How to open word desktop in the online version

[Sherly]

I open my document in microsoft word online version of Dropbox and I would like to edit it using my desktop app. How can I do this? There is no function for opening it in word desktop version. 

[Daphne · Accepted solution]

Hi @Sherly, thanks for reaching out to us here!

Through the Word Online app, there wouldn't be an option to open the file locally for editing.

To open your files in the local Microsoft apps for editing, you can use the Dropbox desktop app to sync your files locally to your computer. You can check out more info about the desktop app here.

It will create a local Dropbox folder on your computer which will sync any changes with your account online. This will allow you to open the files in local apps for editing and the changes you make with sync with your Dropbox account.

Let me know if this helps!

[acboydston]

But previously, in the browser view of dropbox, there was an option to 'open in Word desktop.' Similarly, there was an option to 'show in finder.' Have these features intentionally been removed?

[missionstudios]

When someone emails me a video file with a dropbox link, I click it and it opens a window in my browser (Chrome). I can preview the video. Up in the top left, there are two buttons, Share and Open. Both have a drop down arrow. For Open, I used to click the drop down arrow and I would see "Open in File Explorer" or something like that. When I clicked it, it opened the folder with the file location in Windows 10 File Explorer.

It is now gone. All I have are "Connect Apps".

The Dropbox app is running on my system. I'm logged into the browser and the app with the same DB account. I restarted the system.

Thoughts?

[Walter]

Hi there @acboydston; happy Friday and thanks for joining this discussion. 

Could you clarify if you're not seeing the Open button on our website at all or if you're not getting the results you'd like? 

On that note, can you take a look at your Connected Apps tab as well as the default ones and let us know what you find there? 

Thanks!

[gabicatalyze]

Hi Walter, 

My entire organization is having the same problem. We all have the "open" button (next to "share") when we open a link to the doc/ppt/excel, and that used to list an option called "Open in Word" /PowerPoint/Excel but that is gone and we only have the edit online version. 

Our connected apps only shows "Microsoft office online"

Thanks!

[acboydston]

Hi Walter,

Yes, the open button is present and works find.

There used to be an option to open in desktop Word. Now this is only an option to open in Word for the web.

Connect aps:

Default aps:

Thanks.

[Lusil]

Hi there @missionstudios, thanks for checking in with us. 

Out of curiosity, is the video file sent to you as a shared file, in a shared link, or as part of a shared folder?

Looking forward to hearing back from you!

[tmorgan]

Trying to open a file save in dropbox as an excel file. It won't give me the excel option in the drop down anymore

[Jimmy2343]

Hi everyone,

I'm sorry if the answer here is obvious, I'm a little new to this. I recall, just a few weeks ago, that when I opened a Dropbox link (a link to one of my files), it would give me the option to open the file in the desktop app. That is, once I clicked on the link it would open in my browser. From there I could click on the "open" button on the top right and it would let me open it in the Dropbox desktop app. Now, when I click "open" three's only a place to "Connect apps".

Am I misremembering? Or did I mess something up? I'm on a Mac running the most recent Dropbox desktop app.