Access to a file after logging out

[rwoj]

Hi,

I have access to the PDF file that was created from a Word file - after logging out of the account, through the browser history.

This looks like an error. Am I right?

[Rich]

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@rwoj wrote:

I have access to the PDF file that was created from a Word file - after logging out of the account, through the browser history.

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You need to provide more information about how you're accessing the file. Where is the file stored? Is this a file in your account or is it from a link that was shared with you from someone else? How are you accessing it; from the Dropbox folder in your computer or the Dropbox website?

[rwoj]

Hi, thank you for your reply.

It was a file in my Dropbox (I’m the owner) I accessed through the Dropbox website.

[rwoj]

And one more thing - the PDF file was created automatically from a Word file because I was printing it.

Sorry for not being specific.

[Nancy]

Hey @rwoj, sorry for jumping in. 

Can you please log out of your Dropbox account once again, and then try to access this file? 

Please take a full screenshot of what you see, and attach it in this thread (if there’s any personal info showing, feel free to remove it first).

I'd like to have a visual, and check this further.

[rwoj]

Hi Nancy,

I did. I can see I have access to both a Word file and a PDF file generated automatically during printing.

Please note that this time I was working on a Mac, but the first time the situation occurred when I was working on Windows (10). In both cases in Firefox (123.0).

[Nancy]

Thanks for these, @rwoj! It looks to me that these are shared links, which is why you can access them even while not logged in to your Dropbox account. 

If you go here, are you able to see these files in the list of shared links you’ve created on your Dropbox account?

[rwoj]

Hello @Nancy, thank you for your response.

Indeed, the files I mentioned earlier were on the shared list. However, I don't recall sharing them - nor can I find a reason why I would do so.

So I ran a test: I opened Dropobox in my browser and clicked on another Word file that wasn't in the shared links list. The file opened online (Microsoft 365?). I printed it (automatic PDF). From now on, both files (.docx and .pdf) are available through the browser history even after logging out of Dropbox, and links to edit and view the Word file were automatically created.

In fact, there's no need to print - just opening the Word file online automatically adds links for editing and viewing. But - if I then manually remove both links, this no longer happens again.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Rob

[Hannah]

Hey @rwoj, just to clarify, do you mean that you've never created/copied links to these files and when you simply open them on dropbox.com, links are automatically created for them?

And if so, how did you find the links? 

[rwoj]

Hey Hannah, that’s exactly right — I have never manually created those links, they’re automatically created when I open a Word file (through browser).

I check for links in the links list.

Judging by the number and dates of links to Word files, this has been happening for a long time.

Rob