Need to see if your shared folder is taking up space on your dropbox đŸ‘šâ€đŸ’»? Find out how to check here.

Forum Discussion

Justin P.2's avatar
Justin P.2
Collaborator | Level 10
8 years ago
Solved

Is there a way to choose whether .zip files are previewing on the Dropbox website?

I'm a long time Dropbox user and today I went to check if some older links were still active that I had sent to a cleint.  Most of the files are send out are zipped for various reasons.    It ...
File access
Preview
sync
Web
  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    8 years ago
    Thanks for sharing your thoughts on how this functionality change has impacted your workflow MRMJP, I’d happily follow-up with you on this discussion & I hope my post finds you well! 
     
    You’re absolutely right when it comes to this recent feature implementation, therefore at the moment when previewing an archive file, you can navigate through the archive file structure and preview individual files within the archive. Previously, compressed files (such as .zip & .rar) couldn’t be viewed on the web interface & in case you had received (or sent) a shared link containing this filetype, you’d (or the recipient would) have to download them locally, in order to view the contents. 
     
    That all being said, I appreciate the time you’ve devoted in writing us the specifics of how this alteration has worked for you so far & for that reason I’ve made sure to transfer your comments up the ladder for future reference. 
     
    In any event, please let me know here if you have any more thoughts or questions & I’ll do my best to check back with you. Wishing you a fruitful May & a wonderful rest of the day ahead! 
Justin P.2's avatar
Justin P.2
Collaborator | Level 10
8 years ago

Thanks RIch,


I was hoping there was at least a workaround for now.

 

I send out many links each day so I'm hoping I don't have to do this long-term though.

Justin P.2's avatar
Justin P.2
Collaborator | Level 10
8 years ago

Do you have any news on this? I've already had a few clients this week emailing me because seeing all files in the zip adds confusion and the download button is not always obvious. They can't figure out what they are supposed to do. Keep in mind we have clients of all types and computer skill levels. It needs to be basic.

 

This has to be changed back.

 

I tried the work around of changing the 0 to a 1 but then I found out the hard way that the iOS app that this link is sometimes used for doesn't work beacuse it's expecting a link with a 0 at the end.


I really hope Dropbox reverts to how it used to be beause this will get annoying fast and I'm already looking into an alternative options which in unfortunate beacuse I am happy with the service overall. This new feature however makes no logical sense.

  • Mark's avatar
    Mark
    Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
    8 years ago
    I seriously doubt it will change back I'm afraid - as its been one of the top requests for Dropbox to do pretty much since the start.
    • Justin P.2's avatar
      Justin P.2
      Collaborator | Level 10
      8 years ago

      That is really unfortunate. Why do people need to see inside a zip file on the Dropbox website?

       

      Just download the thing and start using it.

       

       

      • Mark's avatar
        Mark
        Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
        8 years ago
        Personally I agree... I dont really use Zip files as I've enough space on my account to have them on their unzipped.

        Maybe its worth lodging a ticket with support and asking if it can become a variable option on links, or, if business a per-company setting
    • Justin P.2's avatar
      Justin P.2
      Collaborator | Level 10
      8 years ago

      Also, this issue is not solved.

       

       

      • Mark's avatar
        Mark
        Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
        8 years ago
        Unfortunately anybody can mark any post as solved. So another user has marked the post as solved I'm afraid.

About View, download, and export

Node avatar for View, download, and export
Need support with viewing, downloading, and exporting files and folders from your Dropbox account? Find help from the Dropbox Community.

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, Facebook or Instagram.

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!