You might see that the Dropbox Community team have been busy working on some major updates to the Community itself! So, here is some info on what’s changed, what’s staying the same and what you can expect from the Dropbox Community overall.

Forum Discussion

Alex's avatar
Alex
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
4 years ago

Restoring deleted files

No matter how tech savvy, no matter how clairvoyant you are, we’ve all deleted a file we didn’t mean to, or discovered we weren’t quite finished with something yet, right after we clear it out. But luckily, Dropbox has you covered. If you’ve ever found yourself looking around the Dropbox Community for tips and tricks on how to restore your deleted files, we have a few helpful hints below. Whether it’s restoring files and folders that have been full on deleted, or rolling back your progress, or even restoring a lot of stuff at once, you won’t be
 

Can I recover or restore deleted files from Dropbox?

Yes. Dropbox saves all your lost files or work for 30 days (or longer for Dropbox Professional and Business users). You don’t need any external recovery tools, or even help from IT, you can recover your files with a few clicks. It happens to all of us, so don’t worry! 
 

How do I restore files I deleted on Dropbox? 

On dropbox.com, navigate to the Deleted files page, select the recoverable files or folders you’d like to recoup, and click restore. Easy! 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View your version history

Even if you didn’t delete the whole file, but you made changes that need to be undone, just pull up your version history to undo changes and restore old versions of any file. No matter the file type, Dropbox saves version history for all your files.

 

How does Dropbox Rewind work?

If you have accidentally deleted more than a simple file or two, Dropbox Rewind might be the best thing for you. Dropbox Rewind works by reverting your folders or even your entire account back to a specific point in time in the last 30 days (or longer for Professional users)—restoring everything in your Dropbox account to what your file system looked like before your mishap. Note: Rewind is not available for Basic users, but you can still use the tips above. 
 
Now, no matter what the file is, you can know that it isn’t lost to the ether right after you click delete. 
 
Tell us about a time that you recovered a file and avoided a whole lot of trouble in the comments below 😃 
 

 

 
Restore
Tips and Tricks
  • Panp's avatar
    Panp
    New member | Level 2
    4 years ago

    If I had a 'basic' account when I deleted the files and I now upgrade to Professional, do I get the 180 days and can thus find files deleted more than 30 days ago or are those files gone for good?

    • Walter's avatar
      Walter
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
      4 years ago

      Hey Panp, thanks for posting on our Community!

      I'm afraid that you won't be able to restore those files, if they were deleted more than a month ago.

      When you upgrade to a plan with a longer version history, your new version history window starts on the day you upgrade and won't work retrospectively. 

      For example, if you upgrade from a Basic plan with a 30-day window to a Professional plan with a 180-day window, you'll be able to view all deleted files and edits within the next 180 days, but you won't be able to view deleted files or edits from 180 days ago. 

      I hope this clears things up and we're always a post away if you have any other questions! 

  • dberkana's avatar
    dberkana
    Explorer | Level 3
    4 years ago

    I have a deleted folder from today and many folders and files within that. It is showing it was deleted in activity, but none of the informaiton is showing in deleted files so I can actually restore it. What am I missing?

    • Megan's avatar
      Megan
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
      4 years ago
      Hi dberkana, thanks for posting today! 

      Have you tried the Events' page? 

      The Events page gives you an overview of all the activity in your account, including file events (adds/edits/deletes), as well as adding or removing shared folders. 

      Let me know what you find there.
      • dberkana's avatar
        dberkana
        Explorer | Level 3
        4 years ago

        I can see, once again, the folder/files that were deleted listed on the events page along with the time it happened earlier today. The problem is that those folders/files are not showing up as deleted in the deleted file list so I can restore them.

About Dropbox tips & tricks

Node avatar for Dropbox tips & tricks

Learn how to get the most out of Dropbox with other users like you.

390 PostsLatest Activity: 2 days ago
322 Following

If you need more help you can view your support options (expected response time for an email or ticket is 24 hours), or contact us on X or Facebook.

For more info on available support options for your Dropbox plan, see this article.

If you found the answer to your question in this Community thread, please 'like' the post to say thanks and to let us know it was useful!