Suddenly cannot open pdf or txt files in Dropbox folder

Question

I have used Dropbox happily, without problems, for many years.  On January 2, 2023, for the first time, I could no longer double-click on pdf or txt files in my Dropbox folder in Windows 10 File Explorer to open them -- I just get the rotating circle for a cursor, nothing happens, and I have to restart File Explorer in Task Manager.  I have reinstalled Dropbox, but that did not solve the problem.  I can access my files by opening them within any app, like Word or Acrobat or Notepad -- the files are there and accessible, just like always.  It is only in File Explorer that I cannot double-click on them to open.

Hannah · Answer

Thanks for the update here, @PuzzledUser!

If this issue persists with the Dropbox app closed, it means that there's something else that's causing it and not really Dropbox.

If you haven't already, can you restart your computer, to see if that helps at all?

PuzzledUser · Answer

DropBox version 164.4.7914 "up to date".  All files are synced.

I did the experiment of stopping DropBox and trying to open from the folder and found that actually, both with DropBox running or stopped, the txt or pdf file does eventually open -- but it might take a minute for a small file to open, whereas it used to be immediate.  So my problem is not that the files never open, it is that there is a long delay, a minute give or take, before they open up in Adobe or Notepad -- whether DropBox is running or stopped.

Does this suggest some explanation?

Hannah · Answer

Hey @PuzzledUser, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Which version of the Dropbox app do you have installed and what's the sync status currently?

You can see that by hovering over the Dropbox icon in your system tray.

Also, if you quit the Dropbox app and try to open these files from the Dropbox folder, do you see the same issue?

Keep me posted!