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Forum Discussion
jaidgossamer
9 years agoHelpful | Level 7
Pdf viewer in web browser
Hi: I used to be able to view pdf files in Chrome's native pdf viewer. Suddenly, I am no longer able to view files through Chrome's viewer, but only through what looks to be some new dropbox proprie...
- 9 years ago
Hi all:
I finally found a solution that might not be ideal for everyone, but actually solves the problems listed above . . . I've been having issues using the Dropbox viewer to view my pdfs, have not been able to view any larger pdfs, and one other poster mentioned that he was having some difficulty sharing his pdfs with others.
I've been asking for a fix that would allow us to completely bypass the Dropbox viewer so that we can view our pdfs in Chrome's native viewer. Some of the techs were lovely and brilliant enough to come up with the fix that involves "printing" the pdf (and then canceling out of the print dialog box), which allows you to then see the pdf in Chrome viewer. Unfortunately, though, this did not solve the issue of not being able to open larger pdfs - if the pdf couldn't be open in Dropbox viewer, then trying to "print" the pdf does not work, and you also will not be able to view the pdf in Chrome.
The one solution that I have been using that satisfies all the above issues is to abandon Dropbox and use Google Drive to store and share my pdfs. I've been able to open and view ALL pdfs in Google Drive (even 6,000 page legal tomes!!!) without any issue, and GD also allows us to connect all sorts of third party apps so that we can view our pdfs in the third-party viewer of our choosing. I've also had a much easier time sharing these pdfs with my colleagues on GD . . . Dropbox sharing was easy so long as the receiving party also had a Dropbox account.
This has really been a god-send as I work with people all over the country, and these people often access these work documents via Mac OS, Windows, iOS, and Android platforms . . . Google Drive has allowed us the straight-forward ability to download items directly onto the desktop/Google Drive app without having to hunt for the proper methodology for doing so.
So, while I absolutely love Dropbox, I really don't want to have to add several extra key strokes to get things done, or spend time figuring out how to do the simplest things, or have massive changes made to a system that not only wasn't broken in the first place, but also wasn't wanted, warranted, or needed, while ultimately taking away functionality. I work 12 to 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, and I can't afford to have my workflow disrupted so severely every other month when some random new change is rolled out.
So, those looking for maximum functionality when using, storing, and sharing pdfs should consider doing so via Google Drive.
- 9 years ago
I am customer for years, could you guys please just give us the ability to open pdf with the native chrome viewer? Dropbox PDF viewer is much worst and limited, while you guys don't have a PDF viewer as good as chrome, for example, dont obligate your paying customers to use this. It is like we are paying Dropbox to make the service worst everyday, dont "fix" what wasn't broken to begin with.
jaidgossamer
9 years agoHelpful | Level 7
I am posting this again because the forum does not seem to have a function that allows us to change status of the answer from "solved" to "unsolved."
Previously, I was unable to view pdf files in Chrome's native pdf viewer. Suddenly I could only access pdf files through Dropbox's viewer. The problem is, the Dropbox viewer is SEVERELY limited in what it can do - and often times cannot even open the pdf file at all. After discussing with tech support, the issue was resolved and we were given a fix that allowed us to "force" the pdf file open in Chrome's native pdf viewer.
Now, the fix has been removed. We are back again to only being able to see pdf files in the Dropbox viewer. Now, I cannot access many of my pdf files. This is really unacceptable, as there didn't seem to be ANY problems with Chrome viewer, no one seemed to be complaining, and yet a change was made that severely limits the service. Some help getting functionality back to our dropbox accounts would be much appreciated, thank you.
Sanchez
Dropbox Community Moderator
9 years agoHi jaidgossamer,
So, previously, you we unable or able to view PDFs in Chrome? Did, does it work in other browsers?
Was it our support team that provided the fix for this, and do you know what the fix was?
How are you opening these PDFs? Directly from your files list in your online account, or by following links to the PDF files?
Any additional details you can provide, will be helpful in troubleshooting this with you.
Thanks, and have a great weekend :sunglasses:
- jaidgossamer9 years agoHelpful | Level 7
Hi:
Thanks for your reply . . .
Previously, I was able to open pdf files (all of them) by selecting the file and pressing Ctrl + [file]. I was able to view pdfs in Chrome's native pdf viewer. The problem arose when I could suddenly ONLY open the pdf files in the dropbox pdf viewer. The dropbox pdf viewer is unwanted in this instance - because a great deal of pdf functionality is LOST (including being able to open larger pdf files and the loss of the ability to easily share the files).
I lost functionality when suddenly I was not able to do that any longer. After discussing with tech support for over 72 hours, they supplied me with a fix that allowed for opening pdf files in the native Chrome pdf viewer by pressing Shift + Ctrl + [file].
Now, a few months later, apparently, the fix no longer works.
I would like to be able to view pdfs in the Chrome native pdf viewer, NOT the dropbox viewer.
The original thread can be found here:
Thank you,
- Sanchez9 years ago
Dropbox Community Moderator
Thanks for detailing the issue. I’m sorry that I don’t have an answer for you, and all I can do here is to send this over to our web guys so they’re aware.Cheers- jaidgossamer9 years agoHelpful | Level 7
No worries, Sanchez, THANK YOU for forwarding the information . . . at this point in time I couldn't figure out how to contact Dropbox tech support, so I sincerely appreciate your doing so . . . Fingers crossed as to a solution!
Thank you again,
- apraetor9 years ago
Super User alumni
What happens if you use the "Open" option on the PDFs instead? That should cause them to open with your computer's registered PDF handler, instead of Dropbox's viewer.
By going to Settings (on Windows 10) and setting my default PDF viewer for Windows to Chrome, and then using "Open" on dropbox.com, I was able to get my PDF files to open natively in Chrome. If you tell me your OS I can give you specific instructions. My original default PDF handler was Adobe DC, and it opened them fine, too. But I tested Chrome to confirm for you that it's possible to use it as you wish.
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