Can't open documents in native MS Word or Excel apps both on computer and iPad

[tigerdg]

I used to be able to open Word or Excel documents in Dropbox by clicking the three dots by the filename and choosing "Open in" and selecting "MS Word" or "Excel." Now, on my desktop computer, I can choose only the web-based Word or Excel, and on my iPad, if I choose "Open in" and click Microsoft Word, nothing happens. I have Word and Excel installed on both these devices, and I have a Microsoft 365 subscription. Does anyone know why I am unable to edit my documents any more? Thanks for any help.

[Hannah]

Hi there, @tigerdg, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Regarding your desktop, can you first make sure that the Dropbox desktop application is running?

Also, are you signed in to the same account on both dropbox.com and the desktop app?

Let me know and we'll go from there.

[tigerdg]

Desktop: Yes, Dropbox is running. to make sure, I looked in Task Manager.

Accounts: Yes, I am signed into the same account in dropbox.com and the desktop app.

Thanks for any help.

[Hannah]

Thanks for checking, @tigerdg!

Can you also let me know the sync status and version of the desktop app?

You can see that by hovering your mouse over the Dropbox icon in your system tray.

And, if you sign in to your account on a different browser, are you still seeing the same behavior?

[tigerdg]

Dropbox sync status: Up to date; v. 202.4.5551

Different browser: works properly in MS Edge and Chrome. Does not work in my default browser, Vivaldi.

I think we're on to something. Is there a setting I can change to make it work in Vivaldi?

Thanks again!

[Hannah · Accepted solution]

Hey @tigerdg, I'm happy to see that we were able to isolate the issue.

The thing is that you should be able to get most out of dropbox.com using most modern browsers, however, dropbox.com works best on the two most recent versions of:

Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Safari.

Would it be possible to use one of these ones?

[tigerdg]

Yes, I have Chrome, Firefox and MS Edge installed on my computer, primarily for situations like this. I do not like any of these browsers, for various reasons, and I prefer to use Vivaldi. But if using one of the others is the only solution, I certainly can do that.

I thank you for all your help on this matter.