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john b.230's avatar
john b.230
New member | Level 2
1 month ago
Solved

"This file does not have an app associated with it for performing this action."

Dropbox Desktop App installs fine on my Win 11 PC. Unfortunately, I'm unable to sign in to it. The error message reads: "This file does not have an app associated with it for performing this action...
account access
desktop
Error Messages
Setting up the apps
windows
  • etan_brok's avatar
    etan_brok
    1 month ago

    This error usually means Windows isn’t handling the dropbox-client:// URL protocol correctly, so the OAuth sign-in can’t complete. It’s a known issue on some Windows 11 setups after clean installs or updates. A common fix is to fully uninstall Dropbox, reboot, then reinstall using the offline installer as administrator, which often re-registers the protocol properly. Also check Settings → Apps → Default apps → Choose defaults by link type and confirm the dropbox-client protocol is associated with Dropbox. If it still fails, temporarily disabling browser extensions or trying a different default browser for the sign-in step can also help.

john b.230's avatar
john b.230
New member | Level 2
1 month ago

Thanks for the swift response - much appreciated

Yes, I used the term 'clean' but I should have said 'Advanced' Reinstall including checking Registry etc

Did this three times but no joy so far. I'd have to sy that the error message is less than helpful and I'm afraid I have no idea what 'app' it might be referring to 🙄

Nancy's avatar
Nancy
Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
1 month ago

Hi from me too, john b.230! Do you mind sharing a screenshot of the error message you’re getting and of the next thing you see after clicking on the link?

If you haven’t already, you can also attempt to install the desktop app via our offline installer instead. Does that seem to help?

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