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GGGNY's avatar
GGGNY
Helpful | Level 5
4 months ago
Solved

Locked out of my Dropbox account due to two-factor authentication

In a nutshell: The last time I logged into my Dropbox account was June 22, 2025, and I had no problem. On July 8, I went to log in, and was for the first time asked for a 6-digit code on an "authenti...
account access
security
two factor authentication
  • GGGNY's avatar
    GGGNY
    4 months ago

    Jay​ and Mark​ — Thank you for offering suggestions. After I posted the original comment to this forum, I decided to give Dropbox Support one more try. This time I said in the initial request that there was a possibility my account was hacked. I told the tech who responded what I have been through, and that I was losing faith in Dropbox, and a few days later got an email from him saying he had escalated the ticket to a specialist. The specialist sent me a series of specific questions related to my account, which I answered. He then removed two-factor authentication, told me to try logging in, and sent a list of security checks for me to perform (e.g. create a new strong password, which I had already done). It looks like nothing is missing, not that there was anything compromising or information anyone could profit from in there.

    So it is good to know that somewhere within the Support staff at Dropbox are support people who do not respond like uncomprehending chatbots. While I am very relieved to have regained access to my Dropbox account, I would not rush to add two-factor authentication in the future, knowing it was a month-long ordeal to get assistance when it went awry.

Mark's avatar
Mark
Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
4 months ago

Unfortunately the only people who can help is Dropbox support and if you dont have the 2FA security information the account is almost certainly lost. 

2FA can only be set up by somebody authorised to access the account - i.e. you OR a bad actor, but, to do that they'd needed to know your username/password. Its unusual for them to leave email the same and set 2FA up, so, my guess here (and note I do not work for Dropbox) is that you have set it up accidentally. 

When you set up 2FA you are forced to confirm you've downloaded the recovery security codes. They are part of the process of setting it up. 

I have a feeling there is nothing anybody can do here as you've already been in contact with support who have said they cannot assist. 

Sorry :(

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