"Couldn't extract files. Can only handle files up to 512 MB."

[djjones]

I have 2TB of available storage on my Dropbox account, but am unable to open a ZIP file (approx. 3.2GB) -- instead, I'm getting an error message that says "Couldn't extract files. Can only handle files up to 512 MB." Any thoughts on how best to resolve this? Thanks.

[Mark]

You will need to download it an extract it on a computer.

As the error says (and this help doc) you can only preview ZIP files online below 512mb.

[kingcharles]

This limit is so utterly pathetic in 2021. I had ZIP files bigger than that in the mid-90s. Now I'm dealing with ZIPs of hundreds of gigabytes.

My old 386 PC could unzip a 600MB Zip.

Dropbox needs to fix this. Is this a code change or simply a configuration change? It is beyond frustrating.

I actually CAN'T download a file onto my local computer because there is no fixed Internet where I live (center of Chicago) and I am forced to use cell data for everything. So that solution doesn't work for me. Especially as I would have to download and then upload the uncompressed data afterwards. Just one file would kill off my entire quota of transfer for the month.

What is the policy of other storage providers? I can't imagine any of Dropbox's competitors have such a lame limit?

[etaygudai]

Hi,
It would be appreciated if this limitation of 5xx MB cab be increased.

It is indeed something Dropbox MUST consider

Regards

Etay G

[anonymous]

I don't get the error abour 512MB - when I just tried to unzip a 1.3GB file in the web view, I get message "1 file couldn’t be automatically unzipped." No further info, no mention of a max file size, nothing.

I was about to come back to Dropbox from pCloud but won't if I can't unzip files directly in Dropbox. 

[etaygudai]

Indeed My Mistake 1.5 G and above I get the same message.

I think that Dropbox MUST take it into consideration ( e.g as many customers using dropbox for pictures stored in zip files )

[anonymous]

EDIT - I thought I posted this is a similar thread where someone else had reported the same error and included screenshots. 

I get the same error message - no useful information, no details as to why. I'm personally trying to extract a 1.3GB zip file and wonder if there is a hidden max file size. If so, why is it not made clear in the error?

I was consdering moving from pCloud (which handles unzipping perfectly) but don't want to pay for a feature that doesn't work.

Please can someone from Dopbox Support confirm any small-print details regarding the Extract All function?

[anonymous]

Would really appreciate a response from a Dropbox staff member - is there a file size limit, and if so, where is this documented?

If no file size limit, how can I diagnose why my zip file won't extract? (1.3GB)

[Rich]

---

@anonymous wrote:

is there a file size limit, and if so, where is this documented?

---

Yes, 512Mb, as stated above. @Mark linked to the help article. If you view a Zip file greater than 512Mb online you'll also see a message regarding the 512Mb limit for Zip files.

[anonymous]

In the help article, it only mentions previewing .zip files, not extracting them. And as I get error "1 file couldn’t be automatically unzipped" when I select my .zip file and choose 'Extract all', there is no way for me to know if there is a file size limit on extracting zip files. 

The error message is useless, and the help article does not help with my query. 

So, is there a size limit on extracting zip files? And how can I possibly know this if there is??