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Forum Discussion
jaidgossamer
8 years agoHelpful | Level 7
Pdf viewer in web browser
Hi: I used to be able to view pdf files in Chrome's native pdf viewer. Suddenly, I am no longer able to view files through Chrome's viewer, but only through what looks to be some new dropbox proprie...
- 8 years ago
Hi all:
I finally found a solution that might not be ideal for everyone, but actually solves the problems listed above . . . I've been having issues using the Dropbox viewer to view my pdfs, have not been able to view any larger pdfs, and one other poster mentioned that he was having some difficulty sharing his pdfs with others.
I've been asking for a fix that would allow us to completely bypass the Dropbox viewer so that we can view our pdfs in Chrome's native viewer. Some of the techs were lovely and brilliant enough to come up with the fix that involves "printing" the pdf (and then canceling out of the print dialog box), which allows you to then see the pdf in Chrome viewer. Unfortunately, though, this did not solve the issue of not being able to open larger pdfs - if the pdf couldn't be open in Dropbox viewer, then trying to "print" the pdf does not work, and you also will not be able to view the pdf in Chrome.
The one solution that I have been using that satisfies all the above issues is to abandon Dropbox and use Google Drive to store and share my pdfs. I've been able to open and view ALL pdfs in Google Drive (even 6,000 page legal tomes!!!) without any issue, and GD also allows us to connect all sorts of third party apps so that we can view our pdfs in the third-party viewer of our choosing. I've also had a much easier time sharing these pdfs with my colleagues on GD . . . Dropbox sharing was easy so long as the receiving party also had a Dropbox account.
This has really been a god-send as I work with people all over the country, and these people often access these work documents via Mac OS, Windows, iOS, and Android platforms . . . Google Drive has allowed us the straight-forward ability to download items directly onto the desktop/Google Drive app without having to hunt for the proper methodology for doing so.
So, while I absolutely love Dropbox, I really don't want to have to add several extra key strokes to get things done, or spend time figuring out how to do the simplest things, or have massive changes made to a system that not only wasn't broken in the first place, but also wasn't wanted, warranted, or needed, while ultimately taking away functionality. I work 12 to 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, and I can't afford to have my workflow disrupted so severely every other month when some random new change is rolled out.
So, those looking for maximum functionality when using, storing, and sharing pdfs should consider doing so via Google Drive.
- 8 years ago
I am customer for years, could you guys please just give us the ability to open pdf with the native chrome viewer? Dropbox PDF viewer is much worst and limited, while you guys don't have a PDF viewer as good as chrome, for example, dont obligate your paying customers to use this. It is like we are paying Dropbox to make the service worst everyday, dont "fix" what wasn't broken to begin with.
Jane
Dropbox Staff
Hey apraetor,
Thanks for posting this workaround here, much appreciated!
Let me just briefly rephrase that, should someone want to preview a pdf file in Chrome, they could use the “Print” option while previewing the document on their Dropbox account, as below:
Once redirected to a new browsing window, they’d have to “Cancel” the printing (this option can be found under “Google print”, if someone uses Chrome). This will allow you to preview your .pdf doc in Chrome.
Hope this helps as a second workaround!
Warm regards,
Jane
jaidgossamer
8 years agoHelpful | Level 7
Hi Jane:
Thank you, this really works, and is totally awesome!
The steps to do this are:
(1) Click Ctrl + [file] - (or Cmd + [file] - to open the pdf in a new tab.
(2) In the dropbox viewer, go to the menu that appears in the bottom center of the page to select the "print" icon.
(3) After selecting this icon, the pdf will open in yet another page, with the print document menu overlay. Just select "Cancel" to get rid of the overlay.
Just as a note, you must select the "print" icon in the bottom center of the page while in Dropbox viewer. If you click Ctrl+P, then it will take you through a different print process.
Also, this fix only works for those pdf documents that can be seen in Dropbox preview . . . so if the file is too large, it cannot be seen in Dropbox preview, and it cannot be seen after applying this fix.
This fix also only works for Chrome . . . I have not been able to get it to work on Opera, Safari, Firefox, Chromium, or the Tor Browser.
Thank you once again, Jane, this was amazingly helpful!
Best,
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