How to View Dropbox Logs: Learn Steps and Ways of Using Dropbox  (2024)

Dropbox is an online service that is used for keeping your files and folders synced across devices and members of a team.

The Dropbox log lets you view the information and create, delete and restore the Dropbox folders, but only if you are a member of the team.

Learn what else Dropbox log can let you do!

How To View the Dropbox Logs?

You can view Dropbox logs by following the steps below:

1. Check the events log first.
2. View the Dropbox Activity Logs to access different types of activities on an account.
3. Check the security logs that show which devices or browsers are connected to an account.

– Check the Events Log

When you need to check all the events on your account, check the events log first. These events show any edits made to the files, added files, deleted files, permissions given, permissions removed, shared files, and moved files.

• Open your browser and go to www.dropbox.com.
• Sign in to your account.
• Check the log for events. Also, check the date and time of the event.

Once you’re on the events page, you can see a few options. The center of your screen shows all the recent events for your entire account. So to organize the events and find the right event you need, look to the right of the screen. You are given an events option drop-down menu, as well as a date picker. From there, you’ll be able to see the Dropbox files you want.

– View the Dropbox Activity Logs

This section of the Dropbox, activity log, gives you access to a different type of activity on your account. You will be able to see which files or folders were added, deleted, edited, moved, renamed, or rewound. You also get the option to select exactly the type of activity you want to see.

• Head to www.dropbox.com website.
• Click sign in and log into your account.
• On the bottom-right of the screen, click on the Activity tab (located in the right sidebar).
• You will see the history of your recent activities.
• If the viewer info is enabled, you will be able to see who viewed a file and if someone is currently viewing that file.

The activity log is a lighter version of the events log that is easier to access. The activity log does not show recent login information or linked accounts. However, a nice thing about this log is that the All Files tab is located in the Home section.

You will not be able to see the history of any edits done on a file outside of Dropbox after the download. File owners and people who have the “Can Edit” option can see all the file activities. People who have the “Can View” access can’t see the file activities.

– A Log of Connected Devices

You can also see the security logs that show which devices are currently connected to your account or which browser is connected.

• Open your browser and go to www.dropbox.com/account.
• Click on the Security tab.
• Check the section Web Browser to find details about; the type of browser that is connected, the location of the sign-in, and when the sign-in occurred. You can also see the time and duration of it.
• Press the “i” button on-screen to see the IP address.
• Now, scroll down to the Devices section to see; the individual device name, the location of the device, and when the device was connected to your account.
• Click on the “i” button on the screen to see the IP address.
• Check the Connected Apps section for more information regarding apps that have permission to see your Dropbox information.
• In case you notice a device or a browser that is not familiar to you, make sure you head to the events log or activity log to see if any unwanted changes were made.
• Just to be careful, change your password and enable two-step verification.

How To View Team Activity?

In order to view your team’s activity in Dropbox, you have to follow the given procedure below.

• Sign in to Dropbox using your admin credentials.
• Click on the Admin console.
• Then click on Activity.
• Filter the results to view the activity you’d like to see. You can filter by; date range, people, content, or activities.
• If you want to filter by activities, click Add Activity next to Activities.
• To see the activity that took place during a specific time period, enter a start and end date next to the date range.
• To view the recent activity of a specific team member or multiple team members, click Members then enter the name(s).
• To scan files, folders, or paper docs, add a keyword to the field next to the Content.
• You may see a “processing” message when trying to view dates.
• If your Dropbox-business team is new, your charts will be empty because there is no data yet.
• You can also view team-sharing activity if you want to see the more detailed activity of your team.

How To Create and Export an Activity Report in Dropbox?

If you want to create and export an activity report in Dropbox, please look at the procedure carefully.

• Sign in to Dropbox using your admin credentials.
• Click on Admin Console.
• Click on the Activity tab.
• Use the filters to select the type of data and the time period you wish to export.
• Click on Create Report.
• The report will be saved as a CSV in a folder called Dropbox Business reports.
• You’ll receive an email when the report is ready.

Managing Team Activities From the Activity Page in Dropbox

When you are the admin, you can take several actions from the Activity page itself. What are those activities, and what is the procedure are step-by-step explained to you.

An admin can delete a shared link created by a team member from the Activity page of the admin console. Here’s how you can do it;

• Sign in to Dropbox using your admin credentials.
• Click on the Admin console.
• Click on Activity.
• Click on Add activity, and filter by one of the categories to find your team’s shared links; create a shared link, open a shared link and download a file/folder from the shared link.
• Click the “…” sign next to the shared link you want to delete.
• Click on the Delete link.

– Reset Dropbox Password

To reset a team member’s password from the Activity page of the admin console, you need to do the following things:

• First, sign in to Dropbox using your admin credentials.
• Then click the Admin console.
• Now, click Activity.
• Click Add activity and filter by the activity “Failed” to sign in.
• Click the “…” symbol next to the user whose password you’d like to reset.
• Click on Reset Dropbox password.

– End All Web Sessions

In order to end all web sessions for your team from the Activity page of the admin console, you have to follow this procedure.

• Sign in to Dropbox using your admin credentials.
• Click on the Admin console.
• Click on Activity.
• Click on Add activity, and filter by the word Changed IP address associated with active web sessions.
• Click the “…” next to the web session you wish to end.
• Click Reset Dropbox password.
• Click End all web sessions.

– Unlink an App

To unlink an app for your team or a specific team member from the Activity page of the admin console, use the following method.

• Sign in to Dropbox.com using your admin credentials.
• Click on the Admin console.
• Click on Activity.
• Click on Add activity, and filter by the activity Linked app for the team or Linked app for the member.
• Click the “…” next to the app you want to unlink.
• Click on the Unlink app.

– Restore a File

Restoring a file or folder from the Activity page of the admin console is easy. You follow the same procedure.

