I have a sync bug and lost a file that I need access to

If I pay for premium will I be able to access different file versions right away or does it only start keeping track of different file versions once I pay?

That sounds incredibly frustrating. The behavior you've described, where an older, unsynced version of Box overwrites your newer files, is a known issue that can occur if the local sync client doesn't properly reconcile changes before uploading. This is not a bug, but rather a limitation of the Box sync client's conflict resolution. It prioritizes the local version on the computer where the file was just opened. To restore your HCTRA files, you'll need to use the Box website to access previous versions of your documents. You can right-click on the affected files, select "Version History," and then download or promote the version you want to recover.

Hey ​@elsie78ash apparently that feature isn’t included in the free version and from my own search it only starts backing up files once you pay for it, so things are gone.

Sayings it’s not a bug and then going into technical details is not user centric at all. From a user’s perspective it definitely is not expected behavior → a bug.

I’m sorry you’re running into this — sync conflicts like that can definitely be stressful, but the good news is that your updated files usually aren’t gone. Box has version history and file recovery features that should help you restore the latest version. A few steps to try:

1. Check Version History

   • Log into Box.com in a web browser.

   • Navigate to the folder/file that was overwritten.

   • Click the file’s ellipsis (…) menu → Version History.

   • You should see all past versions of the file (including the one that was overwritten by the older sync). You can download or restore the version you need.

2. Check Trash

   • Sometimes when Box overwrites, the newer file is placed in Trash.

   • In the web app, go to Trash (left-hand sidebar).

   • Look for the missing or most recent versions there and restore them.

3. Review Activity/Events

   • Open the Activity tab for the affected folder or file.

   • This will show which device/computer synced and when, which can help confirm where the overwrite came from.

4. Prevent it going forward

   • When reconnecting a computer that hasn’t synced in a while, it’s safer to pause sync and manually check file versions before resuming.

   • You can also use Box Drive instead of the older sync client — it’s designed to minimize these kinds of conflicts.

If you don’t see the file in Version History or Trash, I recommend opening a support ticket with Box and providing the file name, folder, and approximate last modified date. Their support team can often restore files from their backend within a certain retention window.

✅ Most likely fix: Restore the overwritten file from Version History in the Box web app. That should give you back your most recent changes.

Thanks ChatGPT