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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
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sync
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  • 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! 
brendandekora's avatar
brendandekora
New member | Level 2
7 years ago

I'd like to add my frustration to this topic for all of the above reasons. Please impliment an option for this asap as it is causing mass confusion and headaches for users and clients. 

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

I hate to say it, but I'm going to cancel my Dropbox subscription. This ZIP folder issue and lack of reponse by Dropbox has left a bad taste in my mouth for the company. And of course I want to support anyone beside the tech-giants like Google, but honestly, it's a decision based on being able to do my business. You would assume a smaller company like Dropbox would be able to be quick and nimble in terms of finding a solution to such a simple issue like this ZIP behavior but instead it seems like money is spent on marketing and (re)branding instead of optimizing the platform. I hope others who are dealing with this ZIP uploading/downloading issue find a solution quickly, but for me, the time is up and it's time to save money and energy by using a different platform that actually cares about the product they create. Thanks DB community for speaking up, it was nice to hear your voices and know I wasn't alone!

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

    Hi sthomas, Thanks for your comments and feedback as well.

    It really is frustrating how this issue came about and that it's still a thing. I've never had anybody tell me they were glad they could see inside a ZIP file on Dropbox but I regularly get emails from confused clients about why they can see inside the zip but can't download it. Letting the average non-tech user navigate inside the zip on Dropbox.com is just a recipe for confusion.

    I've updated my documents for clients to help them not get stuck on this but not everybody reads these things and generally speaking, it's just a poor counter-intutive design that adds no value.

    I too have considered leaving Dropbox but I have too many years worth of files wrapped up in it to make a sudden change.

    If they don't fix it soon though I am also considering using another service.

    I do love many things about Dropbox and using the Dropbox sync app is great vs. having to go to a website, and I HATE EVERYTHING about Google Drive so that's not an option.

    I hope Dropbox can see the light here and realize they made a poor choice here and can reverse it or make it significantly better.

    • Jane's avatar
      Jane
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
      7 years ago
      Hello again to all following this conversation & apologies for the tardy reply on my end. Since this discussion has remained active for quite some time, I understand that you’d need a viable & practical resolution at this point. For that reason, I’ve collected all your thoughts on my report internally, as I see that this change hasn’t been ideal to you & we aim to provide all Dropbox users the best experience possible.  
       
      Now, from what I gather after reviewing everything you’ve posted us once again, it’s my understanding that you’d rather have the recipient download your entire compressed folder from a shared link without viewing the entire file structure. That said, I discussed your feedback &/or possible workarounds internally & our team specialists recommend either of the following:
       
      đŸ”ș Instead of creating a shared link đŸ”— directly to the .zip/.rar file, you could place that file inside of a folder and send a shared link to the folder instead of the file. 
      đŸ”ș ó €­ó €­You could also make the .zip file itself password protected 🔐, as that would prevent the recipients from previewing the contents of the file and will tell them to download the .zip file instead. 
       
      This is of course merely our suggestions on how you could go about on this matter. Would you mind giving our recommendations a go whenever you find some spare time & let us know of any additional thoughts & /or questions &/ or feedback? Thanks & I’m looking forward to hearing back from you! 

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