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Dropbox and opening files in Word Office 365 - I get a white box and no ability to authorise

So this is driving me crazy 🙂

Running Ipads using JamF and Securly.

Just recently some users not all are unable to open Word / Exel etc documents from dropbox ipad application (latest version running on IOS 17.3

Dropbox for Teams / Office 365 for Faculty A1 licenses - I've cleaned a new Ipad and replicated and happens for me, tried on my personal ipad and can get it to sync.

So what happens is -

Go to dropbox - open a .doc file and have ability to open in Word ( logged into Dropbox App / logged into Msoft O365)

Click open in Word and it goes to O365 app, white box opens (authorisation box) and this just stays blank with a connecting label at the top.

Go to connect Cloud storage in O365 and same thing, no authorisation just a white box. (go to other storage devices Box etc and all ok)

Totally confused as to where the error lies, not all users.

Reviewed all settings in Jamf every user on same profile, cleaned up a ipad as stated.

Any advice ?

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Microsoft Office

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New Ideation Status

Closed - Inactive

Comments

Jay

Hi @Stewart TAS, thanks for providing these details!

Just for clarification, does that Microsoft license match any of the other licenses visible in this article?

Did this change happen recently after any updates to the OS or apps?

This will help me to assist further!

Stewart TAS

Hi Jay

Ive read that article a few times and got more confused 🙂

We have these licenses https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/office?activetab=tab%3aprimaryr1

A1 so web only version.

The challenge is that only affecting a few users not all, and it has been a problem since November so cant pin point to OS update or App update.

Is there anything in Dropbox admin about allowing app integration at the user level ?

Jay

There are these settings related to apps on your team, though it should be for the entire team, and not specific accounts.

Since it is occurring for certain users, it might be related to a device or account-specific issue for those users, especially since you're using different enterprise management services to distribute apps.

From the Dropbox side of things, our general troubleshooting steps would be to clear the cache, uninstall the app, fully reboot the device, and then reinstall the Dropbox mobile app. The same would need to be done with the Office apps as well, to clear any old settings which could be affecting the connection or authorization box.

Other possibilities could be a proxy, VPN, firewall, security software, or even ISP/router settings that could be restricting traffic to the following Dropbox domains.

Stewart TAS

Ive done multiple tests and it could be related to IOS version 17.3 - Dropbox version latest.

Users who can authenticate against Word (microsoft) are running IOS 16.6

Im testing on my personal Ipad running 17.3 with no Securly or firewall settings and it opens up the authenticator window, can see the actual box to authenticate in this case but it freezes the O365 application, kills it.

Im trying to get older ipads running 16.6 to test further, most have been upgraded.

Nancy

Hi from me too, @Stewart TAS! Let us know once you've got more updates, to see if there's something else we can suggest on our end.

rmg9p

Nancy, you folks at Dropbox should already have an answer for this and not wait for someone to try to figure this out. Not being able to open Dropbox files directly in Word on iPad Air is a problem for many of your users.

Megan

Hey there @rmg9p, thanks for posting!

Could you please let me know more about this? Do you get any specific errors when trying to open files directly in Word?

Have you fully updated your device's OS and the version of both our mobile app installed on your iPad and the MS Word app?

Let me know more, and we'll take it from there!

Clive Beardmore

For me it seems like I am in a circle. iPad OS 17.5.1 and Dropbox App at 382.2

Cannot get Dropbox files to open in Office 365, both fully licensed and used to work seamlessly together (for years!).

I keep being asked to authorise, including 2FA, but then end up being asked to log into Dropbox again. The handshake is broken.

Same situation on iPhone and iPad so unlikely to be just iPad related. Very frustrating.

I have seen a suggestion to delete and reinstall Dropbox. Do you believe that is a potential solution?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks Clive

Hannah

Hey @ Clive Beardmore, uninstalling and reinstalling both Dropbox and the Office app you're using is a pretty useful troubleshooting step, so I would suggest trying and then let us know what you find.

Clive Beardmore

Thanks Hannah, however I think I have found the issue after reading some threads. I have Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, all as separate apps, but only today (after months of this issue) was prompted to download the Office 365 App (which I did not know existed). Did not have to log in as the iPad already recognised the login. I can once again use the “Open In” button and it actually works.

I’ll be back to the community after further testing.

Thank you

Clive

Hannah

Sounds good, Clive, and thanks for the update!

If any issues come up, let us know.