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Using Dropbox Backup with Backblaze or other Cloud Backups no longer works
I use Dropbox Backup but, importantly, I use the setting that means my files are also stored locally, offline, on my computer. For years, I have also used Backblaze as a "backup to my backup" - backing up my locally stored files to BackBlaze just in case I accidentally delete something from Dropbox or there is some catastrophic failure. However, that no longer works. Due to a change in how Dropbox categorizes files - even those stored locally offline - most Cloud backup services like Backblaze can't back them up anymore. This has been discussed here, here, here, and confirmed in my conversations with BackBlaze support. So I suppose my questions are - has anyone else experienced this? Are there any workarounds? And if not, do you feel comfortable with Dropbox Backup being your only cloud backup?Deliberate omission of critical folders for Basic accounts.
I would like to bring to your attention a concerning practice that appears to affect free-tier users. Dropbox is not any more secure without external backup. It has become evident that certain shared folders (which are visible and accessible in read-only mode under a single account) are intentionally excluded from backups and event logging for users on the free plan. This omission makes it effectively impossible to track or recover any changes or deletions, as: Backup history is almost not available for free accounts. Event and activity logs are retained for only 30 days in the free tier. No relevant events or actions appear in the logs, even when changes or deletions are suspected. This issue has been reported and discussed by multiple users across various forums and communities, with many suspecting that folders are being deliberately hidden or removed in free accounts as a way to pressure users into upgrading to a paid subscription.Moving files on my desktop to the trash deletes them immediately instead.
I am running Dropbox Backup. On MacOS, when I drag a file on my desktop to the trash, it is deleted automatically. In other words, it does not appear in the trash in case I want to recover it later. I get a warning that says "This item will be deleted immediately. You can't undo this action." When the same file is in any other folder or location on my computer besides the Desktop, and I drag it to the trash, the behavior is normal - the files goes into the trash where I can see it and recover it if need be. I am running Dropbox Backup on Sequoia 15.2 on a 2020 M1 Macbook Air. Any thoughts?
Dropbox Backup deactivated itself, when reactivated rewrote local folder.
Hi everyone, I’m dealing with a very unusual and serious Dropbox were I'm at risk of losing great portions of my lifes work. I've been in contact with support and I have been elevated to advanced support - but progress is slow. I'm in the middle of a very busy season work-wise and I need at functioning dropbox - which is now paused to prevent further file loss. Short version of what happened: On December 4, I discovered that moving two large Logic project folders (WO23 Logic and WO24 Logic) from my local macOS ~/Music folder into a Dropbox directory had failed — the destinations were incomplete. When checking Dropbox Backup to restore them, I noticed that Backup was shown as “deactivated since August 6”, even though I never turned it off. When I reactivated Backup, Dropbox began creating a completely new backup of my Mac instead of showing any older backup snapshots. During a support call, I was instructed to try clicking “Rewind folder” to check for restore options — but instead of showing versions, Dropbox replaced my local ~/Music folder with a symlink pointing to a CloudStorage path containing only a small, incomplete set of files. At this exact moment, several large conflicted folders were generated. I found a partial (~312 GB) version of the Music folder inside one of these conflict folders, but large portions were missing — especially ".logic" (*Logic the music production app from Apple.) Most harrowing - my most recent huge projectfolder "WO25 Logic" was completely empty). The Logic folders WO23 Logic, WO24 Logic, and WO25 Logic are now either completely empty or far smaller than they should be (originally 30–80 GB each). What is missing: All missing items are .logic project files — dozens of large Logic Pro sessions. Paths involved: Original folder location (not inside dropbox - only backuped up by dropbox): /Users/Christian/Music/Logic/WALLMANS/WO25 Logic Failed move destination (WO23/WO24): …/Dropbox-MoreMusic/08 Arkiver/Logicarkiv/Wallmans Logicarkiv (This is now inside a conflicted folder.) Symlink destination after Rewind failure: /Users/Christian/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox-MoreMusic/.../Mac/Music My main questions: Has anyone seen Dropbox Backup deactivate itself or lose access to earlier backup snapshots without user action? Has anyone experienced Rewind replacing a local folder with an incomplete cloud state? Is it possible that my pre-August backup snapshot still exists in Dropbox’s system even if it isn’t visible in the Backup UI? Advanced Support is investigating, but I would really appreciate input from anyone who has dealt with Backup failures, missing snapshots, conflicted copies created during backup, or unexpected symlink replacements. I've paused syncing on all devices for now - but this seriously halts my workflow. Is it safe to resume syncing? Will dropbox fix itself? Are my backups gone forever because of the seemingly deactivated state from august 6th? Are my missing files from /music-folder hiding somewhere? Thanks in advance.
Can't delete backups that have filled up my Dropbox
Dropbox account is over the limit because a few large files were backed up from an External Drive. Unfortunately the Computer that had the external drive attached died and is gone. The list of backup files as seen below: When an attempt to delete some of them is made the option to click on "I don't have access" is shown. Clicking on that prompts you to go to the security tab in Settings and sign out of the device. However, the only device showing there is the one currently being used so it's a dead end. If Backup Settings is selected instead of the "I don't have access" option you just come back to the settings and are told "to manage the settings of External Drive, sign on to that device". How can I delete these backups? Thanks!
My storage is full. How can I remove my Backup?
Dropbox informs me, that my free account is full. I had previously made a complete back up of my Mac on Dropbox. However, I can't find the back up on Dropbox in order to delete it. I have the app on my Mac. I'm not interested in upgrading. Help anyone?
Can I restore my old Dropbox backup set up after my computer repair?
Hi, I have had to recently restore my Macbook completely (it was repaired and the OS re-installed). I had my Dropbox connected to my MBP and backing up the Documents, Download and Desktop (from now on refered as DDD) folder. Before the restore, the path to these folders was inside my Dropbox folder. Something like: /Users/myname/Dropbox/Mac/Documents/... I re-installed Dropbox on my Mac after the repair and asked Dropbox to do a Backup again and restore the DDD folders from the Backup on Dropbox. All finished syncing and now I have two "Mac" folders inside my Dropbox, which I think is expected (the previous Backup before repair, and the new Backup after repair). However, I also still have the DDD folders in their usual locations: /Users/myname/Documents/ /Users/myname/Desktop/ /Users/myname/Downloads/ So, when I access my Documents in Finder, I am still working inside /Users/myname/Documents/ and not /Users/myname/Dropbox/Mac/Documents/. This means that I don't have the "Copy link" option in Finder when accessing files in the Documents. Is there something I need to do now to complete the set up of moving the DDD folders inside the Dropbox and just have that be the default? I feel like I have done this restore in the past and it was automatic. Thank you, Mafalda
