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Forum Discussion

Justin P.2's avatar
Justin P.2
Collaborator | Level 10
7 years ago

Is there a way to choose whether .zip files are previewing on the Dropbox website?

I'm a long time Dropbox user and today I went to check if some older links were still active that I had sent to a cleint.  Most of the files are send out are zipped for various reasons.    It ...
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  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    7 years ago
    Thanks for sharing your thoughts on how this functionality change has impacted your workflow MRMJP, I’d happily follow-up with you on this discussion & I hope my post finds you well! 
     
    You’re absolutely right when it comes to this recent feature implementation, therefore at the moment when previewing an archive file, you can navigate through the archive file structure and preview individual files within the archive. Previously, compressed files (such as .zip & .rar) couldn’t be viewed on the web interface & in case you had received (or sent) a shared link containing this filetype, you’d (or the recipient would) have to download them locally, in order to view the contents. 
     
    That all being said, I appreciate the time you’ve devoted in writing us the specifics of how this alteration has worked for you so far & for that reason I’ve made sure to transfer your comments up the ladder for future reference. 
     
    In any event, please let me know here if you have any more thoughts or questions & I’ll do my best to check back with you. Wishing you a fruitful May & a wonderful rest of the day ahead! 
Norah's avatar
Norah
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
7 years ago
 
Hey Justin P.2, thanks for checking in!
 
Have in mind that Dropbox does not alter your files/folders, as it only previews them.
 
What you can do is delete a link to a file or a folder by following the link here.
 
Let me know if this helps!
  • MRMJP's avatar
    MRMJP
    Helpful | Level 5
    7 years ago

    Thanks for the help but I do know how to delete a file or fodler :)

     

    I guess what I'm seeing is that the contents of zip files never used to be visible and the zip file itslef was in the middle of the screen with a simple downlaod button.


    Now, with certain cases, my cleints see a mess of files that are in the zip file and are tempted to click on them and get confused and have to find the downlaod button at the top right of the screen.

     

    I really don't care for this and I wish Drobbox would revert to how it used to be, just showing the main zip file and having a downlaod button in the center of the screen. 

    At first I thought that Drobpx was offering an unzipeed version but as I look closer it just seems that it's shownig the contents of the zip file which in my opinion only adds confusion and isn't helpful. 

    • MRMJP's avatar
      MRMJP
      Helpful | Level 5
      7 years ago

      I guess this is a new "feature" as of last week but IMO it's a TERRIBLE idea.

       

      Being able to see the contents of a zip is only going to confuse the person on the receiving end.


      We needd a simple big Download button and no previews of the zip file contents. Right now the downlaod button is not so obvious and clients are going be confused as to why they can see the zip file contents but not acess them without eventually noticing the Download button in the top right menu. 

      • Rich's avatar
        Rich
        Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
        7 years ago
        MRMJP wrote:

        We needd a simple big Download button and no previews of the zip file contents.

        Before you send your link, change the ?dl=0 at the end of the link to ?dl=1 and the link will become a direct download link with no preview.

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