View, download, and export
Need support with viewing, downloading, and exporting files and folders from your Dropbox account? Find help from the Dropbox Community.
Why can I open Keepass *.kdbx files only with Google Drive-PDF-Viewer?? It is no PDF. Why does the dropbox app does not let me choose a different App to open the file with? Why not use the android default app open selection??
This is still a problem as of November 1st, 2020. I haven't been able to figure out how to reproduce the issue consistently, but have confirmed the offline toggle workaround. The Dropbox app will sometimes just switch back to opening kdbx files with pdf apps after extended periods of working correctly, or nearly immediately after applying the offline toggle workaround.
I have currently figured out one more workaround, for Androids, that I think I will be able to stick to. Using the Keepass2Android Password Safe app developed by Philipp Crocoll (Croco Apps), I set the app to open with the Dropbox app and pointed it to the file. This app allows you to access the kdbx file specifically and will remember it, as well as sync the changes when you save. It also notified me the copy of the kdbx I was working on changed when I created a new save on my computer, as well as letting me resync and open the new file without me needing to enter the password again.
Make sure you are using "Keepass2Android Password Safe" and not "Keepass2Andorid Offline"
After being annoyed with this for months, I just noticed someone else here mention Google Drive. Given I'm completely part of the Google ecosystem, I can't beleive I didn't think of this sooner. Installed Google Fire Drive Stream, so I have a nice, easy to access Google Drive folder accessible via Windows Explorer for when I'm working, and then when using my android devices, I just open click on the KDBX file in the Drive app and it opens KeePassDroid just like Dropbox used to do.
My next action after typing this will be to uninstall Dropbox from my devices, and computer.
Thanks fo rthe many useful years Dropbox, but given this was literally the only thing I used you for, and you no longer support it, it's adios.
I agree, I recommend switching away from Dropbox to free competitors like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Apple ICloud etc. for this.
It seems quite likely that Dropbox broke this on purpose, because along with the inability to remember which app to open the file with, it advertises its own password storage mechanism, hopefully without backdoor.
To recap:
- the below is for Android
- file extension is .kdbx
* - after turning on "Make available offline" for the .kdbx file, waiting for it to be downloaded and trying the open the file, Dropbox shows a prompt for which app to use that includes KeepPassDroid, along with buttons "Always" and "Just Once".
- the file can then be opened.
- any subsequent attempts to open the file either either try to open the file with a PDF viewer or present a dialog of PDF viewers.
- Toggling "Make available offline" off and then back on returns to * above.
can then be selected and the option "every time" can be selected
- This appears to affect all released version of Dropbox for the past few years.
The workaround of uninstall-reinstall dropbox app worked for me.
I can open keepass file again so long as I choose "just this once".
This has been a poor user experience and I'm disappointed by how Dropbox has acted here.
This problem seems to have been quietly fixed now. I'm not sure since when but I can now open Keepass files correctly, and it remembers the app I've selected to do it.
Hi there!
If you need more help you can view your support options (expected response time for a 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!