Dropbox installer removes my Windows Defender Firewall rule

Application Affected
(Dropbox)
Operating System/Browser (if using the web)
(Windows 11)
Dropbox App Version (if using the app)
(244.3.6525)

Question or Issue

I previously reported this issue about a year ago, but the same problem still occurs in the current version, so I am reporting it again.

I am using Windows Defender Firewall with strict outbound filtering, which blocks connections that do not match an existing rule.

I created a firewall rule to allow the Dropbox process. However, every time Dropbox is installed or updated, this rule is automatically removed.

If the rule is removed, Dropbox cannot connect to the network because outbound connections are blocked by default in my firewall configuration. As a result, Dropbox becomes unusable until the rule is recreated manually.

Steps to reproduce

Create an outbound rule called "Dropbox" in Windows Defender Firewall.

Configure the rule to allow the following process:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Dropbox\Client\Dropbox.exe

Install or update the Dropbox desktop application with administrator privileges.

Actual result

The firewall rule is removed after the installation or update.

Expected behavior

The Dropbox installer should not remove existing user-created Windows Defender Firewall rules.

Additional notes

Since this rule is user-created and not managed by the installer, it should remain unchanged during installation or updates.

https://www.dropboxforum.com/discussions/101001016/dropbox-installer-remove-windows-defender-firewall-rule/765999/replies/766006