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Why do I get a "Sorry, we could not find your file. Is it possible it was moved, renamed...?' error?

PKS2000

Error message states "Sorry, we could not find <filename>. Is it possible it was moved, renamed or deleted?"

It has not been moved, renamed or deleted. Not all Excel files are affected but this is not the first time this has happened. I have 3 computers and all of them have this issue. I'm using Office 365 on all 3 computers.

I would like to get a response from someone who has had this issue and how it was solved.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Regards,

Phil

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STEVEDEL248

I just had the same issue and found that the file name (read: path) was too long. I went back and shortened the folder names and the file name - and presto! it worked!

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Sanchez

Hey Phil (@PKS2000), welcome to our forum!

I’m assuming that these files you’re trying to open are in your Dropbox.

How are you attempting to open these files?

If you go to your Dropbox, are these files there?

If you go to the files in your Dropbox, can you open them from there?

Let me know, and we’ll go from there.

Cheers!

PKS2000

Yes, the files are in Dropbox.

I am attempting to open files that have been synced and are available to me through the "library tree" on the left side of my files on "This PC" folder.

Other members of the workgroup can access the same files.

All the other Excel files I've been working with have been opening until I came to this particular folder.

In an online chat with Dropbox support, I was informed that the error message indicated a software conflict and Dropbox will not provide support for 3rd party software conflicts, and I understand that. If I have some conflict that prevents me from opening 2 Excel files in one folder through my "Dropbox Drive" I'd like to fix it. I can't be the only one who has experienced the issue and if there's some suggestion for a fix, I would like to try it.

Thanks for the reply, Sanchez....any ideas?

Phil

PKS2000

I've been experimenting....I can copy the file and put it on my harddrive and the file will open. When I replace the file on Dropbox, the files will not open for all 3 of my computers.

Also, others in my workgroup only access files through the Dropbox website, not through a "drive" on their computers. I just found that out and that is how they access the files.

Microsoft 365 "spanked my hand" when I tried to open on these files on the website and admonished that I cannot use my version of 365 to open files in a business account. But, I know that's not my problem while using the Dropbox "drive" because all other files open just fine.

I can preview the files, tho, but I cannot edit the preview.

Thanks again,

Phil

Sanchez

Hey again, @PKS2000,

Yeah, we tend to not troubleshoot issues that involve 3rd-party applications. However, if I were you, I would reply back to your support ticket with the latest info you’ve mentioned here, as this deserves another look by one of our specialists.

Cheers!

PKS2000

I'm certainly aware Dropbox does not support 3rd party software but I thought this forum was for assistance to my issues!!! I have responded via email.

But, do you have any idea why the file I cannot open on Dropbox is perfectly fine when copied and pasted to a file on my local drive? That DOES sound like a Dropbox issue to me. And it's not all Excel files, it is just a few.

STEVEDEL248

I just had the same issue and found that the file name (read: path) was too long. I went back and shortened the folder names and the file name - and presto! it worked!

Walter

Hey there @STEVEDEL248 - thanks for sharing what worked for you!

As you successfully pointed out, the issue you've been experiencing is probably due to a limitation of the applications that you're using to open the files in question. In short, there are files that your applications can't process correctly because they have file paths that are too long.

In addition, this behavior is present if there are more than 255 characters in the entire file path. This means from the C:\ all the way to the extension of a file. Files will sync to and from those locations, however the applications used to open said files (e.g. Word, Notepad, Excel, etc.) might not support reading from these locations with long file paths and may show error messages when trying to open, save or edit these file (such as the one described in this thread). This is out of our control since the application developers would have to add support for long paths to resolve the issue.

You should be able to resolve the issues with your applications processing these files by simply renaming the file to a shorter name, renaming a folder to a shorter name, or reducing the number of sub-folders as you also outlined in your response.

I hope this information helps all of the affected users getting this error message.

Once again, thanks for using Dropbox and posting in our Forum.

Cheers!

PKS2000

Stevedel248 -- Thank you very much. You'd think the solution to this issue would be more widely known!!

Regards,

Phil

Cash

Just did the same and it worked..Thank you!

VictG_71

Thanks, it is due to naming.
It works now.

alyssa2

Has anyone else found a solution other than file name length for this? My file no longer exists and is not in the folder. I also have file names longer than the one listed in that folder. While I have tried adding a file back into that folder with the same name, eliminating folders within the path, nothing has worked and I continue to receive the same path even though that path no longer exists at all.

Walter

Based on your description, I'd search for deleted files if I were in your shoes, since this file no longer exists in the folder @alyssa2!

Another place you could look for more information is your events page where all adds, edits and deletes are logged normally.

Let me know what you find please!

MountainExe

Thanks!!!! It worked. I did "save as" with a short file name and it opened right up!! Saved me about 3 hours of redo work! Thank you again! Much appreciation.

AliTaha

Sanchez did not provide a solution, please remove his reply as one. The solution was the one posted by STEVEDELL248 - Thanks

Liz-Ideate

We have the same issue - but it doesn't appear to be related to path length as I can resave the file with a longer name and he can open it fine.

Liz-Ideate

I had this exact issue. It was not the 3rd party software or the path name. This was what finally resolved it:

"If you’re in a Dropbox Business team, you most likely have Smart Sync enabled. If this is true, the files you're trying to open could be marked as online-only, and there isn’t enough time for the file to download from the site to open it, which could result in this error.

Mark the files as local.

SaberDiego

Thanks, this was a big help! The file was fine, but the only problem was its path name was too long.

RaymondElixer

Thanks so much. It was weird. I could see the file and I could download it and open the downloaded file but I could open the original file even though it synced.

MMafi

Thankyou, this solved my problem!

PratyushChowdhary

Same issue, but the path length is shorter than 255 characters.
Please help !

zesid

This error shows that the file name or the location of the file has been changed. Go to the search option and type the name of your file, you may get the file.

tohsher

l had the same incident and it may be you renamed the file without knowing. l think you can go and all files and see if it is there. if not it may be that you have accidently deleted it. It can also mean that you may not have save it.

Liz-Ideate

I had this exact issue. It was not the 3rd party software or the path name. This was what finally resolved it:

Mark the files as local.