When you delete a file on one device, the sync plugin needs to delete it on your other devices too. This is risky — if something goes wrong, files could be lost everywhere. That's why this plugin uses three independent safety layers.
The plugin only deletes files from Dropbox when it sees you delete them in Obsidian. It keeps a log of every file you delete or rename.
What this means in practice:
- If a file is missing because of a glitch or partial sync, it will not be deleted from Dropbox — it will be downloaded back instead
- If you exclude a file from sync using patterns, it will not be deleted from Dropbox
- Only files you deliberately delete (or rename) in Obsidian are removed from Dropbox
If a sync would delete more than 5 files at once, a confirmation window appears showing exactly which files will be deleted.
This catches situations like:
- Accidentally deleting a folder
- Something going wrong with the sync state
- Switching to a different Vault ID (which could look like everything was deleted)
You can click Delete to proceed if the deletions are intentional, or Skip deletions to sync everything else and leave the files alone.
The threshold (default: 5 files) can be changed in Settings > Delete threshold.
Even after a file is deleted from Dropbox, it's not gone forever. Dropbox keeps deleted files in its trash:
- Free and Plus plans: 30 days
- Professional and Business plans: 180 days
To recover a deleted file, go to dropbox.com, click Deleted files in the sidebar, find your file, and click Restore.
Sometimes the plugin skips a file during sync instead of processing it:
- A file you're currently editing won't be overwritten mid-edit
- A conflict you chose to deal with "later" is deferred to the next sync
These files aren't lost — they'll be handled on the next sync cycle. The sync result tells you if any files were deferred.