Can't open file Excel protected by password

Hi VeMax, thanks for posting on our forum!

Can you send me a screenshot of the error message you’re receiving? 

Also, do you receive the same error for Excel files that haven’t been password-protected?

Keep me posted.

Hi Nancy,
in italian it means "Type of file not supported"
and of course I don't have problem with file not protected by password.

The problem is that it worked for years since last week....

Hey VeMax, sorry to hear you're having issues with this.

Currently, it is not possible to preview password protected documents in the Dropbox app. To preview your file, you will need to open with a third-party app that supports previews of password-protected documents. 

Here’s how:

- Tap the file and select “Open With…”
- Choose a third-party app to open the file
 

Could you also check if what's described here helps in your case as well?

Let me know if you have any questions!

Hello, I have the same problem with Password protected excel file not loading on my drobox android app. It started about a week ago. I use to be able to open my password protected excel file and was successful using the password through dropbox. I can open the file using the android excel app which is a bit of a burden. So, are you saying this is a recent decision by dropbox to take away this feature? I don't want to "preview" the file, i want to open it and type in my password.

I used to be able to open a password protected Excel file from my Android phone saved to www.dropbox.com.  However, now I get an error message saying "File type not supported".  If I try the same thing, but with an Excel file that is NOT password protected, it works fine...  Any way to fix this?  

Hi cdmoore, how are you today?

I merged your post under this thread, since others had expressed the same inquiry, and I want to keep everything at the same place.

Feel free to have a look at what has already been suggested, and let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you!

I have the same problem - no changes made and as from around a week ago Dropbox refuses to let me open password protected excel file, even though I can open it using excel, but not from Dropbox. Can Dropbox just open with Excel instead of preventing it from being opened at all? I am using dropbox on android 13 mobile phone. My workaround is to download the file then open it, then upload to Dropbox again.

Hi ChickenDuck, currently it isn't possible to open password protected files in the Dropbox mobile app. Do you not get an option to 'Open with' and then choose the Excel app via the ellipsis when previewing the file?

For several years I've been able to open a password protected .XLSX (Microsoft Excel) file via Google Chrome on my Windows 10 desktop and laptop, and either Samsung Internet or Google Chrome on my Android smartphone.  After single clicking or tapping on the file, I have always been prompted to enter the file's password.  During the last fortnight this has become impossible. 

The error message displayed on Windows 10 when I try to open a password protected file is: '.xlsx files are supported but something went wrong.'  The error message on the smartphone is 'File type not supported'.

I can continue to open XLSX files with a single click/tap on either platform, provided the files aren't password protected.  However, to open a password protected file on the desktop, it's now necessary to right click the file, select 'Open in', and then 'Excel for the Web'.  I am then prompted for the file's password.  This feature doesn't seem to be offered on the smartphone Dropbox app.

Can anyone tell me how to open password protected XLSX files in Dropbox on a smartphone?

Does anyone know if the former functionality will be restored?

Hi DropPossum, I've merged you to this thread which has similar questions regarding your query.