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Forum Discussion
Can't open PDF files with new beta on my mac
Issue is that the file info says open with Dropbox, not Adobe. If I change back to Adobe then it opens. (Or if I open it from inside Adobe.) But I have hundreds of PDFs that now have the wrong app to...
Hi everyone,
Thanks for reporting this, and sorry for the inconvenience. We think we have a good idea of what is causing the issue, and we're looking into a fix.
In the meantime, the following workaround might help:- Open a Terminal window.
- Run the following command:
xattr -drv com.apple.LaunchServices.OpenWith ~/Library/CloudStorage/DropboxThis command will remove the custom "Open With" settings for all files in your Dropbox folder, including the incorrect/broken setting that is forcing some files to open with Dropbox.
It's possible that Finder won't notice the change right away, so you might need to relaunch it for that to take effect:
- Hold Control + Option and click on the Finder icon in the Dock.
- Select "Relaunch".
Hannah
Dropbox Staff
Dropbox StaffHey BJN, can you please check the steps in this article, to see if they help?
I too am having this problem with the latest Beta of Dropbox v163.3.5425 but not just with PDFs, it is happening with all files.
I'm running the Beta on a backup machine (Mac M1 2020) that is running macOS Ventura 13.0.1
I have followed all the instructions on this thread and none work.
This is what happens (All MS Apps) - When I double click a Microsoft document (Word/Excel/Powerpoint) that is in my Dropbox (now located in ~Libraries) the document downloads (great) and then opens in Dropbox.com in my browser (not so great). I want the file to open in the native application (Word/Excel/Powerpoint) on my Mac so I follow the instructions as follows (Using an Excel doc as the example here):
Right-click the file > Get info > Open with: (this says Dropbox) so I Change to Microsoft Excel from the list (that in fact has 'Default' in brackets beside the title).
I immediately get a Finder message pop-up saying: "You don’t have permission to change the application for this document only. Do you want to change all similar documents to open with the application “Microsoft Excel”? "This change will apply to all documents with extension “.xlsx”."
Brilliant I think. This is exactly what I want. So I click continue... double-click the file in question again and voila. It opens in Excel on my Mac. Fantastic...
...problem is that when I try to open any other Excel doc in my Dropbox by double clicking, it downloads but we're back to square one and it opens in Dropbox.com in my browser so clearly the instruction to "change all similar documents to open with the application “Microsoft Excel?" hasn't been applied by Finder to files within the Dropbox folder.
Exactly the same thing happens with Adobe Files (Acrobat PDF, Illustrator AI, Indesign INDD) with the only difference being that they don't open in Dropbox.com in my browser; they just magnify momentarily on double-click after downloading as if they are about to activate the corresponding Adobe App but nothing happens.
I go through the same process with them; Right-click the file > Get info > Open with: (this says Dropbox) so I change to native app from the list (that again in fact has 'Default' in brackets beside the title).
I immediately get a Finder message pop-up saying: "You don’t have permission to change the application for this document only. Do you want to change all similar documents to open with the application “[this is the adobe app in question and corresponds to the file type]”? "This change will apply to all documents with extension “[this is the extension for the Adobe file type in question]”."
Again I click continue... double click the file in question again and voila. It opens in the native Adobe App... but...
Exactly as with the MS files when I try to open any other file of the same type in my Dropbox by double clicking, it downloads but we're back to square one and it just magnifies momentarily on double click after downloading as if they are about to activate the corresponding Adobe App but nothing happens.
Again clearly the instruction to "change all similar documents to open with the application “[the Adobe file type in question]" hasn't been applied by Finder to files within the Dropbox folder.
- Hannah
Hey Burnt-On, thanks for the nudge here and sorry to see you're having trouble with this.
Are the files in question currently set to online-only or are they available offline?
If they're online-only, can you manually right-click them, and choose "make available offline" and let us know if that makes any difference?
Hi Hannah
I’m having the problem with both Dropbox files downloaded and with those that are online.
With those that are online I double click, they download and either open in DB app if a MS Doc or try to momentarily open but then don’t at all if they are Adobe.
I have tried selecting ‘Make Available Offline’ on numerous files …so I go from the cloud icon to the green circle with the tick (showing the file is downloaded) before I try to open and exactly the same things happen as I have previously described.
- Hannah
Thanks for the update here.
Would you mind sending us a screenshot of what you see when you try to open both online-only files and available offline ones?
I'm having this exact issue — it's a real bummer. Please update us if you find a solution.
I wonder if the solution is to click the "Leave beta" button in Preferences > General, but was all the file moving to new location tied to being part of the beta and do all local files get deleted? It seems so.
Ideally, they'd just be able to let the files open with the "default" app and not Dropbox. How is Dropbox ending up between this expected behavior anyway?
I am experiencing essentially the same issue as @Burnt-On detailed
Dropbox does not have a clue how to fix it.
Pathetic service by dropbox.
