We are aware of the issue with the badge emails resending to everyone, we apologise for the inconvenience - learn more here. 

Forum Discussion

chopchop's avatar
chopchop
New member | Level 2
3 years ago

Missing desktop files after deleting dropbox

Hi  a while ago (6 months ago) I downloaded DropBox app and checked syncing with my personal Desktop files (although I think I disabled that immediately). It synced, but because I was using free ver...
Computer Backup
Desktop
Download
Mac
Restore
Sync
  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    3 years ago

    Hi chopchop, sorry to hear about this. 

    It sounds like you enabled the computer backup feature at some point. 

    If that's the case, you can find the steps to disable it here. 

    As per your missing files, do you see any signs of them in your deleted files page or the events page?

    If not, they never made it to our servers, so you may need to be looking for them locally on your device, be it in their original locations or your trash can. You could also try enabling hidden files to show in Finder to see if you can find any of them that way.

    Keep me posted anyhow!

     

    Mod note: updated links in post [last update 2023]

Weifang5's avatar
Weifang5
Explorer | Level 3
2 years ago

Thank you, Hannah, for your reply.  The Dropbox folder is neither in my deleted files page, nor in in the events page. I saw that folder in the  Mac storage list, for I have to delete documents to have some extra space for my computer system upgrade . Actually that is the first time I saw a folder with the Dropbox name. That is why I deleted it without the second thought, for I have not used Dropbox for years, I thought the 50G contents it holds are the outdated documents.

I suppose  Dropbox software  has an invisible super-folder that absorbs all the documents of my Mac into it without my knowing it.  How can find the super-folder back? 

Looking forward to your further help, Hannah.

  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    2 years ago

    Hmm, thanks for the additional info, Weifang5.

     

    When did you delete your Dropbox folder?

     

    Do you see your desktop files in this page perhaps?

    • Weifang5's avatar
      Weifang5
      Explorer | Level 3
      2 years ago

      I deleted on the afternoon of August 13, and I have been struggling with the event since then. I enabled the Finder to show the hidden files and some hidden files shows huge unknown documents entitled by numbers and letters like"1-3c-18-64d5f9ib" as large as 4kb, or "fdb49491-302f-4eb3-9a5c-be9184fb72d2-start.dbt" as large as 1kb. Are they my lost documents? How can I open them?

      • Hannah's avatar
        Hannah
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
        2 years ago

        Hey, Weifang5.

         

        I looked online and found that .dbt files could be the extension of a thumbnail cache used by Photo Commander picture editor.

         

        Have you also checked your trash, to see if you can locate the files there?

         

        And how about the page I linked in my previous reply?

About View, download, and export

Need support with viewing, downloading, and exporting files and folders from your Dropbox account? Find help from the Dropbox Community.

Need more support

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!