• Sign in to Dropbox using your admin credentials.
• Click on the Admin console.
• Click on Activity.
• Click on Add activity, and filter by the activity Deleted files and/or folders.
• Click the “…” next to the file or folder you have to restore.
• Click on the Restore item.

– Unlink a Device and Delete All Files

To unlink a device and delete all the files from the Activity page of the admin console, you have to do the following steps.

• Sign in to Dropbox using your admin credentials.
• Click on the Admin console.
• Click on Activity.
• Click on Add activity, and filter by the activity Linked device.
• Click the “…” next to the linked device you’d like to unlink.
• Click on Unlink and delete all files.

How To Know About the Dropbox Plan You’re Using?

Dropbox plan has two options:

1. Dropbox Consumer
2. Dropbox-Business

Dropbox’s Business accounts are also called Team accounts. This type of plan determines your capabilities when viewing your history or reports. To determine your Dropbox plan type, follow the below procedure.

• Go to www.dropbox.com website.
• Click on sign in.
• Click on your profile picture that is at the top-right corner of the screen.
• Now, click on Settings.
• You can find your plan type in the General tab and Plan tab.
• The General tab will give you the current plan and the next plan above it.
• The Plan tab will show you the same information but also how much storage you’re left with your current plan.

What Can a Business Account in Dropbox Do?

A Business-account in Dropbox can do multiple things like the following.

– Business Insights Dashboard

The Business Insights dashboard provides important information about your team’s activities as well as shortcuts to the most important and commonly used administrator actions. The dashboard lets you find a team member by first name, last name, or by their email.

• You can view; the number of current members, pending invites, remaining licenses, and members who have recently joined.
• You can also invite new members and send reminders to everyone that has pending invites to join the team.
• You can add licenses as you need them and receive in-progress alerts as well.
• The dashboard also gives you the option to find out how much the team is using Dropbox.
• You can see the content and shared folders from pending and joined members.
• You can also see the content and shared folders from deleted members with data that can be transferred.
• Or you can see active and archived team folders.

To find the Business Insights Dashboard you have to go through a few steps.

• Go to www.dropbox.com and sign in using your administrator credentials.
• Click on Admin Console.
• And then click on Insights in the sidebar.

– Team Activities

The Admin Console informs you about how your team is using Dropbox. You can check on the team members who have performed actions within the last 28 days. This includes accessing an account, adding files, editing files, viewing files, and sharing files. You also gain access to the total amount of storage space that is used by your team.

The Admin Console shows you the number of shared links and the number of shared folders of at least two members that had activity over the past 28 days. You can find the devices from which your team has signed in and performed an activity over the last 28 days.

– Activity-Logs and Reports

The appointed admin can see various events with the activity reports by using the Admin Console. Appointed administrators can look at the apps that are used or the comments that are made. They can also see what devices and domains have accessed the files and folders.

They can check any file requests, logins, or passwords that are used. Furthermore, they can keep a check on groups, members, team folders, team policies and team profiles from the activity report. It even gives information on who has two-factor authentication enabled and who doesn’t.

Each event has the date and time in which an action took place, which member initiated the action, details about the event, and where the user acted can be all accessed by the admin.

– Team Sharing Activity Reports

Some Dropbox-Business admins can keep a check on how certain data is shared inside and outside of the organization. Administrators can see:

• When someone creates a shared folder, joins a folder, removes someone from a folder, or invites someone to a folder.
• If ownership is transferred, permissions get changed, or folders get moved.
• They can have access to not only the folder but to the same access on a file-level as well.

How To Upgrade an Individual Account to a Business Account in Dropbox?

A Dropbox Business plan lowers the risk of data loss. It keeps files secure by requiring separate sign-in information for each team member. It gets easier to remove permissions when members are not part of the team anymore.

Steps to upgrade to a Business-Account are:

• Go to www.dropbox.com and sign in using your administrator credentials.
• Click on Admin Console.
• Open the Members page and click on Invite Members.
• Enter the email addresses of the people you want to invite.
• Click on “Invite to the team”.
• Once members are added, you send a request for the upgrade. It gets accepted after a few days.

If any member had access to your Dropbox account before the upgrade, you should reset your password. Then they won’t be able to access the administrator console, and they will have to create a password for their account.

FAQ

1. How To Delete the Recent Activity on Dropbox?

In order to delete the recent activity on Dropbox, you can either delete the files one by one or delete the entire Dropbox folder in one go.

2. Does Dropbox Notify You When Someone Logs In?

No. Dropbox does not notify you when someone logs in. However, you can see who is logged in and what they are doing. You can check that from the Activity tab on your account page.

3. How Long Dropbox Logs Are Kept?

Dropbox access logs are kept for a maximum of 28 days.

You can check all activities done by your team members within 28 days after the activity took place.

4. How to Back up Texts and Call Logs to Dropbox?

To back up your text messages and call logs to Dropbox, you’ll have to use another app for it. There are a few different options available, but the most recommended app is SMS Backup & Restore.

Once you’ve installed the app successfully, open it and allow permission to access your Dropbox account. Then, select the type of data you want to back up, either the text messages or the call logs. Then tap “Backup”. Dropbox will start uploading your data, and you’ll see a progress bar.

Conclusion

You now know what a Dropbox log is, how it works and what you can do with this application.

Here are some quick key points for you:

• Dropbox has an individual account, but it can be upgraded to a Business account.
• The admin of the account can do multiple tasks such as; Checking the last performed activity, person’s name, device name, exact date and day, etc.
• The Dropbox logs are kept saved for 28 days. After that, it is automatically deleted. It is done to save storage space.

Make your account on Dropbox and use this article as a guide to solve any of the issues you might be facing to properly use the most out of the program. Thank you for reading!