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julioc03's avatar
julioc03
New member | Level 2
2 months ago
Solved

Cannot preview online-only files in the Dropbox folder in Windows 11

I have my Dropbox app installed on my Windows 11 computer and can see my files in my dropbox folder in File Explorer.  However, I cannot preview a PDF file in File Explorer on the Preview Pane UNLESS I open the file first and a green check mark appears next to the file.  If the file is set to Online, or I don't open the file first, I cannot preview it.

Just as an FYI, I can preview all files that are on my PC, or PDF files in my Dropbox folder that have a green checkmark, but preview does not come up on Dropbox files that don't have the green checkmark.

Is there a way to preview these files without opening them or saving them on my PC first?

  • Hi julioc03, thanks for posting today.

    For files that are online-only, the placeholder on the computer would not contain any data on it, including the preview of the file.

    This means that in order to see the previews, you'd need to have files available offline, or when opened once in order for a thumbnail to be saved on the machine.

    If you have any further queries, feel free to message back.

2 Replies

  • Jay's avatar
    Jay
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    2 months ago

    Hi julioc03, thanks for posting today.

    For files that are online-only, the placeholder on the computer would not contain any data on it, including the preview of the file.

    This means that in order to see the previews, you'd need to have files available offline, or when opened once in order for a thumbnail to be saved on the machine.

    If you have any further queries, feel free to message back.

  • T_theresa_A's avatar
    T_theresa_A
    Icon for Community Manager rankCommunity Manager
    2 months ago

    Hi and welcome to the Dropbox Community! I am glad to see that Jay​ 's response has answered your query.

    By the way, I'm Theresa and you will see me around the Community getting involved in threads and starting conversations 👩‍💻. I love hearing how our members use Dropbox.

    If you're open to sharing, it would be great to hear from you - just give me a shout here and we can talk about all things Dropbox 🤗. Who knows, we may be able to give you some tips on productivity or pass on some of your feedback to our internal team.

    T 😺 (Dropbox Community Manager)

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