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

Purdo79's avatar
Purdo79
Explorer | Level 4
7 years ago

Dropbox needs access to my storage to view PDF email attachment

I have Dropbox on android, and everytime I open an email with an attachment it always says, 'to veiw this document Dropbox needs access to your storage'. All permissions are granted but I can't access my files anywhere. Please help I'm losing so much work.

  • Hey again, Purdo79

    I think I’m still missing something here. If your email contains a PDF attachment, you should be able to download/view it using your device’s PDF viewer/editor. Dropbox is not involved in this process. 

    Are you perhaps being sent a Dropbox shared link to the PDF file? 

    Cheers
  • Sanchez's avatar
    Sanchez
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    Hey Purdo79, welcome to our community! 

    I want to make sure I understand your situation: 

    • Are you composing a new email, and trying to attach a file that is located in your Dropbox? 

    • Do you have our mobile app installed? 

    • Are you signed into your Dropbox account via our app?

    • When exactly do you see the error message?  

    Let me know, and we’ll go from there. 

    Cheers! 
    • Purdo79's avatar
      Purdo79
      Explorer | Level 4
      When someone sends me an email, for example my insurance company, they attach my documents as a pdf, I try to open pdf, and I get a box appear on my screen that says, to preview this document, Dropbox needs access to your storage.
      • Sanchez's avatar
        Sanchez
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
        Hey again, Purdo79

        I think I’m still missing something here. If your email contains a PDF attachment, you should be able to download/view it using your device’s PDF viewer/editor. Dropbox is not involved in this process. 

        Are you perhaps being sent a Dropbox shared link to the PDF file? 

        Cheers

About Apps and Installations

Have a question about a Dropbox app or installation? Reach out to the Dropbox Community and get solutions, help, and advice from members.

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!