Forum Discussion

Joe_a20240220's avatar
Joe_a20240220
New member | Level 1
2 days ago

Deleted folder and files are still accessible via shared link.

I shared a folder of files a two years ago. Today I  found that i have deleted the folder and the underlying files.

[shared link removed]

However, the link still works, the files still show up in the download page, and files are still able to be downloaded.

To be clear, the folder and files do not exist locally on disk nor on the original dropbox.com location. I physically deleted them. So they should not be accessible via the shared linked, yet they are. 

To clarify, I DO delete this folder with its contents via www.dropbox.com and it can'T now be found in my Deleted files page, but the shared link still works

  • Nancy's avatar
    Nancy
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

    Thanks for letting us know about this here, Joe_a20240220!

    I’ve removed your shared link just in case, since this is a public forum and anyone would be able to see and access it.

    Now, regarding your Deleted files page, do you mean that you can see the folder and files there? Can you send me a full screenshot of the page? 

    Also, is it possible that you have a copy of these files in a different location of your account and they're the ones that have been shared via link instead? 

    Keep me posted for more info.

  • Joe_a20240220's avatar
    Joe_a20240220
    New member | Level 1

    Hi

    If I use a public computer, I can still see the files shared through my account via the shared link.
    If I log in to my account from my mobile phone and click on the same shared link, it will show that there is no folder.
    And I did delete the entire folder from Dropbox.com, the  files also disappeared.

     

    • Jay's avatar
      Jay
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

      Hi Joe_a20240220, are you certain that this shared link is associated with your current Dropbox account, and doesn't belong to another Dropbox account under a different email address?

      Could you try recovering the files from the deleted files page, which might restore the shared link, so that you can first delete the link, and then the files?

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