How to Recover Deleted Files From Dropbox (Before It's Too Late)

Deleted the wrong folder, or found that a colleague tidied away a file you needed? Dropbox keeps deleted files for a while, and getting them back usually takes a minute. How long you have depends on your account, and there's a powerful option for bigger disasters that many people never discover. Here's how to recover files, how long you've got, and what to do if a file isn't where you expect.

Restore a deleted file or folder

1. Sign in at dropbox.com.
2. Click Deleted files in the left sidebar.
3. Tick the boxes next to the files or folders you want back.
4. Choose to restore them.

Dropbox says it restores files to the folder they were deleted from, so you'll find them right where they used to be. If you know which folder a file was in, open that folder, go to Folder settings and choose Show deleted files to see just that folder's deletions.

How long you've got

Dropbox account	Standard recovery period
Basic, Plus and Family	30 days
Professional, Essentials, Standard and Business	180 days
Advanced, Business Plus, Enterprise and Education	365 days

Dropbox notes that some add-ons extend these periods, and files covered by a data disposition policy may be deleted sooner. On a free account, a month is your window, so act quickly once you notice something is missing.

Undo a big mistake with Dropbox Rewind

Here's the feature people don't know about. If lots of files were deleted, moved or renamed, or malware has changed your files, restoring them one by one is painful. Dropbox Rewind can return a whole folder, or your entire account, to an earlier point in time. Dropbox says it's available on Plus, Family, Professional, Essentials, Standard, Advanced, Business, Business Plus and Enterprise plans, so not on Basic.

Recovering files from a shared folder

Shared folders have their own rules. Dropbox says that if you have Can edit access, you may be able to restore a deleted file from a shared folder, but with Can view access you can't. If you only have view access, ask the folder owner or someone with edit rights to restore it for you.

Can't find the deleted file?

• Check the recovery period. If it's past your window, the file's gone.
• Use the filters on the Deleted files page to narrow things down.
• Check you're in the right account. If you have personal and work Dropbox accounts, it may be in the other one.
• Check it wasn't moved or renamed. Dropbox points out that a missing file isn't necessarily a deleted file. Try searching for it.

That last point solves more mysteries than you'd think. A file dragged into the wrong folder looks deleted, but search finds it in seconds.

Restore an older version instead

If the file still exists but someone overwrote it with the wrong changes, you don't need to recover a deleted file; you need an older version. Dropbox's version history lets you go back to an earlier copy of a file. It's a lifesaver when a shared document gets edited badly.

When a file can't come back

Dropbox is clear that once a file or folder is permanently deleted, it can't be recovered. The same goes for files deleted before your recovery window. If something is really important, keep a second copy somewhere else as well.

Recovering on your phone

The Dropbox mobile app is great for browsing and sharing, but for recovering deleted files the website is the place to go, because the Deleted files page and its filters are easiest to use there. Open dropbox.com in a browser on your computer, or your phone's browser if you're away from your desk, sign in and use Deleted files as described above.

Team accounts

If you're on a Dropbox team, admins have extra tools to recover files deleted by team members, including filtering deleted content by who deleted it. If a colleague deleted something important and it's not showing for you, ask your team admin before assuming it's lost. They can often see deletions across the whole team that you can't.

Habits that make recovery rarely needed

1. Give edit access only to people who need it in shared folders.
2. Move finished projects to an archive folder rather than deleting them.
3. Keep a separate backup of anything you can't afford to lose.
4. Check Deleted files soon after any big clear-out, while everything is still recoverable.

If you share client folders, my piece on why file sharing gets risky as you grow covers how to keep control, and if you also use Google Drive, how to transfer ownership in Google Drive helps prevent files vanishing when someone leaves.

My verdict

Go to dropbox.com, click Deleted files, tick what you want and restore it, all within 30 days on a free or Plus account. For mass deletions or malware, use Dropbox Rewind if your plan includes it. Check whether a missing file was moved before assuming it's deleted, and keep a second copy of anything critical.

Frequently asked questions

How do I recover deleted files in Dropbox?

On dropbox.com, click Deleted files in the left sidebar, tick the files and restore them.

How long does Dropbox keep deleted files?

Dropbox says 30 days for Basic, Plus and Family, 180 days for Professional and Business tiers, and 365 days for Advanced and Enterprise.

Where do restored Dropbox files go?

Dropbox restores them to the folder they were deleted from.

Can I recover a file deleted from a shared Dropbox folder?

Yes, if you have Can edit access. With Can view access, ask the owner to restore it.

Can permanently deleted Dropbox files be recovered?

No. Dropbox says permanently deleted files can't be recovered.