We Want to Hear From You! What Do You Want to See on the Community? Tell us here!

Forum Discussion

chauptman1's avatar
chauptman1
Explorer | Level 3
3 years ago

can't open Excel file on desktop

when i try to open most of my excel files in dropbox, they indicate that the preview can't be displayed and they show the format as .xlsx.  i have tried to use the "open with" button to change the extension to .xls, but it won't let me, and i can't save the files either.  this is new - does it have to do with a microsoft version or an update?

7 Replies

Replies have been turned off for this discussion
  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    3 years ago

    Hey chauptman1, sorry to hear about this.

     

    Could you send us a screenshot of the exact error you're getting so that we can have a visual too?

     

    Any additional information is more than welcome!

  • chauptman1's avatar
    chauptman1
    Explorer | Level 3
    3 years ago

    says no Preview and when i click on Open with, it flashes and nothing happens.  and when i try Save As, it only gives me xlsx

     

  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    3 years ago

    Did you make sure that the Dropbox desktop app is completely 'up to date' in your system tray and not still syncing chauptman1 ?

     

    Does the same error come up if you quit the app completely and try to open the same files? 

  • chauptman1's avatar
    chauptman1
    Explorer | Level 3
    3 years ago

    how do i update it in my system tray?  i tried to right click and i don't get an option to update it.  i am on a PC, so have windows, but not clear how to update it.  thanks again

  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    3 years ago

    Sorry to jump in here, chauptman1.

     

    From what I can understand from your screenshots, it seems that you're using Dropbox for S Mode and not the Dropbox desktop client.

     

    Does this file appear as a .xlsx file when you look at it in your account on dropbox.com?

     

    If you rename it there from .xlsx to .xls, are you able to open it through the Dropbox for S Mode app?

  • chauptman1's avatar
    chauptman1
    Explorer | Level 3
    3 years ago

    i can open the files in dropbox.com

     

    how do i get the correct desktop version or update the desktop version i have?  

  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    3 years ago

    In order to get the full desktop app for Windows instead of Dropbox Lite for Windows in S mode, you'll need to opt out of S mode on your computer first chauptman1 

     

    Let us know if you  have any other questions. 

About View, download, and export

Need support with viewing, downloading, and exporting files and folders from your Dropbox account? Find help from the Dropbox Community.

Need More Support

The Dropbox Community team is active from Monday to Friday. We try to respond to you as soon as we can, usually within 2 hours.

If you need more help you can view your support options (expected response time for an email or ticket is 24 hours), or contact us on X or Facebook.

For more info on available support options for your Dropbox plan, see this article.

If you found the answer to your question in this Community thread, please 'like' the post to say thanks and to let us know it was useful!