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Image previews in Explorer only showing the compressed preview for local files on Windows
Hello. Since the big Dropbox update in February 2025 I have been experiencing issues. I mainly use Dropbox in Windows file explorer, not on the Dropbox App / Site. I have Dropbox for Windows on 3 separate devices: (2) Windows 11 Laptops, and (1) Windows 10 Desktop - and I have am having the same issue on all devices.
The main issue is image previews in the "preview pane" of the Windows file explorer. Before the update, if I had an image saved locally / set to "available offline", a full preview of the image would show up in the preview pane, just as it would if I was in a local folder on my computer, like my "Pictures" folder, or whatever. Also, images that were only in the cloud / set to "online only" would display a small compressed preview in the preview pane, which is fine.
Since the February update, when I am in my Dropbox folder with images that have been downloaded locally, it will either only generate a small compressed preview in the preview pane, or no preview at all, and it takes a very long time for the preview to show up. However, the "online only" images are still behaving the same, showing only a small compressed preview in the preview pane, however the preview shows up faster than it does for a locally saved file... So strange.
I do a lot of image editing and graphic design, so not being able to quickly scroll through my image folders and look at the previews puts a massive kink in my workflow. It has been driving me insane.
It's like the Dropbox Windows app is having difficulty discerning which files are downloaded locally or just in the cloud. For some reason it is treating the downloaded files like they are still in the cloud, or even worse for some reason as sometimes a preview won't even load, compressed or otherwise. The green checkmark is there on the file, but the previews are compressed or don't show up at all. And this it not an intermittent problem, it is constant and has not gotten better since the update in February. I have been resorting to moving the images into a local folder on whichever device I am currently using so that I am able to scroll through them efficiently, and then re-upload them to the Dropbox folder when I am done working, and then download them to a local folder again on my next device. It is very annoying to do every time. There has to be a better way.
I also checked the functionality of my OneDrive and iCloud folders in Windows, and they all show previews in the preview pane just fine, just like my local Windows folders. It is solely a Dropbox issue.
I tried searching Reddit and could find nothing, so I started my own post on there, and there are a handful of other people that have come forward with the same problem. Someone from Dropbox commented on my Reddit post and suggested that I post on here, so here I am.
Any help out there?? Thank you.
Hello, Thomas from the Engineering team here! We're actively working on resolving this issue and appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Definitely understand the frustration here.
One escape hatch here is to opt out of the update: https://help.dropbox.com/installs/dropbox-for-windows#How-to-optout-of-the-Dropbox-for-Windows-update
This will unfortunately mean you will have to go through the process of re-syncing again, but this should be a one-time thing (as long as you stay logged in) and will not be required every time we roll out a new Dropbox version.
11 Replies
Hi Thomas. Just tried this on my work laptop, and I am happy to report that the previews seem to be working as normal now. Thank you very much for this workaround! Hopefully Dropbox can get this issue fixed in future versions, but until then I am sticking with the old version. Thanks again! You have saved me from a lot of frustration. Cheers.
Thank you so much!! I've been having the same issue with previews not working, and this is the only thing that has worked so far. I'll be holding onto this version of Dropbox for as long as possible now.
thomaskimDropbox Staff
Hello, Thomas from the Engineering team here! We're actively working on resolving this issue and appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Definitely understand the frustration here.
One escape hatch here is to opt out of the update: https://help.dropbox.com/installs/dropbox-for-windows#How-to-optout-of-the-Dropbox-for-Windows-update
This will unfortunately mean you will have to go through the process of re-syncing again, but this should be a one-time thing (as long as you stay logged in) and will not be required every time we roll out a new Dropbox version.
Just wanted to leave an update here. This was the last response I got from my support ticket (April 14, 2025):
"Hi Beau,
Thank you for reaching out to Dropbox Support. My name is David, I am part of the Advanced team and I am more than happy to assist you.
If I understand the issue you mentioned, some of your files in your computer device do not appear full size in the preview panel using the File explorer.
To ensure that Dropbox is working correctly, I'd recommend that you rebuild your configuration settings by unlinking and relinking your Dropbox account to your computer. This will restore any settings which may have been changed without affecting or removing your files.
Please follow these steps to unlink and relink your computer:
1) Right-click the Dropbox icon in the system tray.
2) Click on your profile picture or initials to the right of the search bar, and select Preferences.
3) Select the Account tab.
4) Click Sign Out under the Account tab.
5) Dropbox will then prompt you to re-enter your account information.
Your account will then take a few moments to re-index your Dropbox folder, and sync any pending changes before returning to normal activity.
It's possible this issue is rooted on the File explorer application instead of Dropbox, but we will investigate this as much as we can to confirm the actual root of the issue.
I hope this helps. Don’t hesitate to reach out if there is something else you need.
Regards,
David"
I didn't respond in time and they closed my ticket. Anyway, I tried completely re-synching and re-indexing everything. I had to wait until I had a couple of days to spare because that's how long it takes as I have about 2TB of data in my Dropbox... After re-synching and re-indexing everything, I am still having the exact same issue with no change. Locally downloaded files are still not showing previews or only showing a compressed preview. Wasted all that time for nothing. Dropbox needs to get this fixed or I will seriously consider moving my data and paid membership elsewhere. Enough's enough.I report the same annoying problem, please dropbox to solve it quickly.
Just for anyone else tuning into this thread, I did reach out to the Dropbox support team, and this was their reply:
"Hi Beau,
Thank you for reaching out to Dropbox Support. My name is Vincent and I am more than happy to assist you.
From my understanding you’ve come across an issue with file previews.
The issue you reported is something our development team is currently aware of and investigating further. The issue appears to be related to an interaction between the Sync feature and OS file explorer behavior as we attempt to sync previews of the files. We do appreciate your feedback and context on how this affects your particular use-case as we are always working on ways to improve the Dropbox application and its features.
We do not have a current timeline I can provide on improvements to this behavior. I would recommend ensuring that you are consistently updating to the latest Dropbox version available to take advantage of any performance improvements as they are made available.
On Windows, restarting the computer will relaunch the Windows File Explorer.
If the issue does persist, as a current workaround you could preview any of the files in these folders on Dropbox.com.
Thank you and please let me know if you have any other questions.
Kind Regards,
Vincent
Dropbox Customer Support"
So basically they are aware of the problem, but there is no timeline as to an official fix as of yet. This is very disheartening to hear. Restarting Windows does not help. Hopefully Dropbox can roll out some updates / fixes for this issue, but if the problem still persists in a few months, I may have to move my files and membership to a different service. I currently have about 2 TB of data in Dropbox, so I am loathe to make a change, but the current workflow is abhorrent for me.I don't have a solution, but just mentioning that I've been experiencing the same issue. Several different file types no longer preview on the preview pane.
I reached out to Dropbox support and they claimed that it's not a Dropbox issue, and that it's caused by some kind of third party software/app... however this is not true, as the issue only affects files in Dropbox folders (for example, if I move a file from my Dropbox onto my desktop, it previews just fine).
I'm still chatting with them, but hopefully they see that more people are having this issue and fix it. It's super annoying!I sent a message to the support team. Thanks.
- Jay
Dropbox Community Moderator
Thanks for the info, in order to look into this matter in more detail, I'd recommend contacting the support team directly for them to investigate further.
Hi Jay. I have done this multiple times. Just tried it again for you. When the file is "online only", it will show me a small compressed preview in the Windows preview pane. When I switch it to "available offline", it either only shows the same small compressed preview, or no preview at all. When I switch them back and forth, it just does the same thing. It never shows a full-sized preview, no matter what I do.
