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Backed up PC files no longer appearing in the app. Windows 11.

Hi,
I backup a folder from my Windows 11 PC to Dropbox.
The folder used to appear in the app along with the other files I keep in Dropbox.
I just noticed that the backed up folder is no longer visible in the list of files in the app.
The folder is still there on my PC - whew!
Has something changed recently?
I really need to access the backed up files from my phone.
TIA

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Megan

Hey @Lesley05, welcome to our Community!

When you say that the folder is visible on your PC, would you mind clarifying its path?

Also, when you open your app's preferences, and check your Backups tab do you see the word Beta written on the top left, by any chance?

Let me know more, and we'll take it from there!

Lesley05

Hi Megan,
Thanks for responding so quickly.
The backup folder path on the PC is
C:\Users\***\documents

On Dropbox, it just says
PC Documents

I don't see any "preferences" settings in either the Android or Windows 11 apps.
Which app are you referring to and can you please provide instructions on how to check it?
Thanks

Megan

Hey @Lesley05, thanks for the heads up!

Would you mind checking your Backup tab online, to let me know if you have the feature enabled?

As for the app's preferences, you should be able to access them by clicking the Dropbox icon in your taskbar. Then click your avatar (profile picture or initials) in the top-right corner, and then click Preferences.

If you visit your account on the web, are you able to see the folder there?

Lesley05

Hello again Megan,
I'm away from my PC today and will check this out tomorrow evening.
(UK time)
Thanks again for your help

Hannah

Hey from me as well, @Lesley05!

We'll look forward to your update!

Lesley05

Hello Ladies!
I couldn't see any tabs for "Backup" so I did a search for it.
It's taken me to dropbox.com/backup/all
where I can see my folder
It does have "beta" in the header line
I hope that helps

Lesley05

When I go into "Manage Backups" it just loops back to the same page

Lesley05

More information.....
I also backup any files to my PC that I download to my phone.
I am now getting an error saying these files can't be found.
The path it's searching is
C:\users\lesle\Dropbox\PC\Documents\Lesley's Phone Downloads

So, it appears that the folder being backed up by Dropbox has been removed from my PC Dropbox link.
The original folder is still there and is being backed up.
Two programs running?
Dropbox "sync" and Dropbox Backup
How can I get the backed up folder back to the "sync" folder?

Jay

Hi @Lesley05, due to a recent program update, the folders you selected for backup are no longer in the Dropbox folder, and remain in their original locations.

Could you confirm if new files added to the Documents folder appear on the Backups page?

Lesley05

Hi Jay,
No they don't.
I created an Excel and a Word doc
Neither have appeared in the backup

Lesley05

I've tried adding a folder into the Dropbox "sync" folder on the PC.
It is successfully synced to Dropbox on the web so it sounds like that's all I should do - move my Documents folder into the Dropbox folder?

Jay

It won't be possible to move the Documents folder directly into the Dropbox folder, since it's a system folder.

Does the Backups page on the site reflect any of the folders on your current machine?

Lesley05

Hi Jay,
I don't think my Documents folder is a system folder.
It looks like the "Backups" page has been a one-off and doesn't reflect the current Documents status

Jay

If you attempt to manage the backups via the Dropbox desktop application, are you able to select the Documents folder, or other folders instead to see if they can be backed up onto the site?

Lesley05

Hi Jay,
Apologies for the delay.

Before all this happened, I had a folder "PC" with a "Documents" sub folder inside being synced to the Dropbox cloud.
I can see both the PC and Documents folders and access the contents inside from the desktop app by selecting "view backup files" but they don't appear in my phone app when looking at the Dropbox cloud. That is what I don't understand - what is the difference between syncing the files to the cloud and backing them up?

PS I tried dragging and dropping the Documents folder and you are correct, all it will let me do is create a link.

Jay

The Backup won't be visible on the mobile app app any longer after a recent update. It will only be visible on the site.

This article will explain the difference between the syncing files and backing up files.

Lesley05

Hi Jay,
I think the article needs to be updated following the update!......
"Cloud backup makes secure, up-to-date copies of files on your computer that you can access from anywhere you use Dropbox." 🤔🤷

Can you tell me if/when this update change was communicated to users?

Can you please advise how I can cancel this backup and return the "Documents" folder to simply syncing with cloud storage?
Thanks again
Lesley

Jay

Thanks for the info, the article does mention the older version of the Backup feature, so it hasn't been updated to reflect the new changes.

It is no longer possible to revert to the previous version of Dropbox Backup.