Unable to open "Online Only" files without setting them to "Local" first

I have this same problem, having just moved to Windows 11. The Dropbox app does not show any files or directories. It always worked perfectly on W10, and also on my iPad. (I can access all the files etc from W11 by going to the Dropbox.com website). 

It is with all files that are "online-only" until they've been marked "local"

The error message is different depending on the software that attempts to open the file but is normally some form of "this file may be corrupted" or "This file has an invalid file extension."

I don't want the user to have to download Over 50gb of files just to be able to access their cloud-based file storage.

I'm not sure what you mean, the files and folders are showing fine in my scenario. The user I described is also not on W11. You may need to check the "selective syncing" option in the dropbox preferences and select all files.

@Megan just to be clear, the first response is to you

It seems that I can now access files via the Dropbox app (or directories on the pc) only so long as they are not marked selective sync. This seems to be different from the previous operation, and is different from my iPad app through which I can access all my Dropbox files, as I can via the Dropbox website. In order to view (or more particularly to copy files to another app such as a print or album application), I can unmark, say, a folder, “selective sync”. That folder then becomes instantly available to use or view from the pc. Having done so, I can return to the preferences and re-mark the folder “selective sync”, and it doesn’t then reside on my hard drive. This workaround works well for me. 

TracerW, your reply is still entirely unrelated to the issue that this thread is about. Thank you for your insights, but I'm waiting to hear back on the issue my end user is having.

Hi TracerW & hunterm!

Tracer, great troubleshooting steps on your end, and keep in mind that this is expected. 

This is how our selective sync feature works, since it helps you remove files from your hard drive without deleting them from your device. 

Also, Hunter, I'd suggest that your client contacts our support team.

They would need to check some account-specific info on their end in order to locate what could be causing this, and the best way to do so would be directly with them.

If you do so, feel free to send me the reference ticket number. 

Thank you both!

The support link you provided has 2 options: Contact a bot that provides irrelevant results, or post here. I am providing the support for this user, is there no more helpful method to continue contact on this issue?