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Forum Discussion

pafreeman's avatar
pafreeman
Helpful | Level 5
3 years ago

Downloaded files are in read-only format

I'm certain it's probably a simple setting I have incorrect, but when I download files, they are consistently in read-only format and I cannot turn on editing; in order to edit the file, I have to save it to my hard-drive and then open the saved file to edit.  Do you know what setting(s) I should amend so I don't have to take this extra step?

  • Thank-you for trying to help.  Just plain ole Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel--no restrictions on the Microsoft applications at all.  Microsoft has offered no solution.  I'm okay with just living with it--just means an extra step, i.e. download, save the file, open and then edit.  No big deal 🙂

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

    Hi pafreeman, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

     

    What type of file are you downloading? 

     

    Is this a restriction in the program you're opening itself, or is it a mention from Dropbox?

     

    Any other info or screenshots would be helpful!

    • pafreeman's avatar
      pafreeman
      Helpful | Level 5

      Hi Jay!

      Thank-you SO much for endeavoring to resolve my little challenge.  The files are either EXCEL or WORD--absolutely nothing special.  If it helps, when I save files from either application without passing through Dropbox onto my hard-drive, no issue--it's just when I upload into Dropbox and then subsequently download.  Pretty queer, not a problem, just an extra step when I need to edit the file(s).

      Best regards,

      Patricia

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

        Is this a message in a yellow bar that appears in Word or Excel?

         

        If so, this might be the normal security warning that Microsoft shows when you open a downloaded file from the web, for your own security.

    • pafreeman's avatar
      pafreeman
      Helpful | Level 5

      Thank-you for trying to help.  Just plain ole Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel--no restrictions on the Microsoft applications at all.  Microsoft has offered no solution.  I'm okay with just living with it--just means an extra step, i.e. download, save the file, open and then edit.  No big deal 🙂

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