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When I share a file the preview is cut off after 15 minutes. Why is that?

I shared a 17 minute (1.11 GB) .mp4 file. It was reported to me that the video stops after 15 minutes with the note that it must be downloaded by the recipient to see the whole thing. Does the recipient have to do this to view the entire file. I also plan at some point to put up a larger (47 minute) file so the problem may be worse? Please advise how best to proceed. Thank you..

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Jay

If the owner of the file is on a Basic plan, then the first 30 minutes can be previewed. Plus, Professional and Family plans are 60 minutes, and Business plans allow for 4 hours. Files can still be downloaded and viewed normally on their machine.

If your video is less than 30 minutes long, then you can share it and everyone can view it without reaching the 30 minute cutoff.

Bear in mind that previewing and download via a shared link does contribute to the daily bandwidth limit.

Let me know if you need more info!

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Jay

Hi @gcsheph, thanks for joining the Community!

When you create a shared link to a video or audio, depending on your current plan, only a certain amount can be previewed on the site.

Downloading the file would be the only way to view the entire file for those users, unless you upgrade to a plan that allows more of the video to be shown.

Hope this helps to clarify matters!

gcsheph

thank you for this information. You mentioned paid plans that allow you to preview "more of a file". Do any of the plans allow preview of all of the file regardless of size?

gcsheph

question about one more thing I just noticed: I now see that there is a message when I share a .mp4 file that comes up "this type of file can only be shared in view mode" But apparently the recipient cannot view the entire file in preview. What do I have to do so that the recipient can download the file so it can be viewed in its entirety? Are we back to a paid account?

gcsheph

Apologies (I'm still very new to dropbox)- I just shared a 1.1 GB .mp4 file to my wife on her laptop and was able to download it in its entirety. I guess I misunderstood the message that was on the sender side.

Jay

If your video is less than 30 minutes long, then you can share it and everyone can view it without reaching the 30 minute cutoff.

Bear in mind that previewing and download via a shared link does contribute to the daily bandwidth limit.

Let me know if you need more info!

John57

I was sent a link to a mp4 recording of a 30 minute WebEx meeting. The file that popped up on my browser was cut off after about 15 minutes. Am I doing something wrong, or is there a file size limit involved?

Daphne

Hey @John57, thanks for reaching out to us here!

I've just moved your post here as you have a similar question to the OP. When you have the chance, please take a look at Jay's post above for more info on this.

To view the file fully, you'll need to download the file and play it locally on your device.

Let me know if you have any questions!

MKelly1

When i share a link to a video people can only view the first 15 minuites of the video even though i can see the whole video on Dropbox. I think the video took my account to capacity could this be the reason?

Thanks

Rich

@MKelly1 wrote:
When i share a link to a video people can only view the first 15 minuites of the video even though i can see the whole video on Dropbox.

That is the expected behavior. In order to see the entire video, they'll need to download and play it on their computer. Refer to the following help article for more information:

https://help.dropbox.com/installs-integrations/photos/video-length

MKelly1

Thank you

shadecat

Hi Folks The total size of the uploaded video is 980 mb. The people I share it with report that when they click the link it is only 15 minutes. Is there a file size limit for a free account? Am I running into to a storage shortage? Any insight is appreciated. Thanks

Rich

@shadecat wrote:
The people I share it with report that when they click the link it is only 15 minutes. Is there a file size limit for a free account?

That's expected on a Basic account. People can preview the first 15 minutes. To see the video in its entirety, they need to download and play it on their computer.

https://help.dropbox.com/installs-integrations/photos/video-length

shadecat

Thanks for the quick reply Rich

Cheers

NinoSoriano

I shared a video file link with my work. The video is 19 min long. My coworkers are telling me it’s only 15 min and 4 min missing.

Sometimes it opens up and it’s 19 min sometimes it opens up and it’s 15 min.

I did a little testing around and it seems that when you’re are redirected to the link, if you’re not logged in, the video is 15 min and if you are logged in to drop box then the video is 19 min.

Tried on chrome and safari, I have storage everything is ok. The video is 288mb

Daphne

Hi there @NinoSoriano, thanks for reaching out to us here!

When you have the chance, please check out Jay's post here for some more info on this.

When you view the file in your account rather than from the shared link (when not signed into your account), this is why you can view the full length of the video.

I hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions!

lphilen

I am receiving video files, but they are all stopping at 15 minutes. They should be 20-30 minute videos. The sender says that they are not stopping on her end.

Daphne

Hi there @lphilen, I hope you're well today!

I've just moved your post here so that I could point you to Jay's post here, as it should have some helpful info for the issue that you're having.

When you have the chance, please check that out and let me know if you have any further questions. Cheers!

TJVeen

The recipients can only view 15 minutes of the 38 minutes, however the entire video file is in the folder. (My storage is not at capacity.)

Lusil

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

I moved your post here, where other users have also expressed such an issue.

Have a look at what is mentioned, and let us know if you have any other questions.

Cheers!

Coma666

I have a friend trying to send me a 40 minute audio interview we did, but I'm only receiving a 15 minute file of it.
Any ideas or solutions??
Thanks for any help or ideas.

Daphne

Thanks for reaching out @Coma666!

It sounds like you're only seeing the preview of the file, as Jay outlined here.

Have you tried downloading the file to play it locally on your device?

TJ70

Anyone know what to do with this... I have made voice recordings and saved in Dropbox, played them all, they are working fine.
Sent one to a client, they played it once and it was fine, then the second time only showed 15mins of a 31min recording.
Yet when I go to check, it also shows 15min, I come out, go back in and its 31mins...
How do I get this to work properly? We were using a mix of iPhone, ipad, desktop and android phone.

Mark

Dropbox only displays a preview of recordings via its website or links. These are limited to 15 mins for free users and 60 for paying.

So, to get the full 31 mins you either need to pay for an upgrade to your account, or, the other users need to download it and listen to it via their computer.

TJ70

She did download Dropbox but still had issues. So I will upgrade and then see how that works. Thank you for your reply 👍