Child Item

Dropbox installer removes my Windows Defender Firewall rule

Application Affected
(Dropbox)
Operating System/Browser (if using the web)
(Windows 11)
Dropbox App Version (if using the app)
(244.3.6525)

Question or Issue

I previously reported this issue about a year ago, but the same problem still occurs in the current version, so I am reporting it again.

I am using Windows Defender Firewall with strict outbound filtering, which blocks connections that do not match an existing rule.

I created a firewall rule to allow the Dropbox process. However, every time Dropbox is installed or updated, this rule is automatically removed.

If the rule is removed, Dropbox cannot connect to the network because outbound connections are blocked by default in my firewall configuration. As a result, Dropbox becomes unusable until the rule is recreated manually.

Steps to reproduce

Create an outbound rule called "Dropbox" in Windows Defender Firewall.

Configure the rule to allow the following process:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Dropbox\Client\Dropbox.exe

Install or update the Dropbox desktop application with administrator privileges.

Actual result

The firewall rule is removed after the installation or update.

Expected behavior

The Dropbox installer should not remove existing user-created Windows Defender Firewall rules.

Additional notes

Since this rule is user-created and not managed by the installer, it should remain unchanged during installation or updates.

https://www.dropboxforum.com/discussions/101001016/dropbox-installer-remove-windows-defender-firewall-rule/765999/replies/766006

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Windows

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Comments

Jay

Hi @Frpx, thanks for messaging the Community.

In general, the Dropbox desktop installation would automatically attempt to create the default requirements to work, which would include any firewall rules in Windows Defender.

This should be similar to other programs that require inbound or outbound connections.

Have you tried using the Windows group policy to prevent the Windows Defender rules from being overwritten?

This will help me to assist further!

Frpx

Thank you for the reply.

In my environment, the firewall rule was created manually by the user and is not a rule created or managed by the Dropbox installer.

However, when the Dropbox desktop application is installed or updated, this user-created rule is removed. Because my Windows Defender Firewall configuration uses strict outbound filtering (default outbound action is Block), Dropbox cannot connect to the network until the rule is recreated.

From a Windows Firewall design perspective, applications normally should not remove or modify user-created rules unless they are explicitly managing those rules.

This behavior suggests that the Dropbox installer might be deleting existing firewall rules that match the Dropbox executable path, even if they were not created by the installer.

Could you please confirm whether the installer intentionally modifies or removes existing Windows Defender Firewall rules during installation or updates?

Additionally, if the installer attempts to manage firewall rules and fails due to permissions or policy restrictions, does the installer have any mechanism to report that failure to the user?

This behavior can cause the Dropbox client to become unusable in environments with strict outbound firewall policies.

Rich

Frpx wrote:
Create an outbound rule called "Dropbox" in Windows Defender Firewall.

Possibly a stupid question, and purely a guess as I don't use such a strict firewall policy, but have you tried naming the rule something else without "Dropbox" in the name, and tested to see if it's still removed?

I ask because in the past a lot of people would create their own Dropbox shortcut on their desktop pointing to the Dropbox folder (instead of the app), and if that new shortcut was named "Dropbox" the install/update process would overwrite it with the main icon that pointed to the Dropbox app.

I get that this isn't the same situation, but seeing that your rule was named "Dropbox" made me think that it might be a possibility. Dropbox trying to manage its own rule, seeing one called "Dropbox" and saying "Hey, that doesn't belong here."

Neal

Hi @Frpx,

Just wanted to chime in here!

For system-wide installs Dropbox installs a firewall exception for itself. As part of this process, before installing the exception, it deletes the existing firewall exception called "Dropbox" which it assumes it created.

Calling it anything other than "Dropbox" will bypass this.

Let me know if this helps!