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Forum Discussion

sallybm's avatar
sallybm
New member | Level 2
3 years ago

Cannot edit shared Microsoft Word file

I have permission to edit a docx file, but when I open it it looks like a pdf and can’t be edited- I can’t click and type anywhere on the doc, and there’s no editing toolbar. It shows I have access to edit the file, and I’m logged into the relevant account. I’m using a chromebook and it was working until recently. It seemed to go wrong after I reset the chromebook, but I’m fully logged in and have all apps downloaded etc.

  • Hi Hannah,

     

    There is an option to open with Word for the Web, however even in Word for the Web it is not editable (it looks like a pdf).

     

    We actually found a solution. We had been trying to open the files through dropbox in the browser. When we instead opened them through the dropbox app, eveything worked fine. I don't know why this should be a fix however, it cost a lot of time to work it out!

     

    Thank you,

    Sally

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

    Hey sallybm, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

     

    Do you not see an 'Open' button, right above the file, when you're previewing it on our website

     

    This button should allow you to open the file through Word for the Web and edit it.

     

    Let me know what you see.

    • sallybm's avatar
      sallybm
      New member | Level 2

      Hi Hannah,

       

      There is an option to open with Word for the Web, however even in Word for the Web it is not editable (it looks like a pdf).

       

      We actually found a solution. We had been trying to open the files through dropbox in the browser. When we instead opened them through the dropbox app, eveything worked fine. I don't know why this should be a fix however, it cost a lot of time to work it out!

       

      Thank you,

      Sally