Online-only files won't open on macOS BigSur, unless I right-click on them.

Welcome to the community evanstein​ 

Can you please let us know the app's exact status and version as shown in your taskbar at the moment?

When you try to open the online-only file does it give you any kind of error? (this would be right before you took the screenshot you provided)

Thanks for the feedback. 

ERROR:

STATUS:

VERSION:

Hey evanstein! Hope it’s OK if I jump in here, too. 

Besides the visual you’ve already provided, can you also visit the Sync tab of your desktop app preferences and send me one more screenshot of your Dropbox folder’s location?

The thing I find peculiar is that double clicking on the document used to trigger it to download and open. Now I have to tell the computer to make it available offline in order for it to download and become accessible. 

Hello - I am experiencing the same issue. Big Sur as well and also on 231.4.5770.

This issue appeared after a computer restart. Files opened as expected before and now require manual downloading via the right click menu as evanstein reported. Otherwise, the default applications report some sort of error. After the file is downloaded, it opens normally in the default application.

No sync conflicts, fully synced. Tested on various files including pdf, ai, ps, etc.

Attempted Fixes
1. Re-linking the account in the Dropbox app.
2. Removed and re-added the app permissions including accessibility, full disk access

Another item to add. When files are added at another location, the filename crosses to this computer but I can't open it until I right-click and "Make Available Offline"

While some of the files I tried to open today gave me the same "...couldn't be opened." error, I also got a new set of errors on a "0 bytes" file today.

First, I got a permissions error:

Then, after I selected the file and granted permission, the error was:

Hi everyone!

I've looked into this and it seems our team are aware of this issue and are working on a fix as we speak.

As soon as I have any update, I'll let you all know!