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Forum Discussion

HillaryCastillo's avatar
HillaryCastillo
New member | Level 2
7 years ago

How can I locate a Dropbox account if I've forgotten the email address it's connected to?

My mac hard drive just died.  I just got my computer back and tried to login to drop box.  The account that I thought I was saving everything to hasn't been updated since 2015.  I believe there was a...
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  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    7 years ago
    Thanks a lot for clarifying in more detail HillaryCastillo & I’m sorry to hear about your loss & any frustration this may have caused you. 
     
    Mark & Rich are pointing you towards the right direction at the moment based on your description, let me explain in a bit more detail below. 
     
    You may keep in mind that in case there were two Dropbox folders on this device but only the one was syncing, then the remaining one was merely a regular folder on your computer. It seems as if your Dropbox account was unlinked at some point & she had opted to sync her files to her account instead. 
     
    That being said, please note that we can only provide account-specific info to the email address holders, hence your best bet at the moment would be to try gaining access to her email as Mark suggested above. 
     
    From there, you may have a look at this resource here, as we could help you regain access to the content on our end, once you provide us the relevant evidence that you have the legal right to access these files. 
     
    I hope that my suggestions are helpful to you & of course I’m always here if you have further questions! 
     
    Mod noted: edited to update links in post [last update 2023]
Jane's avatar
Jane
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
7 years ago
Hey HillaryCastillo, thanks for reaching out on the Dropbox Community on this account-specific question! 
 
As an initial point of reference, you may keep in mind that you can monitor your content from your “Events” page, where you can check all file additions/ deletions/ edits in shared folders. Have you been able to check for your uploaded files there? 
 
Secondly, were you using the desktop application to sync your files to your account online or were you uploading your files directly to the website? 
 
 Once I have these details I’d happily send you the most relevant next steps to follow in my next post. I’ll be awaiting your next reply here!
  • HillaryCastillo's avatar
    HillaryCastillo
    New member | Level 2
    7 years ago

    Hi Jane...it was from the desktop app.  There were two icons for dropbox.  The account we thought everything was saving to hasn't had any new files added since 2015.  There was another account that everything must have been saving to that I don't have information for.  (background...this was mother's business computer.  I took over her business when she passed last year and now we're at a loss)  If there was a way to see if two accounts were being accessed from my ISP address that would help.  Is that something that is possible?

    • Mark's avatar
      Mark
      Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
      7 years ago
      It isnt I'm afraid.

      All I can suggest is searching ALL your email to see if you have ANYTHING from DoLPHin3 or similar as you may find emails that have been sent to the email.

      The other possible option is do you know if it was a free or a paid account? Paid accounts *may* have a glimmer of hope, free not so.
    • Jane's avatar
      Jane
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
      7 years ago
      Thanks a lot for clarifying in more detail HillaryCastillo & I’m sorry to hear about your loss & any frustration this may have caused you. 
       
      Mark & Rich are pointing you towards the right direction at the moment based on your description, let me explain in a bit more detail below. 
       
      You may keep in mind that in case there were two Dropbox folders on this device but only the one was syncing, then the remaining one was merely a regular folder on your computer. It seems as if your Dropbox account was unlinked at some point & she had opted to sync her files to her account instead. 
       
      That being said, please note that we can only provide account-specific info to the email address holders, hence your best bet at the moment would be to try gaining access to her email as Mark suggested above. 
       
      From there, you may have a look at this resource here, as we could help you regain access to the content on our end, once you provide us the relevant evidence that you have the legal right to access these files. 
       
      I hope that my suggestions are helpful to you & of course I’m always here if you have further questions! 
       
      Mod noted: edited to update links in post [last update 2023]

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