Child Item

Accidentally deleted .dropbox file

Device
MacBook Pro
Operating System/Browser (if using the web)
macOS Sequoia 15.5
Dropbox App Version (if using the app)
230.4.8797

Question or Issue
I deleted the ".dropbox" file from the root folder by mistake. I did this from the Terminal, so I have no way to restore it.

What is the consequence of this? Is there a way to regenerate it?

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Accepted answers

Mark

It should just auto regenerate next time Dropbox is ran - but you may find things like Selective Sync settings need to be reset up and it will have to fully reindex everything again

All comments

Mark

It should just auto regenerate next time Dropbox is ran - but you may find things like Selective Sync settings need to be reset up and it will have to fully reindex everything again

Jay

Hi @Paul C.32, thanks for posting on the Community.

As @Mark said, it should reappear again, although you might lose some selective sync settings.

If you experience any unusual behavior, please let us know in a reply!

Neal

Hi @Paul C.32,

Can you let us know if Mark's advice helped or if you ran into any other issues since?

Just want to make sure that any answers are documented for future members of the Community.

Theresa

Hi there @Paul C.32 and welcome back to the Dropbox Community, it's so great to have you here. I’m so glad to hear you were able to recover your file and thanks so much for coming back to share this update. It’s always encouraging for others to see that these things can be fixed.

By the way, I'm Theresa one of the community managers here at Dropbox HQ 👩‍💻. I’d love to know.. how do you usually use Dropbox? Is there a particular feature that’s been especially helpful in keeping your files safe and organised?

Looking forward to hearing more,

T 😺 (Dropbox Community Manager)

Paul C.32

The file has not reappeared, but I also have *not* run into any issues. My selective sync settings are still as they were before.

I have restarted my computer since this occurred, but I did not happen to notice whether the app had to reindex. Everything seems OK for now!

Megan

Fantastic news @Paul C.32! 😇

Keep an eye on it, and if you notice anything weird, we'll be one post away.

Cheers!