Some files are black

[emlan]

I am trying to open a spreadsheet saved on Dropbox but the file has some text showing and the majority of the page is black. Why is this?

[Rich]

Are you opening this file through the Dropbox website? If so, download it to your computer first, then open then file in an appropriate application.

If the file is already on your computer, then you'll need to contact the support group for whichever application you're using as Dropbox has nothing to do with how a file is opened or displayed on your computer.

[Jay]

Hi there, are you previewing the file on the Dropbox site, opening it in Excel Online, or on your local copy of Excel on your machine?

Let me know so I can assist!

[emlan]

I am trying to open through the dropbox file and dropbox webpage. I have uninstalled and reinstalled dropbox too. I can see 2 out of 3 files on the webpage however not in the file. It is an excel spreadsheet. Thanks

[emlan]

I have also emailed support however have not heard back. Thanks

[Jay]

When you say Dropbox file, do you mean the Dropbox folder?

If so, and the file itself is showing black in some of the spreadsheet, then it’s possible it was made that way for some reason. Dropbox doesn’t modify your files in any way without any user interaction on them.

Are you able to change the color of the cells in Excel yourself? Was this via a shared folder, and did the other user create the spreadsheet this way?

Any info you can provide, including screenshots (hiding any personal data) would be great!

[emlan]

Hello

Yes opening in the dropbox folder. We have tried to change the colour however the top of the excel spreadsheet where the 'fill' button is, is grey and cannot be clicked. I have tried to attach a picture of the screen however i am getting an unexpected error message from dropbox

[Jay]

I’m not sure if this is Dropbox-related, since you’re experiencing this issue on your computer.

Can you try quitting the Dropbox desktop application and editing the file? Does this issue occur again?

[Rich]

You mentioned that you were opening the file through the Dropbox website. Then when asked if you were opening the file through the Dropbox folder, you said yes. These are two completely different things.

The Dropbox folder refers to the folder that's created on your computer when you install the Dropbox software. Any files in your Dropbox account then sync to the Dropbox folder. If you're opening files from this folder, then you're not using the website.

How, exactly, are you opening these files? The more details you provide, the easier it will be for us to understand and assist.