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Giannis F.'s avatar
Giannis F.
Helpful | Level 7
8 years ago
Solved

How do I open PDF files from Dropbox on Android devices?

Hello :-) There is a problem with PDF files. They do not open when downloading in android devices :-( The dropbox link is ?dl=1 There isn't any problem when downloading in Desktop PC and Apple ...
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  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    8 years ago

    Thanks for the reply Giannis F. and sorry to hear this persists. 

    Do you notice the same behavior on other browsers other than the one you used so far? 

    Remember the "dl=1" parameter at the end of shared links should tell the browser to download the file(s) instead of attempting to display it so this seems to be an issue caused by the browser you use (as you say, the files and links are working fine).

    Let me know what you find.

kiralyanda's avatar
kiralyanda
New member | Level 2
7 years ago

I have a similar problem, but I'm using the official Dropbox addon for Gmail, so modifying the URL parameter isn't an option. The shared files can not be opened in Gmail for Android. Tested in various devices and the message is the same: "Cannot display PDF (filename.pdf is of invalid format)". The file itself is OK, can be opened on all devices if sending as attachment and also OK on a desktop computer. (BTW what grammar is this "something is of invalid"? Why not just "something is invalid"? Or is it a different meaning?)

The addon generates a "?dl=0" URL and because I'm curious I tested the link without the addon. The result is same: can't open. Tried with "?dl=1", same result with a little different error message: "Cannot display PDF (filename.pdf cannot be opened)"

Obviously I doesn't open my emails and also usually doesn't receive Dropbox files this way, so I'm not sure if this method is broken all the time or it's a new bug.

What do you think about this?

Thanks in advance,
András.

Daphne's avatar
Daphne
Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
7 years ago

Hey kiralyanda,

To look into this a bit further, would you mind if I reached out to the email address associated with your Community profile? Otherwise, if you already have a ticket open with our Support team for this, then please let me know the ticket reference number (eg. #1234567) so that I can follow up there.

Let me know - Thanks!

  • tondija's avatar
    tondija
    Explorer | Level 4
    6 years ago
    same problem here, drobox link...
    ?dl=0
    wont open in chrome
    ... I am moving to Drive, its a shame
    • Daphne's avatar
      Daphne
      Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
      6 years ago

      Thanks for joining us here tondija!

      Would you mind letting us know if you have the same issue if you try and open the links within another web browser on your mobile? 

      You can download another web browser for free from the app store if you don't already have one.

      Let me know what you find!

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