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Forum Discussion
Can't open password protected file
One of my files is password protected but when I try to access it via Dropbox.com on my PC I put in my password but it says that it is incorrect. It is not incorrect. I can access the file via my Tablet.
Thank you.
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I tried that now. Made a file on my computer and password protected it. Could open it from my computer. When I uploaded the file to dropbox and tried to open the file from chrome browser. I get "wrong password"
- Jay
Dropbox Community Moderator
Could you attach a screenshot showing the exact window you're on when entering the password?
Hi,
Thanks for your reply. I cleared my cache in one browser and it had no effect so I haven’t cleared it in other browsers (I’m concerned about doing that b/c there are some sites that don’t require login that I want to remember me). It also happens in browsers that I don’t think keep caches or cookies (e.g., firefox focus and duck duck go)
At any rate, I’m showing the message I get when I try opening the doc in any browser. (it opens fine when I open it through the app, but there are times I want to access it via the web). Docs and pdfs that don’t require passwords open fine in a browser — this only happens with pw protected docs.I appreciate any help/ guidance you can offer.
Thank you,
Susan
Hi, thanks for responding.
Yes, I’ve tried from different browsers and several devices. The doc opens fine through the app, but not if I try to access it through a browser (though other docs and pdfs open fine — it only happens with pw protected files.
Thank you,
Susan
- Jay
Have you been able to open password-protected files before recently?
- I’ve been able to open them on a browser in the past, but don’t remember how long it’s been — it could have been quite a while ago.
- Hi,
I think that’s what I pasted below. Do you mean something else? If it helps, these are the steps I take: I go to dropbox.com; sign in; scroll down to desired document; click on it to open it; get asked for a password; enter the password, and then get the error message shown below. As I said this only occurs in a browser (I’ve tried all -safari, firefox, chrome, firefox focus, and duck duck go, with the same results); it isn’t a problem when I use the app, but I’m not always on a device that allows the app (since DB limits this unless you’re a paid subscriber).
Any insight into why browsers are determined to believe that a correct password is incorrect would much appreciated. - Hannah
Sorry to jump in here, sz999.
If you open the file through its original app and remove the password, are you then able to preview it on our website?
Generally, password protected files cannot be previewed on our website, so you might need to do that to preview them.
You can see more info about this here.
- Hi Hannah,
Thank you, I didn’t realize that. I haven’t removed the password because I know I can open files that aren’t password-protected, but I want to keep this one protected.
I realize you don’t control the policies, but what’s the logic behind not being able to open pw protected files in a browser? If it can’t be done, why does it even ask for the pw (rather than just show a message that says pw protected files are unsupported), and why does it then tell me the pw is wrong? It seems strange to ask for the info, when no pw would be accepted — asking for one and giving an error message implies it’s possible to open a pw file and that either there’s a bug or the user is doing something wrong, which is apparently not the case. Again, I appreciate this info; do you know if there’s a way to communicate with dropbox to let them know how uninformative and confusing the way it works now is? Thank again for explaining why it won’t / can’t work
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