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

JWoodrow's avatar
JWoodrow
Explorer | Level 3
7 months ago

Why do .zip files are unzipped when sharing? Person receiving the file says it's already unzipped.

When I upload a zip file to Dropbox the person I'm sharing with receives the file already unzipped. I need it to stay zipped.

  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    7 months ago

    JWoodrow wrote:

    In either a shared link or shared folder, they see all the files separately from the zipped file. They would need to download all the individual files rather than one zip file. 


    I'm going to assume that the Zip file you created is named Workplace Violence Prevention Training.zip. Is that correct? Your screenshot shows that the person has already downloaded the Zip file (they're in the Downloads folder) and that they've opened it in Windows.

     

    Windows has the ability to view and extract the contents of a Zip file without the need for other software. On Windows, Zip files appear and work just like a folder. You can even see at the top of your screenshot that it says Extract all, meaning the person is viewing the content of a Zip file.

     

    The person isn't receiving a file that's already been unzipped. They're receiving the Zip file and they've opened it in Windows to view the content.

     

     

  • Megan's avatar
    Megan
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

    Hey JWoodrow, welcome to our Community! 

     

    How exactly are you sharing the file with that person? Is it through a Dropbox Transfer, shared link or a shared folder

     

    Does the file get unzipped when they try to preview it, or when they download it? 

     

    Let me know more, and we'll take it from there! 

    • JWoodrow's avatar
      JWoodrow
      Explorer | Level 3

      In either a shared link or shared folder, they see all the files separately from the zipped file. They would need to download all the individual files rather than one zip file.  

      • Rich's avatar
        Rich
        Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II

        JWoodrow wrote:

        In either a shared link or shared folder, they see all the files separately from the zipped file. They would need to download all the individual files rather than one zip file. 


        I'm going to assume that the Zip file you created is named Workplace Violence Prevention Training.zip. Is that correct? Your screenshot shows that the person has already downloaded the Zip file (they're in the Downloads folder) and that they've opened it in Windows.

         

        Windows has the ability to view and extract the contents of a Zip file without the need for other software. On Windows, Zip files appear and work just like a folder. You can even see at the top of your screenshot that it says Extract all, meaning the person is viewing the content of a Zip file.

         

        The person isn't receiving a file that's already been unzipped. They're receiving the Zip file and they've opened it in Windows to view the content.

         

         

About View, download, and export

Need support with viewing, downloading, and exporting files and folders from your Dropbox account? Find help from the Dropbox Community.

Need more support

If you need more help you can view your support options (expected response time for an email or ticket is 24 hours), or contact us on X or Facebook.

For more info on available support options for your Dropbox plan, see this article.

If you found the answer to your question in this Community thread, please 'like' the post to say thanks and to let us know it was useful!