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File access
270 Topics
Make offline files visible in the Android file-system
I think you should make files stored offline on Android available in the file system. As it is now, the dropbox files marked as 'available offline' are hidden from the rest of the operating system. This gives a number of problems: 1: When opening a file in an app, that app may put the file path in its 'most recently used documents'-list. However, since the path it gets from the Dropbox-app is not long-lived, the 'most recently used documents'-list becomes unusable, since the links on it become dead rather quickly. 2: It makes using browsing apps, like photo viewers or podcast players, on your offline files impossible. 3: Some apps expect content to be found on the file system. For example, the samsung app used to download content onto a samsung smart watch, expects to find files in the file system. It cannot be used to download files from dropbox onto the smart watch. 4: Sometimes a smart phone is used a bit like a computer. Like uploading files to an FTP-server and the like. A FTP-client typically expects to find files on the file system, and allows them to be selected and uploaded. This does not work with Dropbox. A possible work-around is to export the contents from the dropbox offline folder onto the phones regular file system. This is unsatisfactory because: 1) It feels cumbersome. The number of clicks to send a podcast episode to a smart watch, or to download a .pdf from dropbox and upload to an FTP-server, becomes a few too many. 2) For files which can be edited (like password manager saves, various profiles, text documents etc), the user needs to remember to copy the file back to Dropbox, which is very error prone. Dropbox obviously already has technology to synk a file system folder with dropbox. Could not this functionality be offered on smart phones also?23KViews91likes82Comments
Dropbox content isn't searchable in Spotlight when using Mac OS Monterey 12.0.1
Dropbox files/folders are not searchable in spotlight on new MacBook Pro with M1 chip - Monterey OS 12.0.1. Have re-indexed spotlight. Have uninstalled and reinstalled Dropbox and rebooted. Have made sure Dropbox has full access in Security and Privacy. Help please?Solved37KViews14likes185Comments
Dropbox not searchable in MacOS Ventura 13.1
Since the recent Dropbox update, I can no longer search for files in Dropbox on my Mac. I have been using Dropbox for over 10 years and have never had this problem before. It's making life extremely difficult and making me think about moving entirely to Google Drive, although I don't really like Google that much. But at least it's free, whereas I am now paying Dropbox for a less functional service than I had previously. Does anyone know how to get this function back?Solved12KViews10likes56Comments
Advanced search based on key phrases
I seriously need advanced searching. Dropbox used to have these features (like search exact phrase) in 2015, but somehow removed them. So how can I do advanced searching in dropbox? Like: List files with age between x and y Contain the phrase "a b c" are of type *.pdf ...Solved16KViews10likes52Comments
What does 'refresh to update' on my offline files mean? How can I do it?
I have a number of folders set as "Make available offline" on my iPad. Generally this works fine, but sometimes I get the yellow exclamation mark icon and "Refresh to update". Can someone please tell me what "Refresh to update" means - there is no refresh button and no refresh option in the menu. What am I supposed to do???Solved25KViews10likes61Comments
Can I generate a list of my files and folders on my Dropbox account?
Good morning I am trying to find a way to show a complete site map / folder tree of all the folders and files in my drop box. The reason I need this is it needs tidying up and before I do so I would like to see where everything is so I can come up with an efficient plan to move folders and files to new areas? If anyone has any information on how to print off an site map / tree I would be grateful. Thanks Mark7.5KViews8likes3CommentsImage search/facial recognition/keyword
Hello! I've copied all of the photos and videos from my iphone to dropbox- over 13,000 files. Is it possible (now, or in the future) to look for photos by searching by keyword? Currently I have them sorted into 2016, 2017, 2018 but would like to sort out photos of horses, etc. into a separate folder. It would be much less tedious if it were possible. Thanks very much!Solved19KViews7likes6CommentsIs there any easy way to find duplicate files?
This is not really a space issue, I have lots, but I have nearly 1000 ebooks that I sometimes file in multiple places. (No, I don't use the dreaded Kindle thanks.) So I may download it in a "holiday reading" folder, then I may also download in the "Publishers folder" and at some point I may have reviewed it and moved it to the "author" folder and then maybe I have forgotten that I downloaded it in the "lost interest in this" folder. So there could be anywhere from 1-4 version of a book floating around. If I search specifically by name it shows me all of the versions and then I can delete the ones that are in the "wrong" place, but I don't have the time or inclination (despite my love of procrastination by rearranging files) to search 1000 titles. So is there a simple Dropbox search function for duplicates, or do I have to download some kind of app that will do the job. Can you download file titles and locations to a spreadsheet? At least that would let me filter/sort and then go back and find the ones I want to delete. If that's required, I don't want one that automatically deletes duplicates, I want to pick which ones are required, but if you have any recommendations of on that is easy to use and pretty much straight forward (nothing fancy required, just find the duplicates (or those that may have a similar name since sometimes they get saved with slightly different titles), I'd appreciate the help. Thanks.Solved57KViews7likes7CommentsIs there a fix if my Dropbox file download keeps failing?
Every time I try to download a file I get a failed status in Chrome or Safari. When I download in Firefox it fails, however Firefox allows me to "restart" the download and it begins again where it left off... so I can complete the download by repeating this as many times as necessary per file. Very annoying. For a larger file (say 4 GB) I had to do this "restart" in Firefox 4-5 times before the file reached the end of the download and completed successfully. I see this is an on-going issue for Dropbox for several years - is there an indication as to waht is causing this? Going to have to ditch the service altogether if there is no real fix. BenSolved180KViews6likes17Comments