Can't open PDF files with new beta on my mac

Thank you, Walter!

Hi everyone,

Let me try to level-set on what our understanding of the problem is and where we're at, solution-wise:

* When migrating from an existing 12.3+ install of Dropbox to the new Dropbox for macOS, any files that were Online Only prior to the migration had a "com.apple.LaunchServices.OpenWith" xattr that stores a setting telling the OS to open the file with Dropbox. This xattr was part of our existing implementation of Download on Demand.

* When users double-click a file with this xattr, depending on the exact circumstances, they could see: (1) nothing, (2) .docx/.pptx/etc files opening in the web browser rather than the native app, or (3) receiving a scary warning dialog about an unidentified developer.

* We're now removing these xattrs as part of the migration to the new Dropbox for macOS. This was fixed as of version 166 - so new users migrating/upgrading after that release shouldn't see this issue.

* We've also deployed a fix in 165 that should fix the symptoms for most existing users, by making sure our app responds correctly to open requests. The xattr should be removed from files for you as you interact with them (e.g. double-click).

* There are a small remaining set of users where this fix doesn't work, who will need to manually remove the OpenWith xattr

As posted previously, the command to do this is:

xattr -drv com.apple.LaunchServices.OpenWith "~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox"

(adjusting appropriately in case your Dropbox folder has a different name - e.g. "Dropbox (Personal)")

Some users reported that running this command via the Terminal app ran into a Permission Denied error. We believe this is likely caused by Terminal not having permission to read/write files in your Dropbox. This is a built-in protection in macOS, designed to protect your data from malware on the machine.

In order to temporarily bypass this protection, you can go to (apple menu, top left) -> System Settings, then look for the "Privacy and Security" section, then "Full Disk Access", click the "+" in the list (authenticate if prompted), navigate to /Applications/Utilities/ in the file open dialog that pops up, click "Terminal.app" and then click Open.

After that, you'll need to quit and re-launch Terminal, and re-run the "xattr -drv ..." command mentioned above. That should hopefully work correctly now.

When you're done, you can optionally remove the additional permissions granted to Terminal.

Please let me know if you encounter any issues with that!

Emmet,

You're assuming that we know what Terminal is, or that we've used it before. I'm probably in the minority on this one, but now I have to go on an Easter Egg hunt to research what Terminal is and how to use it without doing further damage to my computer.

Hey b4798, sorry to jump in, but I just wanted to mention that you should be able to find all the information you need about Mac's Terminal in this page.

I hope this helps!

did what you said, and still its the same problem.

Hi Emmet — the proposed fix aims to solve the problem with the "Open with" applications. However the remaining problem is that the quarantine bit is set so that many files become "from an unindentified developer..." — why are you not suggesting to use the same fix but for quarantine metadata?

e.g. 

xattr -drv com.apple.quarantine ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox

?

iandol 

This problem is annoying and no one of dropbox gives the solution

Well, this is probably par for the course from a corporate entity. Many of us have problems, and it seems there is a disconnect between the developers and the QA / customer support teams. The fact I am using a beta means I bear some responsibility, though the fact we are still in beta for basic support of Apple's latest OS and changes that were announced several years ago says something pretty dire about Dropbox management. I understand it is hard for indie developers to keep up with Apple, but this shouldn't apply to behemoths like Dropbox. The response to these particular bugs is patchy at best, mostly these threads are users who are motivated enough to complain (there will be a greater sea of users who just sit confused and manage the best they can). We have some generic canned replies and then some incomplete potential workarounds. It amazes me they suggested the xattrs fix for one problem (which works for me at least) but then just ignored the other and cannot even feedback if we should try or not. Surely this kind of joined up thinking is not that hard?

Hello everyone, 

Thank you for your patience in this matter. A fix was recently pushed through for this issue, and it should no longer be affecting your devices. If you are still experiencing this issue after you've updated your Dropbox, please let us know. We will need to investigate further.  

Regards,

Emmet 

Didn't work. Got permission denied error.

barrynalebuff@SOMC02D42LHML85 ~ % xattr -drv com.apple.LaunchServices.OpenWith ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox

xattr: [Errno 13] Permission denied: '/Users/barrynalebuff/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox/My Mac (Barrys-MacBook-Pro.local)/Desktop/`.nosync'