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Question

Files getting deleted automatically from Box Cloud while remaining on my PC

  • June 1, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 7 views
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I'm using Windows 10 with Box Sync to sync my local files to Box. A few days ago, most of my files were deleted from the Box cloud, but they still remained in my Box folder on my PC. When I checked box.com, it showed that the files were deleted by me.

I immediately exited Box Sync, removed access to all apps, and logged out of all sessions except the Box Sync session on my computer. I then restored the files from the Trash.

However, the same issue happened again today: all files were deleted from Box cloud while still remaining on my PC. I restored them again from box.com > Trash.

Please advise on what may be causing this and how I can prevent it from happening again.

Related post: https://community.box.com/support-forum-47/files-being-deleted-by-box-sync-restoration-of-files-unsuccessful-30306

    1 reply

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    • svenexhk
    • Author
    • New Participant
    • June 2, 2026

    I went through the Box Sync\logs and I believe I’ve found the cause.

     

    The issue was not Box cloud deleting files on its own, but my local sync drive briefly disappearing and reconnecting. The Box Sync folder was stored on a hard disk connected via USB, and that connection seems to have faulted for a moment.

     

    While the drive was unavailable, Box Sync interpreted the missing folder as a deletion. In `\Box Sync\sync.db`, the setting

     

    `AUTO_ANSWERED_DELETE_OR_UNSYNC_FOLDER=True`

     

    was enabled, so Box Sync automatically treated the event as a real delete and removed the files from the cloud. A moment later, the drive came back and the local files were visible again on my PC, but by then the cloud copies had already been deleted.

     

    So the root cause appears to have been a brief USB/storage disconnect, not an actual intentional deletion. However, it is still unclear why the deletion was not stopped/restored when the drive came back online a second later.

     

    I’m posting this in case anyone else runs into the same behavior.

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