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An Excel file I share with a Business team is creating conflicted copies

I am currently working on a project for an organisation with an excel file. The excel file is contained in their Dropbox and which I 'share' and have edit rights. This is where I am confused and hope to get a clearer view of what is happening.

I have created an excel file and uploaded to the shared drive. I assume that when I open the file to view/amend etc, I am in my personal account not their business account.

When I or someone else opens the file, it is creating a conflicted copy of the file. So anytime someone accesses the file it will create a 'conflicted copy' no matter whether it is a member sharing through their business account or me via my personal account?

Is there no way to sync a file?

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DebraV

Thanks Mark for your help!

If I was able use Dropbox on my desktop that would be great (and may solve a problem) but I use it on the desktop for another organisation. I assume its still a case on not having more than one available on desktop? I use the other orgs files daily so its not a possibility of dumping theirs.

Pity there isn't a way of switching between the two.

Thank you!

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Mark

If you open the file inside of the Dropbox folder and INSIDE of the share while online you should be able to work on it together IF you have the right account type: https://help.dropbox.com/view-edit/edit-microsoft-office-documents

DebraV

Hi Mark

Sooo the problem may be that I work in Excel for the Web and the others open with Excel?

Mark

Yes.

Or the other common issue is that people dont open via Excel on a computer from Dropbox directly on their computer but rather download it, open it, edit and upload it

DebraV

I thought that would have been part of the problem. I am not accessing the file through the 'business' account (can't), I have to do it via my own 'personal' account where they are given 'sharing' rights. I may have to talk to them about either giving me access to their account or if i do anything to the file download and then get a business member to upload it. Am i on the right path?

Mark

If you dont want sharing conflicts you all need to be in same shared folder with same read write access.

DebraV

Thanks Mark for your help!

Pity there isn't a way of switching between the two.

Thank you!

DebraV

I am working on a project for an organisation and they have shared certain folders with me which I work with but in my personal account.

This has been a troublesome with some of the things that I am trying to achieve (Dropbox desktop app, only able to open with Excel on the Web - they use desktop version). I am looking for solutions to suggest to them.

Getting full access to their business account is probably not likely but I wondered whether security and permissions can give me business account access but only to some folders?

Open to suggestions!

Many thanks

Debbie

Mark

If you have installed on a computer it should open in whatever apps are on your computer as long as you have them available (e.g. if you open the Dropbox folder and double click an Excel file it will open in Excel on the machine as long as its installed).

The settings you already have - i.e. access to the shared folder is exactly how that should work.

DebraV

Hi Mark

This is all I see when I open the file.

I have to open it from Dropbox.com as I can use it via desktop app. When I access the other orgs files (which I use via desktop) I see this:

The others who use the folder have been using Excel. I wrote the file for Excel for the Web but they prefer to use desktop Excel. So things like links are not working when they access the file. I would like to be able to work within the same version to ensure that what is there is workable.

From what I understand, I can only link 2 accounts on the desktop app if one is a business account. That is why I was wondering if security and permissions can be to the folder level. They may be agreeable to giving me access only to what I need instead of all of it.

They have shared the folder with me (to my personal account) but I can only access it via the web. I already have another organisations accounts on desktop. It is a paid personal account not 'business' so I can't link both. I know its confusing i am just trying to think of ways around the issue.

Thanks!

Debbie

Mark

Hi,

So the permissions are as you have them - there isnt anything you can alter here. Dropbox simply has differing features based upon the account type. If you are in a shared folder accessing the data that way there is no difference in this between any account type (even free) other than quota.

@DebraV wrote:
From what I understand, I can only link 2 accounts on the desktop app if one is a business account. That is why I was wondering if security and permissions can be to the folder level. They may be agreeable to giving me access only to what I need instead of all of it.

They have shared the folder with me (to my personal account) but I can only access it via the web. I already have another organisations accounts on desktop. It is a paid personal account not 'business' so I can't link both. I know its confusing i am just trying to think of ways around the issue.

If they add you as a business user they will be charged and you can add it to your desktop account - they can just give you access to that one folder if needed as before. But, note that even if you have it set up and working links wise on your desktop verison of Excel it wont work for them - because the links are specific to your device (i.e. things like C:\users\Debbie). When they open them on their machine it will look for things using your links.

Excel simply isnt designed to work as a database across multiple users. Its designed for one person. One device.

DebraV

Hi Mark

Think I have found a solution (won't know till I try it out completely). What I have done is created a new windows profile and it now allows me to login under that profile and access Dropbox via the desktop! So that's one problem solved. I will see if this helps with the other issues.

Again many thanks for your assistance in these problems, appreciate the help😊