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Drop Box Files Opening in New Tab

Drop Box Files Opening in New Tab

ValerieV
Helpful | Level 6

I have been using Dropbox for a few years now and always when I click on a word document it will ask... "Open With" Then there is a drop-down list and I am able to choose Microsoft Word Online. It has always opened up in the same tab in my browser until around June 11th, 2019 all of a sudden it started opening in a new tab on my Chrome Browser. 
I want it to go back to it opening on the same tab and am unsure how to find this setting?

Please help and let me know step by step how If I click on a word document or an excel file in my dropbox files I can get it to open in the same tab and not open in a new tab.
Thank you in advance...

12 Replies 12

rmeder
New member | Level 2

I have to agree with this.  It is incredibly frustrating to have to bounce between tabs in Quickbooks On Line and viewing a document on another tab, in this case MS Edge.  

The reason that I have two large monitors on my computer is so I can look at a document on one screen and enter data on another.  Now, I have to look at the document, remember the invoice number, go to QB, enter that, back to the doc, enter the amount, etc... 

This sounds like the folks coding at Dropbox took advantage of features in MS Edge, Chrome, etc., and thought it would be a better user experience and missed.

EDIT:  OK, there is a work around in Edge - open a document and then drag that tab to a new session.  Subsequently opened docs will go to that window.  Please note that this is, at best, a "B-" solution to the problem.

MikeAFCanton
New member | Level 2

I did the business trial, but did not buy and I have cancelled/disbanded the trial. Once we started the trial every time we oped a file it would open in a new chrome tab and in its native format, i.e. in Excel. Now that I have cancelled the trial we are still having this issue. I want Dropbox to work like it did before the business trial.

PS - you make it so hard for your customers to fix issues that we are looking to move to Google Drive....

Daphne
Dropbox Staff

Hey there @MikeAFCanton,

Just as a side note, I've merged your post here as it pertains to the same subject.

What you described there about the files opening in a new tab isn't related to the Business trial you tried, as it's the expected behaviour after some recent changes.

However I'd just like to clarify, if the file is opening right away in the appropriate program rather than previewing through the Dropbox website, then you can change this setting from your Connected apps settings here.  In the section "Default editing apps", you can change the option "Open with" to view on dropbox.com instead of directly within the app. 

I hope this helps to clarify the matter - Thanks


Daphne
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support


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