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Vaughan W's avatar
Vaughan W
Explorer | Level 3
2 years ago

No valid email address - no code

Hi, I have a personal free account, but also worked as a mentor in a school for a few years and created an account to save school files. I recently retired and lost the email address that I used with the organisation I worked for. Up until a few months ago I could still access the school account but have since lost access to it. Is there a way of logging in without that access and changing the email address. When I attempt to log in it sends a code to the defunct email account which I cannot access. 

 

Regards,

VAUGHAN

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

    Hey eacolatse, in that case, I would suggest you open a private browsing window and go to this page.

     

    Scroll down and choose the "can't sign in?" option and follow the prompts, to submit your help request to our support team.

     

    Once you have your ticket number, please let us know!

    • Vaughan W's avatar
      Vaughan W
      Explorer | Level 3

      Hi Hannah, the "can't sign in" option is not there on the link you gave.

       

      Regards

      VAUGHAN

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

    Thanks for posting here, Vaughan W!

     

    Just to clarify, you know the current password of your Dropbox account, but you’re being asked to insert a 6-digit code which is sent to the inaccessible email address, correct?

     

    Does this happen no matter the web browser you try to access your Dropbox account from? Are you currently signed in to that account on any other devices/web browsers?

     

    Let me know, and we can take it from there.

    • Vaughan W's avatar
      Vaughan W
      Explorer | Level 3

      Hi Nancy, yes to your question about being asked to enter a code sent to the dysfunt email address, and no to your question about browsers. I'm on a Mac and have so far only used Safari.

      • Vaughan W's avatar
        Vaughan W
        Explorer | Level 3

        I have 2 free DB accounts – a personal one and a work 1. I worked in a school and left that job but have some very important documents saved in that DB account. Without notification, DB created a safe way of getting into our accounts by sending a code to our email address. I no longer have access to that old work address email, neither can I recreate it (I tried by contacting my ex employer). DB will give me no help AT ALL but advise me to contact their forums or Facebook. I’ve contacted those and - along with others experiencing the same problem - am told there is nothing I can do about it. Where can I go for help or must I seek legal advice?

    • Vaughan W's avatar
      Vaughan W
      Explorer | Level 3

      Sorry for the late reply - I work a shift. No, I have 2 accounts - the one is mine for my personal use, and the other I used when working as a mentor in the school, where I saved things relating to students, and a record of who I talked to and what I did. I left that position nearly a year ago and used an email address associated with the organisation I worked for within the school. I no longer have access to that email address and so cannot access the code that is sent to verify it is me trying to sign in. Therefore I am unable to change the email address and get the files I need to access.

      • SMWine's avatar
        SMWine
        Helpful | Level 5

        It sounds like your best bet may be to try contacting the school you mentored at, and ask them to forward the code from your old email (assuming they haven't completely deleted it -- if this is the case, they may still be able to either recover, or recreate the email address). If it's a time-sensitive code (as many of them are), you may also want to be on the phone with the person managing this so that they can forward it in a timely manner. You can explain that you have personal documents on there that you need access to, and reassure them that you will change the email associated with the account as soon as you get in. Hopefully things were amicable enough when you left that they'll be willing to take care of this.

         

        *EDIT: Also, if the things on that account are actually yours (personal or otherwise), then those are probably covered under proprietary information, and they would be in the wrong for denying you access. If they decide to get testy about giving you access or helping you, then you should make sure that you make mention of that.

    • eacolatse's avatar
      eacolatse
      New member | Level 2

      I'm having the exact same issue. I have a dropbox account associated with an email account I deactivated some time ago. I have the password, but when attempting to login, it sends a six-digit code to the deactivated account. Is there anyway I can gain access to my old files?

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

        Hey eacolatse, sorry to hear about this.


        Is there an option to re-create the email address perhaps? 

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