Android: Kdbx files can only opened with Google Drive-PDF-Viewer which is wrong!

Hi,

I'm having trouble opening .kdbx (KeePass) files from Dropbox on an Android phone.  I was originally using the KeePassDroid app, and switched to KeePassDX to try to resolve the issue, but have since found the problem occurs with that one too.

The way it manifests is that I open Dropbox on my phone and tap my .kbdx file and expect it to open in the KeePass app.  The file downloads, the screen goes blank momentarily, and then I am returned to the file list.

I can work around it by using the "..." icon to open the menu on the .kdbx file, toggle the "Make available offline" off, then do it again and toggle it back on.  Then when I tap the .kdbx file, a dialog pops up to ask which app to use to open it.  I select KeePassDroid or KeePassDX and tap "always", and the file opens in the app as expected.  If I close it and try again, it works a second time.  However, if I try again another day, it fails to open and I have to apply the workaround again.

I did on one occasion see a "toast" message when trying to open the file - something about it not being a valid PDF file I think...?

Hey there DrRob, thanks for reaching out to us here!

Just to note, I've moved your post here as it seems that you're having a similar issue the OP described. There may be some helpful info here if you have the time to look through this thread.

Some have mentioned here that they no longer have this issue with the latest version of the mobile app. Can you check if you have any pending updates for the app at all?

If not, please let me know which version of the mobile app you're using.

Keep me posted!

My version of the Dropbox app is the current one for my device. The version number is 196.2.6

I have had success to get the .kdbx file to be opened by KeePassDroid by toggling the make available local switch. -which is a big relief.

yours,

Will MacGhee

Thanks for joining us here wmacghee!

Also, I appreciate you taking the time to share what worked for you with us here. I'm sure that this will be useful to others looking into this too. :grin:

Cheers!

Hi,

I too faced the same issue after updating Dropbox.  Then today I realized every time I open .kdbx file, it would open the .pdf program instead of Keepass.  As wmacghee mention, he toggle the setting but couldn't find it.  So, I checked in Dropbox and selected the 3 dots next to the .kdbx file and selected "Make available offline".  Then when I open that file, it automatically open the KeePassDroid app.  Then I close everything and went back to same place and disable "Make available offline".  Then I was able to open the file again without issue.  Hope this work for others.  Hopefully the developer fix this permanently in the next update.

Thanks.

The work-around with "Make available offline" mentioned above works for me as well. 

Hi Daphne,

Apologies - the email notification about your reply went into my Spam folder and I've only just found it.

I have my phone set to update apps automatically and it's running app version 198.2.2 and I still have the problem.  The Play Store app says that Dropbox updated 4h ago.  Just to be sure, I closed the Dropbox app and then started it up again, but the problem persists.

I have a Samsung A5 (2017) phone (model SM-A520F) which is running Android version 8.0.0 (last update 30th April 2020).

Rob.

Thanks for getting back to me here DrRob!

There's not much else I can suggest here I'm afraid, but if you haven't already, I can suggest having a look at Jay's previous post here.

Cheers!

Hello,

I'm having the same issue. Has been going on for a long time now. I've used Dropbox and KeeppassDroid for years, but this issue has been there for the past year or so. Can't you Dropbox people repro and fix this? All you need is an Android device, Dropbox and KeepassDroid. It's tempting to see a conspiracy against Keepass use here.

Making the file available offline only temporarily improves the issue.

What is it that makes Dropbox or the Android system think that these files with names ending in .kdbx are PDF's to be opened with Google Drive's PDF viewer? Does Dropbox use pieces of Google Drive? Does it save files in a location associated with Drive?

Please give this some attention. Synchronizing my passwords between Windows 10 and my phone is the reason I use Dropbox.

Just noticed this too. It appears that either Dropbox is not populating the usual cache location on Android or that Android has updated to not associate kdb files with Keepass. I did notice Dropbox doing an update just before this issue occurred. I tried reseting make available offline in Dropbox but that didn't work. Exporting the kdb file to the Android file system and then opening the file gave me the option to use Keepass. So the problem is Dropbox related not Keepass related. So the previous guidance to contact the app developer is bogus. I noticed just yesterday that Dropbox has added a document sign and pin protection for individual files option so looks like some big Dropbox changes.