Dropbox backup - couple of questions

[potassio97]

Hello all,

I have a couple of questions concerning Dropbox Backup, sorry if I did not get it alone. The questions are:

1. How long does it take for dropbox to update my changes in a folder/file? Let's say I was working on a photoshop file, and did a couple of alterations to it, how long will it take to update those? 

2. I have my 'Documents' folder entirely backed up, but let's say one day I accidentally delete a folder on it. Will I have a copy on dropbox backup of the deleted folder? For how long?

3. I can't access my backup through the Dropbox app on my phone. I touch on my 'Documents' folder, which I have backed up, but it simply won't open. Is this normal? I was wondering if I could ever access some files from my backup over the phone. 

4. Why it's not possible to have smart sync and backup running at the same time? I tried to put my 'Dropbox' folder on my 'Documents' folder, but while trying to backup it told me to remove the 'Dropbox' folder from there. 

These are my questions so far, thank you for your precious time and knowledge. 

[Nancy · Accepted solution]

Hi @potassio97, and thanks for posting this on the Community.

I’ll try to answer all of your questions as clearly as possible, so please bear with me;

1. If your desktop app is connected to the internet and running at the moment you’re making edits to a file, then it should automatically sync the updates you’ve made to our servers and your linked devices. 

Now, the speed of your app’s syncing depends on your internet connection, so this can also affect how fast the syncing is complete.

2. If you delete a file/folder from your “Documents” folder let’s say, then your deleted content should be found in your Deleted files page. From there, you have at least 30 days in order to restore it (this may differ based on your current plan).

3. After setting up computer backup, your backed up folders should be visible and accessible on all Dropbox platforms. Do you receive any errors when trying to access your “Documents” folder from the mobile app or does it appear to be grayed out?

4. Can you please describe to me the exact steps that you took in order to do this? This will help me have a clearer image of what may have happened. Any screenshots you can send are appreciated, too. 

Let me know when you’ve got more updates!

[radiofc]

Did you resolve point 3 here?  I am also no longer able to access files that are part of the Dropbox Backup via my android application - I can see the files no problem on the dropbox website.  I am able to search for a folder and find it but when I try to open it I get the message "File didn't load. Please check your connection and try again." (there are no issues with connectivity and I am using the latest version of the app - 316.2.2)

[Nancy]

Hi @radiofc, thanks for posting here, too!

Just a clarification; are you able to see your backed up folders if you go to your Files tab, or do they only appear when searching for them on the mobile app?

[radiofc]

I can only see the files if I choose Backup on this menu and then navigate into the directory. The files are not visible in the normal place where I sync files and folders.

[Megan]

Hi @radiofc, can you also send me a screenshot of the error message you get, when you try to preview a file? 

What is the OS you're using on your end? 

[radiofc]

Android OS

Dropbox support on Twitter said the following:

We checked with the team and can confirm that backed up content can be viewed on the mobile app, but can only be fully accessed online: https://dropbox.com/backup/all , or through the Dropbox desktop app.

We appreciate you reaching out to us about this, and we've gone ahead and forwarded your experience on to the appropriate team as well.

[Jay]

Hi @radiofc, the support team on Twitter provided that information, so to fully view your backup, you'd need to access the site directly.

If you have any further queries, feel free to message back.