You might see that the Dropbox Community team have been busy working on some major updates to the Community itself! So, here is some info on what’s changed, what’s staying the same and what you can expect from the Dropbox Community overall.

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! 
James D.1's avatar
James D.1
New member | Level 2

I just wanted to echo the other users who have explained why this doesn't work for many workflows. As pasamio says, if I want individual files in a folder, there's already functionality for that purpose.

 

An optional setting to allow file previews inside a zip would be fine, but the whole point of a zip is to have a single, clearly marked file for download. Allowing users to dig around inside a zip is just confusing and defeats the purpose of providing users with a single file.

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

Hi James D.1,

 


Thanks for the reply. If only the people who design this software and make the decsions felt the same way as everybody in this thread.

I have completely given up on hope that they'll change it back but I'd love to be wrong!

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