Editing office files on ipad

[nikinparis]

Thanks to the Dropbox partnership with Microsoft I used to be able to edit and update my Word, Excel, PowerPoint files on my iPad Pro. Since a couple of days the Office apps have been telling me that I need an account with an O365 subscription to edit which wasn't the case before.

I have removed and reassociated my accounts but can no longer get the apps to recognize the files as coming from Dropbox and therefore allow me to edit as in the past. Has the partnership changed?

Many thanks

[Rich]

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@nikinparis wrote:

Since a couple of days the Office apps have been telling me that I need an account with an O365 subscription to edit which wasn't the case before.

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If you've joined a Business account or become a member of a team, a paid license is required to use the Office apps or Office Online.

Do I need a special license to edit my Dropbox files in an Office Online application?

If you have a Dropbox Basic or Plus account, you will not need a Microsoft account or Office license to edit your files.

If you have a Dropbox Business account, you will need an enterprise Microsoft account with a license that allows editing in Office Online (Business, Business Essentials, Business Premium, ProPlus, E1, E3, E4, or E5).

[nikinparis]

Thanks Richard

My Dropbox account is Basic and I am not a member of a team. It is very strange as I was able to edit Office files without any problems. Suddenly it started asking me for a subscription.

[Walter]

Hey @nikinparis,

Thanks for the additional info. 

Since you are on a basic account you shouldn't get prompted with this message - would you mind reviewing this and let me know if it helps with this?

Moreover, could you please check if you have the latest versions of the Dropbox and Office apps installed on your mobile device by going to your app store and see if there are any available update? 

If this persists after these suggestions, please include a screenshot in your reply so we can have a further look into this.

Thanks!

[nikinparis]

@Walter thanks for your help.

I have reviewed the page you linked and still the same problem. I have been able to edit office files in my Dropbox on my iPad for the last 6 months but suddenly it stopped working in March and asked me for a O365 subscription. Attached a screen capture.

I have an iPad Pro 2017 10.5 inch. I contacted Dropbox support to ask if anything had changed in their agreement with Microsoft and they said no, it should all work fine for me (basic account, not a member of any teams).

Thanks in advance for any ideas, guidance you can give.

Nicholas 

[Personal information removed]

[Walter]

Sorry to hear this persists Nicholas. 

From what I understand, the issue is coming from within the Microsoft applications directly - not Dropbox - so this sounds like an issue on their end and it would be great if you could reach out to them with your questions about the message you are being prompted with. 

As I'd still like to help with this, could you please try unlinking and re-linking your Dropbox account from your Microsoft mobile app and let me know if you see any different behavior?

To unlink a Dropbox account from an Office Mobile app:

1. Open the Office Mobile app.
2. Tap the folder icon.
3. From the list of places, tap and hold Dropbox.
4. Once you've held your finger on Dropbox for a few seconds, a trash can icon will appear in the top right corner of the screen. Tap the trash can to remove Dropbox from the Office Mobile app.

To re-link a Dropbox account to an Office Mobile app:

1. Open the Office Mobile app.
2. Tap the folder icon.
3. Tap Add a place.
4. Tap Dropbox.
5. Tap Allow next to the Dropbox account listed (if you're already signed in to the Dropbox app). Or, to link a new Dropbox account, tap Use a different account. You'll be directed to a browser window where you can enter the credentials for the Dropbox account you'd like to connect.

I hope this helps resolve this issue and please keep in mind that if this still persists after my suggestions you'd need to contact Microsoft directly for further resolution.

Let us know what you find Nicholas!

[nikinparis · Accepted solution]

Hi Walt3R

I have tried this - both before logging my issue - and again now. Unfortunately, I still get the same error (account required to edit word files in Dropbox on my iPad Pro).

On the recommendation of Dropbox support I contacted Microsoft. It is nearly impossible to get the right support technician, I have spoken with their chat bots online, called all sorts of different numbers in different places, but of all the Office support technicians I spoke to, none were familiar with the Dropbox partnership and all told me I needed O365 account to edit on the go. 

After getting quite annoyed with going around in circles with them, they ended up giving my 6 month free ! 

Which doesn't solve the issue, but helps anyway. At the end of the trial, I'll switch to some of the free Office alternatives because I already have MS licences and don't feel like forking out a monthly subscription in addition.

Thanks anyway for your help