Restored files have wrong creation and modification date

[Front D.2]

Recently I have noticed any files I restore to an earlier version via the Dropbox desktop app are synced back locally with the time stamp changed to the restore time and date instead of the original. I have been pulling files back down like this for years and never seen this behaviour before. I see sveral reports of this in the forums sinnce 2016 but no solution. 

[Jane]

Hey there (@Front D.2), I was able to locate this discussion that could shed some light on the reasoning behind this behavior. While I can confirm that the modified date is recorded on our end when restoring content, could you let me know when was the first time you noticed this change & how this has affected you? Thanks in advance! 

[Front D.2]

Thanks I read the discussion but if I understand correctly it says that Dropbox will inherently change the modicifcation date of any file on restore and that this is normal behaviour. Firstly that is a disarterous situation. What if I restore my Dropbx content entirely from Dropbox after a drive falure or to a new computer. Is every single file now going to have a tiome stamp equal to when it was restored? Accurate time stamps are vital. To answer your question I would just repeat what I already posted... in the last couple of weeks or there abouts. I do not restore files everyday so I cannot be accurate with that. This can have a serious issue with my files, an older image may appear to be modified since and any document using that asset would require updating on next opening. Really do I need to explain just how serious an issue changing time stamps like that is for anyone? Why have I been able to restore files previously without Dropbox corrupting the time stamp?

[Jane]

Thanks a lot for your prompt reply & additional clarifications (@Front D.2). As you mentioned that this has merely been a recent occurrence, let me submit your feedback to a team specialist in form of a question. In order to further address your concerns, I’ve sent you a brief message on the email connected to your Community profile. 

You may have a look at your inbox at your earliest convenience if you’d like us to work on that together. Thanks in advance & I’m looking forward to hearing back from you!

[Front D.2]

I did reply back yesterday. 

[Jane]

Thanks for pinging me back (@Front D.2); I’ve received your reply & I’ve messaged you back on our email discussion. Let’s take it from there! 

[Y2B]

When I restore a previous version of a file, the "Date Modified" attribute (on File Explorer) shows the Restore Date (which is not useful). Until a few time ago it USED to show the Date of the Restored Version (which is useful and needed) How can I see the date of the restored version on File Explorer?

Thanks

[Walter]

Hey there @Y2B, thanks for writing in and welcome to our Community!

As you've figured out, we recently made a change to how a file's metadata is retained when a file is copied/moved or restored. 

We will no longer keep the original metadata of a file if a copy of the file was made, instead the file will have the metadata show the date the copy was made as the last date modified. This will only occur when creating a copy via the Dropbox website.

I understand that this may not be ideal to your current workflow and I'm here for you should you like to share any comments or feedback about this change. Just let me know here and I'll make sure your words reach our dev team for their consideration.

Thanks!

[Front D.2]

How can you mark your own reply as a solution? It's not. 

[Rich]

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@Front D.2 wrote:

How can you mark your own reply as a solution? It's not. 

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It was likely marked as such by another Dropboxer or Super User as it is a valid solution for the thread. Marking a post as a solution just means the thread has received a valid answer. In this case, that the way to handle this further is through your help desk ticket.