignore the “[symlinked]” in the folder name; this is a symlink target folder, not a symlink itself, which I know isn’t synced by Dropbox. The actual symlink is on my desktop.)

Here’s how this folder appeared in File History as of last September 26, the last time FH successfully indexed it:

And here’s how the folder appeared in File History after the very next indexing, a few hours later on the same day, as it did up until yesterday (all files missing, with only empty subfolders remaining):

Finally, yesterday I deleted and rebuilt my File History index, clearing out the old snapshots, and now none of my Dropbox files and subfolders appear in File History at all:

FWIW, File History works perfectly well with every other directory on my drive(s). For instance, here’s a backup of my Dropbox folder, which I synchronize every day, kept on an external drive:

And here is that backup folder in File History (it’s not visible in this screenshot, but all subfolders also include all their files):

Please let me know if you need anything else.