What to do if your files were corrupted or renamed by ransomware

Updated Jan 17, 2024
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The information in this article applies to all Dropbox users, unless otherwise stated.

If your account has been infected with ransomware, there are a few steps you can take to make sure your account is safe. 

Not using Dropbox yet? See how Dropbox makes file recovery and history easy.

☑ Remotely log out of your devices

Remotely log out of the infected device. If you don’t know which device is infected, you can remotely log out of every device.

☑ Restore the desired files or folders

If you need to restore an individual file:

  1. Go to your file’s version history page.
  2. Select a version of the file before the ransomware took effect.
  3. Click Restore.

If you need to restore a large number of files:

  • The easiest way to do so is to use Dropbox Rewind to take your entire account or an entire folder back to a point in time before the ransomware occurred.
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Dropbox Rewind is only available to customers on paid Dropbox plans. Learn how to upgrade your account

☑Log into your device

Learn how to log back in on your device.

Before logging back in, we recommend that you:

  • Make sure your device is free of malware.
  • Delete the Dropbox folder with the previously encrypted files.
    • When you log back in on your device, you’ll download the recovered files from Dropbox instead of the encrypted ones. 

If you're still worried about your Dropbox account, contact us and we'll do whatever we can to help.

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