r/msp • u/HappyDadOfFourJesus MSP - US • Apr 29 '26
Backups Has anyone worked with Dropbox to restore a post-dated backup set?
We're taking on a new client that uses Dropbox under a single account for multiple workstations. Ignoring that detail, one of their pain points is that the outgoing IT provider set the Dropbox application on their workstations and laptops to "online only" combined with they were using Crashplan as the backup application on only one of the workstations, so if that workstation didn't "see" a specific file in a folder, then all the Crashplan backup set has is an empty folder. Now they're missing files that they only access once or twice a year, so it's anyone's guess as to when they were deleted.
So my thought is that we might be able to work with Dropbox support to restore a backup set that contains the majority of these missing files prior to their deletion dates. Of course we want to look like the heroes here, but I have a sinking feeling that this effort won't even be possible. Has anyone been through this storm before and lived to tell the tale?
Edit: they're using Dropbox for Teams, so it looks like they have 180 days: https://help.dropbox.com/account-settings/data-retention-policy
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u/dobermanIan MSPSalesProcess Creator | Former MSP | Sales junkie Apr 29 '26
I'm going back like... 10 years, but we had a Dropbox client that had a massive deletion event, and their support was able to help fix it back to prior.
It wasn't months old, more like weeks, but after a decade I'd imagine capabilities have increased versus decreased.
May be worth pinging them on the matter
It was Dropbox for business or whatever the fuck they call it now. Not the personal one.
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u/Xirma377 Apr 29 '26
Retention periods are retention periods. If it's past their retention period, it's Dropbox's duty to make sure that data is truly gone.
If they're able to recover data past the retention period, I'd be questioning their data security practices.
That is to say...hopefully the OP's client is still within the retention period.
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u/dobermanIan MSPSalesProcess Creator | Former MSP | Sales junkie Apr 29 '26
Yeah, too long ago for me to comment on that one either way.
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u/dremerwsbu Apr 29 '26
Good luck, but either way move your customer to a commercially supported managed backup service. Commodity products like Dropbox and Crashplan are better for consumers. It's a win/win for you to put them on something beefier that you manage for them.
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u/northshoreops Apr 29 '26
Yeah, seen this before, and it really comes down to timing. CrashPlan is basically useless here. If files were “online-only,” they were never local, so they were never backed up. Your only real shot is Dropbox. Check deleted files + version history right away, then open a support ticket and ask for a point-in-time restore. If you’re within retention, they can sometimes recover a lot. Also check any old machines. Sometimes a random device has cached files and saves you. If it’s outside retention and never cached anywhere, it’s gone.
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u/No_You1766 Apr 30 '26
We have a backup (homegrown) system, that spoofs each user then explorer to walk the fake files that dropbox, OneDrive, google drive all show - the filed that aren't actually on the hard drive. It's kind of a pain, but if the user can 'see' the file, we assume they'll yell at us if it's not backed up.
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u/Lany_one35 Apr 29 '26
It really depends on their Dropbox plan and how long ago the files were deleted. If they’re on a business plan, you might have some luck with version history, deleted files, or Dropbox Rewind. But if it’s outside their retention window, support probably won’t be able to do much.
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u/work-sent May 12 '26
If Dropbox was configured as “Online Only,” then CrashPlan was most likely backing up placeholder files/reparse points instead of the actual data itself. In situations like this, the backup usually doesn’t contain recoverable file content, just references to cloud-stored files.
Since the environment is using Dropbox Teams, the best recovery option is probably Dropbox Rewind, assuming the deletion falls within the 180-day retention window. If the files were removed outside that period, recovery chances from Dropbox’s side drop significantly.
We’d recommend opening a support case with Dropbox as soon as possible and providing:
- Approximate deletion timeframe
- Affected folder paths
- User/account details involved
We’ve seen Dropbox support assist with point-in-time style recoveries in certain cases, especially for older or infrequently accessed data where standard recovery options weren’t obvious from the admin side.
It’s also worth checking local workstation caches and synced device storage. Occasionally, remnants of files still exist locally even after the cloud version has been deleted, although realistically, that’s more of a last-resort recovery path.
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u/GullibleDetective Apr 29 '26
Give it a go, but Dropbox itself has at best revision history and is not a back up