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Forum Discussion
Koppuppence
2 years agoNew member | Level 2
Why is my account still active after 2 years of inactivity?
Hello,
I recently came across an old Dropbox account that I forgot I even had. It only contained 3 files (2 documents and an audio clip for a newspaper). I don't even remember making the audio clip either.
Looking through my email history, the account dates back to late 2020. I then received a termination warning for lack of use in 2021. After that, I have no memory or documentation of further use (might have deleted the emails but i'm not sure) until I came across the account in late 2022.
I should also note that the audio clip was shared with the newspaper team. Did the shared link keep my account open?
I know that Dropbox deletes accounts after a year so the fact my account is still open is kind of spooky. I'm very strict about cyber security so was my account hacked? Is there some sort of preservation order on my account for some reason? Has anyone else experienced this?
Thanks
- Megan
Dropbox Staff
Hi there, Koppuppence, I hope you're doing well!
The first thing we need to note, is that even if you have shared content that's accessed by other people, that wouldn't prevent the account from closing.
Now, let's check the events page. The Events page at www.dropbox.com/events gives you an overview of all activity in your account including files events (adds/edits/deletes), as well as adding or removing shared folders. Do you see anything there, that indicates the account, or files were accessed?
Is it maybe possible that you have two Dropbox accounts -therefore the email was for the wrong account-, or you accessed the account, and you don't recall that?
Let me know more, and we'll take it from there!
- KoppuppenceNew member | Level 2
Hi Megan,
Thanks for the response. I actually already closed the account earlier today but even beforehand, it appears there wasn't any unauthorized access to my account unless someone removed all traces.
If it appears no one has hacked my account, can you think of another reason why the account remained active for so long?
Is there a support email I could contact?
- Nancy
Dropbox Staff
Hi Koppuppence! And sorry for jumping in.
I’m afraid we can’t be 100% sure about what caused your Dropbox account to remain active, since we don’t have any account visibility on the forum; if you’ve deleted your Dropbox account, our support team wouldn’t be able to see much either.
However, if you had a look into your account, prior to deleting it, and you didn’t see any unusual activity, then that’s a good sign. In any case, just because your account remained active, it doesn’t necessarily mean that another party was able to access it at some point.
If you haven’t done so already, can you please check this Help Center article? There are more details there about Dropbox closing accounts for inactivity, and what could possibly keep them open.
Hope that helps!
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