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Dropbox desktop app no longer compatible with Windows File History

Dropbox desktop app for Windows v240.4.8493

Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2

I’ve been using Dropbox for Windows for years. Up until a few months ago, Windows’s File History (file-versioning feature) has been indexing & backing up files in the C:\Users\<username>\Dropbox folder without issue. But recently I discovered File History stopped indexing Dropbox files back on September 26, 2025; presumably my Dropbox app auto-updated that day. I could still access Dropbox file versions from before that date, but nothing after it.

To test that my File History is working correctly, I deleted my FH index and rebuilt it from scratch; it backed up everything except the contents of my Dropbox folder, despite it being clearly selected for indexing. It seems Dropbox made a change last September that prevents File History from seeing any files in the Dropbox folder at all. (Yes, I made sure all Dropbox files were made available offline with solid green checkmarks.)

I know Dropbox offers its own file versioning, but free plans only have versioning for up to 30 days, which didn’t help me here (I had a corrupted file, and the last good copy was older than that). And regardless of Dropbox’s versioning or other features, it shouldn’t be interfering with Windows processes such as File History, since the files are still on my drive.

I tried reporting this problem with Dropbox support, but all I learned was to stop using Dropbox support. So given that this is unlikely to be fixed, I wanted to report here to alert anyone who may be relying on File History for long-term versioning with their Dropbox files. (My current workaround is to use FreeFileSync to mirror my Dropbox files to a backup location that is indexed by File History.)

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Comments

Walter

Hey there @jmcken - thanks for flagging this with us.

May I ask if you have reinstalled the Dropbox desktop app since you first noticed this?

If you could send us a couple of screenshots from a sample file showing this behavior, that'd be very helpful.

Keep us posted!

jmcken

Hello @Walter,

I have not reinstalled the Dropbox app since I noticed this; I have not installed/reinstalled the app in years. Should I do so now?

As for screenshots – at the risk of sending more than you needed, here’s one example folder as it presently exists on my drive:

(Please ignore the “[symlinked]” in the folder name; this is a symlink target folder, not a symlink itself, which I know isn’t synced by Dropbox. The actual symlink is on my desktop.)

Here’s how this folder appeared in File History as of last September 26, the last time FH successfully indexed it:

And here’s how the folder appeared in File History after the very next indexing, a few hours later on the same day, as it did up until yesterday (all files missing, with only empty subfolders remaining):

Finally, yesterday I deleted and rebuilt my File History index, clearing out the old snapshots, and now none of my Dropbox files and subfolders appear in File History at all:

FWIW, File History works perfectly well with every other directory on my drive(s). For instance, here’s a backup of my Dropbox folder, which I synchronize every day, kept on an external drive:

And here is that backup folder in File History (it’s not visible in this screenshot, but all subfolders also include all their files):

Please let me know if you need anything else.

Hannah

Hey @jmcken, I hope it's okay for me to jump in here.

We appreciate the screenshots and the details!

Can you let us know what the location of your Dropbox folder is, as it appears in the "sync" tab in your Dropbox app preferences?

Also, when this behavior changed (around Sept 26), do you remember the app prompting you to update to the "Dropbox for Windows" version?

jmcken

Heya @Hannah , welcome aboard 🫡

The Dropbox folder location is at C:\Users\<username>\Dropbox, as seen here:

Regarding your question, I’m afraid I have absolutely memory of that. It’s possible I did see a prompt, but I really couldn’t say either way, sorry.

Jay

HI @jmcken, do you know approximately when you switched to the new version of the Dropbox desktop application for Windows, when the sync icons switched over to the new version?

jmcken

Heya @Jay , unfortunately my memory fails me. I do remember noticing when the new sync icons appeared, but I couldn’t tell you when exactly it happened other than it was “maybe a few months ago”. It’s very possible it happened on or around September 26 (it sure doesn’t feel like it was much earlier or later than that). I just can’t tell for sure.

Walter

Thanks for the additional info @jmcken - much appreciated.

Just one last clarification here, are your files in the Dropbox folder available offline or online-only?

jmcken

Howdy @Walter , all files and subfolders in my Dropbox folder are marked as available offline (solid green checkmarks), and “available offline” is the default sync setting for new files.

jmcken

@Walter Apologies if you get two notifications for this, but my original reply seems to have gotten eaten. To reiterate: All my Dropbox files and subfolders are marked as available offline (solid green checkmarks), and “available offline” is the default sync setting for new files.

Dell_Dropbox

@jmcken thanks for relaying all of this detailed info, it was really helpful on diagnosing this.

While Dropbox files are stored locally when marked “available offline,” Windows File History does not always reliably back up folders managed by sync apps, and behavior can change after Windows or Dropbox updates. If you need long-term versioning beyond what your Dropbox plan includes, the most dependable workaround is to keep a separate backup outside the Dropbox folder

jmcken

Understood, and thanks for the info. So it is as I feared, then. Whilst I’m unhappy with the changes that led to this break in compatibility, at least I’m now aware of this limitation.

Thanks again.