Why can I only open an excel file on web from Dropbox.com?

[jazzmeg]

Hello

When I try to open an excel file from Dropbox.com, why do I see only "Excel for web"? Why not see "Open in Excel" so that I can open the file locally?

Thank you.

[Rich · Accepted solution]

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@jazzmeg wrote:

When I try to open an excel file from Dropbox.com, why do I see only "Excel for web"? Why not see "Open in Excel" so that I can open the file locally?

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Is the file in the Dropbox folder on your computer, and syncing through the Dropbox app? The Open in Excel option is only available for files that exist in the Dropbox folder on your local drive.

[jazzmeg]

Thank you!

[JodAccounts]

I work from home but the company I work for uses Dropbox.  I don't want to download or store this content on my personal/home computer but I want to be able to open files through Excel or Word etc. on my local drive so that I can easily make changes and have it saved straight back to Dropbox. A colleague is able to do this but when I try to open, all I get is "Excel for the web" or "Google docs".  I have tried logging into Dropbox from Chrome and Edge with the same result.  What am I missing?