Recover Deleted Dropbox Files or Restore an Earlier Version

You deleted a file or folder from Dropbox, or saved over a good copy with a bad one, and need the original back.

Why: Dropbox keeps your deleted files and every earlier version for at least 30 days (longer on paid plans). Recovery happens on dropbox.com, where both the trash and full version history live — so nothing is truly gone yet.

Fix 1: Restore a deleted file or folder

The fastest recovery is from the Deleted files view on the website.

1. Sign in at dropbox.com.
2. Click Deleted files in the left sidebar.
3. Tick the checkbox next to the file(s) or folder(s) you want back.
4. Click Restore.

The items return to their original location and sync back down to your desktop app within a minute or two.

Fix 2: Roll back to an earlier version of a file

If the file still exists but you saved a bad change, restore a previous version instead.

On dropbox.com:

1. Hover over the filename and click the … (ellipsis).
2. Click Activity, then Version history.
3. Click a version to preview it, then click Roll back to this version.
4. Confirm by clicking Roll back to this version again in the top-right corner.

In the desktop app:

1. Open your Dropbox folder in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
2. Right-click the file and choose Version history.
3. Click a version to preview it, click Roll back to this version, then confirm at the top right.

The restored version becomes the current one and syncs everywhere automatically.

Fix 3: Know your recovery window by plan

Recovery only works inside your plan’s retention window, so act promptly.

• Basic, Plus, Family: deleted files and versions kept for 30 days.
• Professional, Essentials, Standard, Business: 180 days.
• Advanced, Business Plus, Enterprise: 365 days.

If you’re close to the limit, restore now — once the window passes, the file is permanently removed.

FAQ

I don’t see “Deleted files” in the sidebar. Make sure you’re signed in to the correct account on dropbox.com. On a shared folder you need Can edit access (not just Can view) to restore items.

Can I get back a whole folder I deleted, not just one file? Yes — select the folder in Deleted files and click Restore, or use Dropbox Rewind to take an entire folder or account back to an earlier point in time.

Will restoring an old version lose my latest changes? Rolling back adds the older version as the newest one; the version you rolled back from still appears in version history, so you can switch again if needed.

Sources: Dropbox Help — Restore or recover deleted files or folders · Dropbox Help — Recover older versions of files