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Forum Discussion
Shared folder empty on devices and online
There is a folder that our band members use to sync songs, images, lyrics, etc.
It recently turned up completely empty for all of us, on our devices and on dropbox.com.
None of us remembers having done anything, let alone having deleted everything.
What can we do to get our files back?
Best regards, Alex
- Jay
Dropbox Staff
Hi Alexander-1973, thanks for messaging the Community.
Do you see any missing files on the events page or the deleted files page in order to locate or recover them?
Keep me updated with any progress!
Wow, thanks, that brought me on the right track.
In the events page I can actually see that a "Dave [removed]" deleted all the files:I have no idea why he would have access to this folder. He is not in our band.
How can this be reversed (if at all 😬) - and be prevented in the future?
Best, Alex- Rich
Super User II
I have no idea why he would have access to this folder. He is not in our band.
He must be a member of the shared folder. The owner of the folder should review the current members and remove the members that should no longer have access.
Hey Rich,
Thanks for your support. But regarding Dave: He is definitely not a member of the shared folder. But one of our band members gave his girlfriend **Read access** to the folder, years ago.
On the other hand: Would he be able to delete the folder contents with a link?
And if so: Is there any chance of getting the folder back?- Hannah
Hey Alexander-1973, for someone to be able to delete files off of a shared folder, they must be a member.
If you see the files in your events page, you should be able to restore them from your deleted files page.
Also, if you click on the "share" button next to the folder on dropbox.com and then on "who can access", you'll see all the members; do you see this person?
Dear Hannah,
thanks for your reply.
The files do not show up in the deleted files page - probably because they were deleted more than 30 days ago?
If so, my question would be: If I upgrade my plan to professional, would that make them re-appear in this page so I can restore them or ist it too late now?
> Also, if you click on the "share" button next to the folder on dropbox.com and then on "who can access", you'll see all the members; do you see this person?
I am 100% positive that the person "Dave ..." is not a member of this folder (anymore), I checked several times. I see all our band members and another person with read access, but not the person who deleted the files.
By now I established that he had access to the folder though (he's an acquaintance).
Would it be possible for him to have deleted all the contents and then have left as a member by himself (i.e. he was not removed by one of us)?
Best regards, Alex- Megan
Hey Alexander-1973, let me jump in here!
I'm afraid that version history and recovery of content doesn't work retroactively, so upgrading your plan won't make a difference.
And yes, it's possible that he was added and later on left the folder.
If you need something else, please let me know and I will be more than happy to help every step of the way.
