Not able to download a photo from Dropbox to my phone. Why?

By using my son's seemingly unorthodox method of screen grabbing the photo and saving it I would say, yes, it has (?) Thank you so much for all your help ❤️

All comments

Hannah

Hey @Marshal mellow, thanks for your post.

If I understand correctly, you're having trouble downloading a file from Dropbox to your mobile device, right?

Have you taken a look at the steps in this article, to see if they help?

Keep me posted.

Hi Hannah,
Thank you so much for trying to help me. When I use Dropbox I feel really stupid 😭. When I push on the app all I can see are my camera pics and I can't seem to get farther than that no matter what I push

Hannah

No, please don't feel like that! We'll get to the bottom of this together, step by step! 🙂

You want to download a photo to the device, right?

First of all, are you on an Android phone or an iPhone?

And are you able to locate the photo in question when you open the Dropbox app?

Hi! I was able to find "all files". I chose any pic and downloaded it. Then when it said "open" I pushed it it and it was there with a lot of others I had apparently tried before. They were just letters like "you.jpg." or "me.jpg" and they wouldn't open

Nancy

Hello from me too, @Marshal mellow! Can you try to send us a screenshot of what you see on your end? It may be better to have a visual and guide you from there.

Here’s the button you can click to upload it here (before posting your reply):

The “Open” option that you mention, do you see this on the Dropbox app or your phone, after the file has been downloaded?

I'm sorry but maybe because I'm old I find the whole thing complicated. I can find my pictures when I log in. They have 3 dots next to them and no matter what I do I just get a check next to them. When I download load them and push open them I get what I said before, writing for what it is. I'm not able to do anything with it. This whole thing started with me trying to get a picture into my "photos". I don't seem to be getting any closer. 😩

Nancy

Hmm, let’s see. So, from what I’ve understood, you’re able to download your pictures to your mobile device, correct?

If you open the camera roll on your phone (not on the Dropbox app), where the rest of your local pictures should be, can you see it there?

Let me know, and we’ll go from there.

I'm sorry but I'm not. I push on the app and I see the photos from my camera. I push on one and I get a bunch of of folders and it says "can't use this folder". That's as far as I get.

Nancy

Hey @Marshal mellow, let’s try one more time.

Please open the Dropbox app, go to "Photos" (you will see that right at the bottom of the screen), find one of the pictures you want to save to your device.

Then, tap on it once, and let us know if you see a check-mark or if the photo loads, and we'll go from there.

Hi, I'm back and somewhat frustrated. I tried going to Dropbox online and can see my photos. I check one and push download and it goes somewhere, I'm not sure where, and it's just a bunch of writing. When I click on it it says "cannot open". That's as far as I can get.

Hi @Marshal mellow, in order to understand exactly what you're seeing, we need to see a screenshot of what you're describing.

iOS:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT200289

Android:

https://support.google.com/android/answer/9075928

Are you using an Android or iOS device? Which app are you using to open the photos? Any information you can provide would be useful.

Hi I'm using Android and the Dropbox app

Thanks for the info, if you're not able to take a screenshot using the steps above, please could you describe exactly each step and and button you are tapping on the screen, and what you're experiencing?

I hope this is what you want 🙏

Thank you so much for your help. I just get a check mark

This is an option to select the file, it doesn't download it automatically. You need to follow these steps to download a file to your phone directly. Are you able to see the ellipsis next to the file before adding a checkmark?

Using the app I can't even see my photos no matter what I push

Are you tapping the images once, or holding your finger on them instead, which would bring up the check mark?

Now I have a new problem. I just went the app and photos and all I get is a beige square with blue lines swirling around it. 😒

I'm sorry to say this but Dropbox is very confusing. Maybe I'll have better luck on my PC

Hm, odd @Marshal mellow.

Do you see this icon when you try to preview content using your "Photos" or "Files" tab on your mobile?

I replied, I think. I'm just touching them and I get a checkmark

Hey @Marshal mellow, you mentioned earlier that you get a "can't use this folder" error message.

Can you send me a screenshot of that, please? And if you could also walk me through the exact steps you follow in order to download your content, that'd be great.

Hi Megan,
My son is visiting and is young enough to know stuff I don't know. I can't seem to be able to bring up that "can't bring up this folder'' thing again but what my son did was to open the photo, take a screenshot and toss it into "Gallery" which I didn't know I had. Are my problems solved?

Hey @Marshal mellow, happy July 1st.

I wouldn't be able to answer that, I'm afraid.

I wanted to ask if the issue is now solved on your end. Let me know.

By using my son's seemingly unorthodox method of screen grabbing the photo and saving it I would say, yes, it has (?) Thank you so much for all your help ❤️

My pleasure @Marshal mellow!

If you need anything else, give us a shout! 🤗