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Problem sharing files. Once I email the document, no one can open the links.

I am trying to send a word document with links to files I've uploaded to my Dropbox. The links work when I read the document on my computer but once I email the document, no one can open the links. I've emailed to myself and I can't open the links from the attached file either. This is the error message I get:

Error (400)

Something went wrong. Don't worry, your files are still safe and the Dropbox team has been notified. Check out our Status page to see if there is a known incident, our Help Centre and forums for help, or head back to home.

I'm using A Dell Inspiron Laptop that I've been using successfully for three years or more and often shared files using dropbox till this error started happening last week. The Laptop is not listed on my Drp[box list of devices - maybe that's the problem? Is there a way to add a device?

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Megan

Hey @NoirinS, let's jump right into this!

Do you notice this 400 error on a specific browser? Have you tried using an entirely different one?

It's odd that your device isn't listed under your connected computers. Is it possible that you're using the website, instead of our app?

I'm asking because your Dropbox list of devices shows your connected devices at that moment. All you'd need to do would be to download, and install our app if you haven't already.

I'll be waiting for your updates!

All comments

Megan

Hey @NoirinS, let's jump right into this!

Do you notice this 400 error on a specific browser? Have you tried using an entirely different one?

It's odd that your device isn't listed under your connected computers. Is it possible that you're using the website, instead of our app?

I'm asking because your Dropbox list of devices shows your connected devices at that moment. All you'd need to do would be to download, and install our app if you haven't already.

I'll be waiting for your updates!

NoirinS

Thanks Megan, I downloaded the app and all the links then worked fine in the shared document.

Strange things is I'd been sharing files for years via the website Dropbox, its only last week that this error started.

Anyway, its working agin now, so thank you very much.

Regards,

Noirin

NoirinS

Hi again Megan,

I've just noticed that the problem still holds if I attach the file rather than share it as a link to the dropbox version i.e. the links in a word document don't work unless I share the word document as a dropbox link.

Its not a problem, I'm happy to share as a link, but just wanted to check if that's normal?

Thanks,

Noirin

Megan

Hey @NoirinS, what steps do you follow on your end when attaching the file?

And do you attach it directly to your Word documents? If you could walk me through the process that you follow, I'd appreciate that.

NoirinS

Hi Megan,

The links are in the word document. On my computer the links work fine when I open the document.

Then I write an email and attach that document to the email. People can open and download the document, but the links don't work. Same for me when I email the doc to myself, the links don't work when I try them via the emailed copy of the document.

Does that give you the info you require? Not sure how to spell it out more clearly.

I've tried using Microsoft Edge as my browser as well as Google - same error on both.

Thanks for your help,

Noirin

Jay

Hi @NoirinS, if the links works normally, then something in Word itself is changing the links.

Have you tried copying and pasting the link, without opening it, to see if something has changed? Have you tried contacting Microsoft support for them to assist with the Word issue?

NoirinS

Hi Jay,

I looked at the links as you suggested and the emailed link had added the letters amp; just before the end:

Emailed link (last few ldigits): 4ebh1debv&dl=0

Original document link: 4ebh1debv&dl=0

I then set up a test doc with a link to see would it always add the letters amp; at the same place, and for the first time in over a week, the link worked in the emailed document! And there was no difference in the hyperlinks. (System must have known it was being tested so decided to be good!)

Weird. Can't see anything I have done to fix it. Maybe an intermittant fault? But several times over the past week it has failed.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestion - it certainly seems to have helped!

Best,

Noirin

Rich

@NoirinS wrote:
I looked at the links as you suggested and the emailed link had added the letters amp; just before the end ...

Just for some additional insight, what you're seeing with & being added to your link is actually the link being encoded, likely by your email client, to remove certain characters. In this case, the ampersand (&) is being encoded as &.