How to restore or recover deleted files or folders in Dropbox

If you accidentally deleted a file or folder, you may be able to restore it from your Deleted files. The recovery period will depend on your Dropbox plan.

Sections in this article:

• How to restore a file or folder
• How to restore a large number of files or folders
• How to restore a file from a shared folder
• How to find your deleted file on the Deleted files page
• How to find your restored file if it’s not yet visible
• How to restore an older version of a file
• What to do if you’ve permanently deleted a file or folder
• How to recover files deleted by someone on your team, as a team admin
• How to locate missing files that aren’t deleted
• None of these describe my situation

How to restore a file or folder

If the file or folder is still within your account’s recovery period, you can restore it from Deleted files:

1. Log in to Dropbox.com
2. Click Deleted files in the left sidebar.
3. Check the boxes next to the names of the files or folders you want to recover.
4. Click Restore.

Dropbox restores files to the folder they were deleted from.

How long do I have to recover a deleted file or folder?

The recovery options available to you depend on what happened to the file, how long ago it was deleted, your Dropbox plan, and whether you have permission to restore it.

I can’t find the file I deleted

Use the filters available on the Deleted files page to narrow your search.

If you’re a team admin, you may also be able to filter deleted content by who deleted it, including:

• You.
• A team member.
• Everyone.

If the file still doesn’t appear, check the recovery period for your Dropbox plan, above.

How to restore a large number of files or folders

If you accidentally deleted or moved a large number of files, restoring individual files one at a time may not be the best option.

Use Deleted files for individual items

If you only need to recover a small number of files, use the steps above to select and restore them.

Use Dropbox Rewind for large-scale changes

Dropbox Rewind can return a folder, or your account, to an earlier point in time.

It’s particularly useful when:

• A large number of files were accidentally deleted, moved, or renamed.
• A type of malware has changed your files.

For more information, see How to use Dropbox Rewind.

How to restore a file from a shared folder

If you have Can edit access, you may be able to restore a deleted file from a shared folder. But, if you only have Can view access, you can’t restore the shared file yourself.

If you own the shared folder

Restoring the deleted file makes it available in the shared folder again for members who have access.

If you don’t own the shared folder

You can restore a deleted file if you have the required editing permissions.

If you don’t have Can edit access, ask the folder owner or another person with the appropriate permissions to restore the file.

How to find your deleted file on the Deleted files page

If a deleted file doesn’t appear on the Deleted files page, follow these steps:

Check your recovery period

• Make sure the file was deleted within the recovery period for your Dropbox plan.
• If the recovery period has expired and the file has been permanently deleted, it can’t be recovered.

Check your filters

• Use the filters on the Deleted files page to search for the file.
• If you’re a team admin, check whether you’re viewing files deleted by yourself, a specific team member, or everyone.

Make sure you’re in the correct Dropbox account

• If you have more than one Dropbox account, make sure you’re signed in to the account where the file was stored.

Check whether the file was moved or renamed instead

• A missing file isn’t necessarily a deleted file.
• If you don’t see it on the Deleted files page, someone may have:
  • Moved the file.
  • Renamed the file.
  • Unshared the folder.
  • Changed the folder’s permissions.

See How to recover your missing Dropbox files for additional ways to locate the file.

Check your recent activity

• You can view your Dropbox activity to determine whether the file was moved, renamed, or deleted.
• Open your Dropbox Events page to see recent file activity:
  • Go to dropbox.com/events
  • Find the event related to the missing, deleted, moved, or renamed file.
  • Click the event to view its details.

How to find your restored file if it’s not yet visible

A restoration may take some time to complete, especially when restoring multiple files or a large folder.

Check your restoration progress:

1. Log in to Dropbox on the web.
2. Click Deleted files in the left sidebar.
3. Next to All files, click Restorations.
4. Look at the Status column to see the progress as a percentage.

If you’re restoring multiple items, Dropbox displays their progress as one combined percentage.

When restoration is complete, the restored file or folder disappears from the Deleted files list. You’ll also receive a notification when the restoration is complete.

How to restore an older version of a file

If a file still exists, but you want to return it to an earlier version, use version history.

Version history lets you view and restore previous versions of a file within the version-history period available for your plan.

For example, this option is appropriate if:

• You accidentally overwrote a file.
• You deleted content from a document and saved it.
• You want to undo changes made to an existing file.
• The file itself wasn’t deleted, but you need an earlier version.

See How to recover older versions of files for instructions.

What to do if you’ve permanently deleted a file or folder

If you selected Delete permanently to delete a file or folder, it cannot be recovered.

Before permanently deleting files

Make sure you no longer need the files.

Permanently deleting a file is different from moving it to Deleted files, where files remain recoverable for the applicable recovery period. Permanently deleted files are removed from the normal recovery process.

If you permanently deleted a file by mistake

Contact Dropbox Support as soon as possible if you believe the file was permanently deleted by accident.

However, note that Support can’t recover files which have been permanently deleted or files that were deleted outside your account’s available version history.

How to recover files deleted by someone on your team, as a team admin

If you’re a Dropbox team admin, you may have additional recovery options for files deleted by team members.

On the Deleted files page, admins can use filters to help identify files deleted by:

• Themselves.
• A specific team member.
• Anyone on the team.

Your team’s recovery options may also depend on your plan, retention settings, and any data retention or disposition policies set up by your organization.

If you need to recover a large amount of team content, consider whether Dropbox Rewind or a support-assisted restoration is more appropriate.

How to locate missing files that aren’t deleted

If a file or folder is missing but doesn’t appear on the Deleted files page, it may have been:

• Moved.
• Renamed.
• Deleted by someone else.
• Removed from a shared folder.
• Not successfully synced from your device.

Check where your files may be:

1. Sign in to Dropbox on the web and search for the file.
2. Check the Deleted files page and your recent activity.
3. If you still can’t find your files, see How to recover your missing Dropbox files.

None of these describe my situation

If none of the above points describe your situation, you may need further assistance.

Contact Dropbox Support if:

• A file should still be within your recovery period but doesn’t appear on the Deleted files page.
• A restoration fails or remains stuck.
• You need help recovering a large number of missing or corrupted files.
• You believe files were deleted because of unauthorized activity.
• You need help determining whether files were deleted, moved, or renamed.
• You believe an account or team setup is preventing recovery.

Before contacting Support, have the following information available:

• The name of the file or folder.
• The approximate date it was deleted or last seen.
• The folder where it was originally located.
• Whether it was in a shared folder.
• Whether you own the file or folder.
• Whether you’re a Dropbox team member or admin.
• Any relevant activity or event information.

If you’re requesting a Support-assisted restoration, Dropbox may ask you for information from your account’s Events page to identify the changes that need to be reversed.