Dropbox removed files from my vault

[emet-selch]

I set up my Vault folder about a couple of months ago. I used it to back up about 100 - 200 GB of data from my old computer. Today I log into Vault and it had me set up a PIN again (?) and when I accessed the Vault the 100 - 200 GB of backup data I had uploaded is gone. The data was definitely there the last time I checked; and I explicitly remember uploading it because it took a couple of hours.

What happened to all of my data? There was no notification that it was deleted. And why did I have to set up a PIN again?

[Nancy]

Welcome to the Community, @emet-selch, and sorry to hear about your files. 

Have you checked your Files page, outside of your Vault folder, just in case there’s a trace of the missing content? 

Also, is there any chance that you may have two Dropbox accounts instead? In general, you should only be asked to create a PIN for your Vault when setting it up, so this would explain the situation. 

Keep me updated!

[emet-selch]

I checked the files page and there's no sign that they were deleted. I've deleted a large amount of files before and usually get a warning email or something.

And it's definitely not due to multiple Dropbox accounts, since all of my non vault files are the same. And it's not as though all of the files in the vault were deleted, only the recent backups I made. I added files when I first set up the vault and those are still there.

[Megan]

Hey @emet-selch, thanks for replying back to us! 

Is it possible that the files were never synced from your desktop app to our website? 

Do you see any signs on the events page that they were uploaded there? 

Also, can you try searching for any example file names to see what you'll find?

[Marizon]

Hi there,

this has just happened to me, too, but I think I have new insights.

This is my setup:

• MacBook Pro, 2015, 15 inch, 16 GB ram, 512 SSD
• OS X 11.4 (Big Sur), with latest update
• Speedy Internet Connection 250Mbits/s (sometimes goes down to 160)
• main browser: Chrome, Version 103.0.5060.114 (Official Build) (x86_64), up to date
• Subscription: Dropbox Professional

The scenario is as follows: I was doing my tax report for the 2nd quarter of 2022 (German: USt-Voranmeldung).

In key points, this is what has happened:

1. I moved a folder from my Dropbox into the Vault, including a certification key which is needed to enter the official tax-report-website.
   Note: I did not have as much data to be moved as Megan. Something 1 GB to 1,5.
2. Because I needed to work with files in the Vault (PDFs of invoices), I had to constantly unlock the vault, to access the files. This was too annoying, so I moved a small folder out of the vault. I noticed the following: Moving files OUT of the Vault takes Dropbox and OS X very long. In comparison: moving files within Dropbox does not take as much time at all — it is close to instant.
3. When it was time to use the certificate (an encrypted key) to hand in the tax report, I unlocked the Vault to navigate to it.
   The file recognized, but the end-service said it couldn't read it.
4. I looked at the certificate's meta-data, when it was still within the Vault and read "0 KB".
5. I then took out the whole folder (the one from step #1) back into its original place in my Dropbox.
   This took long enough for me to decide to leave the computer on its own for a bit (10-15 min).
6. Coming back to retry the step #3, I found the folder in which the certificate was supposed to be completely empty.
7. I unlocked the vault to see if it stopped synchronizing, but according to the Dropbox notifications in my menu bar (top of the screen, next to battery life and clock), everything was in sync.
8. I checked Dropbox in my browser and found that the certificate was still in the Vault and not deleted.
9. I also found, that instead of moving the files from the Vault into the "normal" Dropbox surface, the files were copied/duplicated. Meaning: I now have most files double: once in the vault and some of them on the Dropbox surface.

There are now several issues I would like to have fixed:

- Vault shouldn't copy, but move the files.

- I am unsure if the move was automatically put on hold, becaue the Vault locked itself after a very short time.

- I found another issue, which led to all these problems: https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Dropbox-ideas/Dropbox-Vault-Modifiable-blocking-time-for-inactivity/... The Dropbox users suggest that Vault shouldn't time lock so quickly, when we're in fact currently and actively working with the files in the Vault.

- How do I treat/fix duplicated data? Is there a possibility that Vault is in fact not done with the synchronization? Should I therefore not delete any files until the Vault is done moving them back?

I hope this discussion can be taken up again. The data I need is quite sensitive and important, which is why I wanted to Vault to work like I imagined.

[Hannah]

Hey @Marizon, thanks for the nudge here. 

We really appreciate your feedback on how the Vault works, I'll make sure your comments are passed along to our team.

About the moving/copying situation, can you please first tell me how you initially added the folder into your vault? 

Did you use the Dropbox folder on your computer? And did you move it to your vault with drag and drop?

And also, before the folder was moved to your vault, was it saved in your Dropbox or another location on your computer?

Because the way vault works, if you add a Dropbox file/folder to your vault, it’s removed from its original location in Dropbox and added to your vault.

You can see more info about adding files to your vault here.

[Marizon]

Hi Hannah (EDIT: @Hannah),

#1:"About the moving/copying situation, can you please first tell me how you initially added the folder into your vault?"

— I added the folder into the Vault on the Finder platform (on OSX) by dragging the folder into the Vault icon.

#2: "Did you use the Dropbox folder on your computer?"

— This might get confusing, so I'll answer it seperatly to 1: I think these two questions were answered with the first one, but in case you were asking if the folders / all data had to be uploaded to Dropbox first, then the answer is no. All data have already been uploaded to Dropbox, most of them already years ago (my important certificate is one of them).

#3: "And did you move it to your vault with drag and drop?"

- Yes, I did. As mentioned in #1

#4: "And also, before the folder was moved to your vault, was it saved in your Dropbox or another location on your computer?"

— As clarified in #2: all my data was in Dropbox, and they are also in a folder on my computer called "Dropbox", as the desktop app automatically names its working directory folder.

New insight: Even after 4 days, my missing data on the OSX has not returned. Albeit the data still being visible (and downlaodable) from the browser application of Dropbox Professional.

[Jay]

Hi @Marizon, thanks for the information, I'd recommend getting in contact with the support team directly for further assistance on this matter. 

Once you get a ticket ID from the automated response, please let me know the number here so I can locate it in our system.