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Forum Discussion
Justin P.2
8 years agoCollaborator | Level 10
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 ...
- 8 years agoThanks for sharing your thoughts on how this functionality change has impacted your workflow MRMJP, Iâd happily follow-up with you on this discussion & I hope my post finds you well!Youâre 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) couldnât be viewed on the web interface & in case you had received (or sent) a shared link containing this filetype, youâd (or the recipient would) have to download them locally, in order to view the contents.That all being said, I appreciate the time youâve devoted in writing us the specifics of how this alteration has worked for you so far & for that reason Iâve 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 & Iâll do my best to check back with you. Wishing you a fruitful May & a wonderful rest of the day ahead!
sthomas
8 years agoNew member | Level 2
I'm glad to see that other digital professionals commment and complain about this issue with zipped file uploads. I work as a remote graphic designer and when I post zipped files for clients and printers I do this with the intention of having them download the entire zipped file to their desktop so they can have a TRUE copy of the deliverable without changing directories and all files included. With this new Dropbox zipped folder files preview, clients and printers have told me they're confused on what files to download â and that even some indivudal files won't open. Which is the ENTIRE reason why I was trained to zipp files in the first place so everything would be kept as-is and avoid transfer corruption issues.
I'm putting my vote in to also have this new feature changed or at least have a setting added that can GIVES THE DROPBOX USER THE OPTION TO "ONLY" HAVE ZIPPED FILES DOWNLOADED AND NOT PREVIEWED.
I am using the file link workaround (changing the "dl=0" to "dl=1") when I send out links but this is ONLY a bandaid solution for sure. I hope by making this comment and everyone's complaiants, some response happens soon from Dropbox or I will need to switch to a new upload/download platform that considers digital professionals as a priority to their user group.
Justin P.2
8 years agoCollaborator | Level 10
Hi sthomas, Thanks for chiming in and I'm glad I'm not alone here. I am noticing that some of my zipped files are only allowing for download and some allow users to see inside them. I'm not sure if it's because some are older and some are newer, I haven't had time to look closer.
Either way. As you mentioned, in the professional world, there are valid reasons why we zip files and do not want people to be able to navigate inside them. It only confuses them as to why they can see inside but not download the internal files of a zip file.
It's not just to save space, it's to preserve ingetrity of the contents and allowing recipients to see inside the zip file can be a serious issue and in my opinion is completely useless otherwise.
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