Something weird happens when I rename files

[PhilipCh1994]

So, every time I try to rename a file after uploading it, Dropbox automatically changes the type of file it is (or encrypts it?). I'm not sure what happens precisely but the file becomes unreadable. I can't open it with any app and it becomes useless and I lose essential data in the process. How can I prevent this? I want to be able to rename my files without issues after uploading them to Dropbox. 

[Rich · Accepted solution]

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@PhilipCh1994 wrote:

So, every time I try to rename a file after uploading it, Dropbox automatically changes the type of file it is (or encrypts it?).

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Dropbox doesn't (and can't) change your file's type. It just doesn't have that capability.

When you're renaming a file, are you removing or changing the file's extension? That would be the characters after the last period in the file name, such as .xlsx, .docx, .jpg, etc. Without a file extension, your computer won't know how to open a file. It's the file extension that tells your computer (and Dropbox) what type of file it is, and what application should be used to open the file.

[PhilipCh1994]

yep, that was it actually. Sounds retarded but I didn't think about the extension. However, I also think Dropbox should find a workaround for this. Who wants to haven extensions in their files names...

[Rich]

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@PhilipCh1994 wrote:

However, I also think Dropbox should find a workaround for this. Who wants to haven extensions in their files names...

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It's not a Dropbox issue to resolve. That is how files and applications work. If someone needs to change that (and I don't think anything needs to be changed), it would be the groups that write the operating systems and applications that create the files.