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Forum Discussion
Can't open a file I previously could.
There is a shared file (pdf format) which I could preview and open last week. But now I can't (there is a little car label to it now).
How can I open it again?
Hi fernandaverruck, thank you for the screenshot!
Do you access the file directly through your account, or using a shared link?
It looks like the file is missing its extension (the three or four characters after the period in the file name; .docx, .jpg, .xlsx, etc.). Did you or someone else have renamed it, by any chance?
That extension is what systems (your operating system, Dropbox, etc.) use to determine what application should be used to open or preview a file. Without the extensions, those systems have no idea what kind if file it is.
If you add the extension back, you should be able to preview the file. Can you give it a go?
Megan
Dropbox Staff
Dropbox StaffHey there, fernandaverruck, I'd love to see what we can do about that!
I'm going to need some additional info, in order to provide you with the appropriate next steps.
Which platform do you use when trying to open the file? Do you get any errors?
If you have any screenshots of the icon you mentioned, or what you see on your end when this happens, let me know!
Keep me posted!
Hi! I tried both in the bowser and the app. Here is the screenshot.
I also tried to download. But it didn't work.
- Megan
Hi fernandaverruck, thank you for the screenshot!
Do you access the file directly through your account, or using a shared link?
It looks like the file is missing its extension (the three or four characters after the period in the file name; .docx, .jpg, .xlsx, etc.). Did you or someone else have renamed it, by any chance?
That extension is what systems (your operating system, Dropbox, etc.) use to determine what application should be used to open or preview a file. Without the extensions, those systems have no idea what kind if file it is.
If you add the extension back, you should be able to preview the file. Can you give it a go?
It worked. Thank you!
