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trueocean's avatar
trueocean
Explorer | Level 4
2 years ago

Unable to open docx file on Dropbox preview page so I cannot see what the comments are referring to

I shared a .docx file with my collaborators for commenting via Dropbox, and I think they commented using the Dropbox comment function. I am aware of the issue that Dropbox comments on a Word file are only visible on the website and not when the file is opened via the desktop app. However, my issue is that now the docx file does not open in the Dropbox website viewer, and I can only see the comments, but not which line they are referring to. The page just says '.docx files are supported but something went wrong'. When I download the file or open it in Word for the web, I cannot see any of the comments. Is there any solution to this? 

Microsoft Office
Preview
Web

17 Replies

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  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    2 years ago

    Thanks for clarifying that for us trueocean 

     

    Could you send us a screenshot of the screen you get stuck on, so that we can have a visual too?

  • trueocean's avatar
    trueocean
    Explorer | Level 4
    2 years ago

    Hi Hannah. Yes, I tried a different browser and private windows in both browsers, but get the same error.

  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    2 years ago

    Hey trueocean, are you seeing the same error, when trying to preview the file from a different browser or a private browsing window?

  • trueocean's avatar
    trueocean
    Explorer | Level 4
    2 years ago

    I tried opening another file, which has the same macros, and I can preview it and convert it to PDF using the steps you mentioned. But these steps don't work for the first file. I can see the comments on the side panel, but I don't know if there is any way to know which line they are pointing towards without the preview loading. 

  • Jay's avatar
    Jay
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    2 years ago

    If the document has complex macros or other such items, it can prevent the Dropbox Preview page from loading. There wouldn't be any workaround for this, since the document would be too complex for it to load correctly. 

     

    Are you referring to converting the file as a PDF using these steps?

  • trueocean's avatar
    trueocean
    Explorer | Level 4
    2 years ago

    Hi Jay. Thank you for the reply! 

     

    The file size is only 6 MB, but it has EndNote and Zotero macros. Maybe that one is causing the problem? I am also not able to download the file as a PDF from the previewer. I there any workaround for this?

     

    Thanks!

  • Jay's avatar
    Jay
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    2 years ago

    Hi trueocean, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

     

    Does the Word document have any macros, scripts or special items/features in it that might not be supported by the Dropbox previewer?

     

    How large is the file when viewing the size on the site?

     

    This will help me to assist further!

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