I've had a pdf file stored on dropbox for years; it was perfectly clear, but now when viewed in the browser it is blurry, so much so that the text is not readable. It is clear when downloaded; the problem only occurs when viewed on dropbox in the browser. I found a similar thread from about 3 years ago (https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Dropbox-files-folders/Some-of-my-pdf-files-appear-blurry-when-I-m-viewing-those-on-my/m-p/355427) and it seems that no resolution has been found. Any chance of a way to fix this?

I tried another browser that i never used and I still have the same problem.

Sitaifun wrote: Yes, I tried several browsers - Chrome and Brave on the Mac and Firefox on Windows. It definitely seems to be something on Dropbox's side during the conversion (remember, previews are just that, a transcoded preview of the original). Both the raw and downloaded files are fine. It only happens when viewed on the Dropbox preview page.

I'm having this same issue, and I'm a designer - this is my resume' and portfolio documents, and simply NOT acceptable, and none of the responses I'm hearing from Dropbox do anything other than delay and/or blame the user. We need this fixed, or it's off to Google Drive. In the case of my photo portfolio and drawing sheets, the files are big - 14-18 Mb, but my resume is 2 pages of neat text and all of 122Kb. Downloads are fine, and, actually, if I go into DROPBOX's "Editor" - the documents show sharp...but not in the viewing pane. If I'm sending this to a prospective client or employer, the first impression matters, and this is simply unacceptable.

I'm actually experiencing this same problem myself—funny that I've stumbled upon this active thread—the affected PDFs of mine are all recently uploaded. My older PDFs uploaded into Dropbox have no blurry issues. This seems to be a recent problem. Here's an example. I can also confirm that they look find when downloaded; the blurriness is only when viewed through Dropbox.

I'm experiencing the same issue. PDF looks clear and sharp when viewed locally in a PDF reader and if loaded locally into a browser from my PC. But if I preview it in Dropbox on the web, it's blurry. Not unreadable, but this PDF is a presentation document so any level of blurriness isn't acceptable. I decided to open an account on box.com to give it a try - I had no issues with blurriness there and everything works as expected. Seems very much like a Dropbox problem.

blurry pdf viewed from browser | The Dropbox Community

60 Replies

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FWAtherton
Helpful | Level 6
3 years ago
Aha - I see how to force the download, but that's no help to me - I need some outside/any user to be able to see my existing PDFs in your preview pane UNblurred.
FWAtherton
Helpful | Level 6
3 years ago
Agreed Ed - what's INFURIATING is that Dropbox doesn't fix the issue, which renders their platform nearly useless to me. And they've had this issue, as you note, for YEARS, and all their tech staff do are give answers little better than "have you tried restarting your computer" (nearly.).
eddrop1
Helpful | Level 6
3 years ago
Replying to FWA - I just recently started having the problem and I have used Dropbox for years. I have a free account - maybe they are trying to get rid of me!
Jay
Dropbox Community Moderator
3 years ago
Is the Dropbox preview pane required for your workflow? Does the preview without the pane show the full version of the file itself?
FWAtherton
Helpful | Level 6
3 years ago
Heya Ed - same here - never had this problem before, and a free user, but there's no way I'd upgrade without them fixing this...pfft
FWAtherton
Helpful | Level 6
3 years ago
Jay: The Preview pane is what any prospective employer (client or firm hiring person) is going to view/see first, and first impressions MATTER.

Right now, Dropbox is giving a very poor extended impression.

Nobody seems to have identified what's causing this issue, across multiple browsers for lots of users. This is in YOUR court.
Jay
Dropbox Community Moderator
3 years ago
We are currently experiencing issues related to sharing, so it's possible it could be affecting previews on shared links.
eddrop1
Helpful | Level 6
3 years ago
Is this how to report an actual bug and by that I mean a behavior that is being experienced by enough users to rule out user error?

If not I guess I am done posting here
Emma19
New member | Level 2
3 years ago
I uploaded several PDF files to Dropbox. It seemed fine until yesterday they were blurry when opened in the browser. Does anyone know why it happens and if so how to fix it? Thanks in advance...
Walter
Dropbox Community Moderator
3 years ago
Hey Emma19 - sorry to hear you're having issues with this.

Have you cleared your browser's cache or tried another browser since you first noticed this?

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blurry pdf viewed from browser

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