TimeBinder

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Is Google Drive or Dropbox version history proof? Great for day-to-day work. As evidence for someone outside your account, it has gaps.

Drop a file to timestamp Any file type. Up to 10 files per TimeBind. Opens the TimeBinder app.

Clicking opens the TimeBinder app. Files are hashed locally on your computer; nothing is uploaded or stored by TimeBinder.

If you work in Google Drive or Dropbox, version history feels like a built-in record of when every file existed. For day-to-day work it is excellent. As evidence for someone outside your account, it has gaps worth knowing before you rely on it.

Your files never leave your computer. With TimeBinder, each file is hashed locally on your own device. Nothing is uploaded or stored by TimeBinder.

Is cloud version history proof a file existed?

Short answer: it’s useful but limited. The dates come from Google’s or Dropbox’s servers, which makes them harder to dispute than file dates on your own drive. But old versions expire, the record lives inside an account you may lose, and showing it to an outsider usually means screenshots.

Keep working in the cloud. TimeBind the versions that matter, so you have a record that outlasts the account.

What is TimeBinder? TimeBinder is a blockchain timestamping service. It shows that a digital file existed no later than a specific time, and that it still matches its fingerprint, by anchoring the file’s SHA-256 fingerprint to the Bitcoin blockchain. Files are hashed in your browser and never uploaded, and each TimeBind comes with a Proof of Time Certificate that can be checked later. It does not prove who created a file or that its contents are true.

What version history does well

  • It is automatic. You do nothing and versions pile up.
  • The dates come from the platform’s servers, not from your computer, which makes them harder to dispute than file dates on your own drive.
  • You can restore and download earlier versions, so you may still have the actual bytes of an older version.

Where it falls short as proof

  1. Old versions expire. Google Drive may delete older versions of uploaded files after 30 days or 100 newer versions unless you choose Keep forever. Dropbox keeps 30 to 365 days depending on plan, and upgrading doesn’t bring back expired versions.
  2. The record lives in an account. If the folder belongs to a client, employer or former bandmate, you can lose access. The owner can delete files, and deleted items are eventually purged.
  3. Someone else has to vouch for it. Showing the record to an outsider usually means screenshots, which are easy to doubt, or a formal request to the provider.
  4. “Created” isn’t creation. Drive’s Created date is when the file was added to Drive.
  5. Not every change is a version. Docs, Sheets and Slides merge edits into revisions, so a specific state may not be recoverable.

Google Drive vs Dropbox vs TimeBinder

Google DriveDropboxTimeBinder
Who records the dateGoogleDropboxThe Bitcoin blockchain
How long it lastsUploaded files: about 30 days or 100 versions unless Keep forever30, 180 or 365 days by plan, extendableAs long as you keep the file and certificate; an ASAP TimeBind stays checkable on the public blockchain
Can someone outside your account check it?Not directlyNot directlyYes, with the file and certificate
Tied to the exact fileYes, within DriveYes, within DropboxYes, by SHA-256 fingerprint
File uploaded?YesYesNo, only a fingerprint

A sensible routine

  1. Keep using Drive or Dropbox as your working space and backup.
  2. In Google Drive, mark important versions of uploaded files as Keep forever. In Dropbox, check how many days of history your plan keeps.
  3. At milestones, and before you send anything to a client, collaborator, label or publisher, TimeBind the exact file you send.
  4. Store the Proof of Time Certificate next to the file in the same folder, so it is backed up too.

How to timestamp a file with TimeBinder

Three steps. Submitting takes a few minutes; a Pooled TimeBind is usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, and often sooner, depending on Bitcoin network activity, and ASAP is faster.

  1. Drop your files

    Add up to 10 files per TimeBind. Any file type and size works.

    proposal.docx · mix-v4.wav

  2. Hashed on your computer

    Your browser works out a unique SHA-256 fingerprint for each file. Nothing is uploaded. The files never leave your device and TimeBinder never stores them.

    fingerprint 9f2c…41ab · file stays with you

  3. Sealed to Bitcoin

    The fingerprints are anchored to the Bitcoin blockchain: ASAP (your own transaction, sent straight away) or Pooled (usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, and often sooner, depending on Bitcoin network activity). You get a Proof of Time Certificate, a PDF with a QR code and the Bitcoin transaction ID.

    ✓ sealed · certificate ready
Timestamp a file →

What a TimeBind shows, and what it doesn’t

What it shows

  • That this exact file existed no later than the time recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain
  • That a file shown later still matches its fingerprint: the same file gives the same fingerprint, and any edit gives a different one
  • A record kept outside your own systems: an ASAP TimeBind can be checked on the Bitcoin blockchain without relying on TimeBinder, and a Pooled TimeBind is verified through TimeBinder

What it doesn’t show

  • Who created, wrote or signed the file
  • That the contents are true or accurate
  • How a court or other decision-maker will treat it: that depends on the jurisdiction and the rules that apply. It isn’t legal advice

Frequently asked questions

Does Google Drive keep old versions of my files forever?

Not by default. For files that are not Google Docs, Sheets or Slides, Google says an older version may be deleted after 30 days or once there are 100 newer versions, unless you mark it Keep forever. Docs, Sheets and Slides have their own version history.

How long does Dropbox keep version history?

As of October 2026, Dropbox lists 30 days for Basic, Plus and Family, 180 days for Professional, Standard, Essentials and Business, and 365 days for Advanced, Enterprise, Education and Business Plus. Add-ons can extend this. Upgrading does not bring back versions that have already expired.

Does the Created date in Google Drive show when I made the file?

No. It shows when the file was added to Drive. A file you made years earlier and uploaded today shows today’s date.

Is a screenshot of version history good evidence?

It is weak on its own, because screenshots are easy to edit. Keep the actual version files, and if a dispute is likely, ask a lawyer how to preserve the platform’s records properly.

Can I use cloud history and a timestamp together?

Yes. Keep working in Drive or Dropbox as usual, and TimeBind the versions that matter, such as anything you send outside your team.

Related guides

Open TimeBinder and timestamp a version

Here’s what you’ll do next:

  1. Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
  2. Add your files. They stay on your computer.
  3. Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.
Open TimeBinder →
Your files stay privateEvery file is hashed locally on your own computer. Your files are never uploaded or stored by TimeBinder; only a fingerprint is sealed to Bitcoin.

Start free: your first Pooled TimeBind each month costs nothing. See pricing