"Can't open file" error for the Microsoft Excel files on my iPad.

Thanks for confirming! Next thing I’d like you to do is open the Microsoft Excel app on your iPad and follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Excel app

2. Tap account icon in top left corner

3. Tap 'Storage Accounts'

4. Add Dropbox account.

Please also make sure that there’s no more than one Dropbox account listed there.

All comments

Jay

Hi @Martie, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Just for confirmation, as you mentioned you updated them to the latest version for your device, what version of the Dropbox mobile app and iOS are you running?

Could you try marking the files as available offline to see if this helps when opening the Excel files?

This will help me to assist further!

OK, I marked files as available offline, but again, I can’t open them. It's also an intermittent problem, and I can’t figure out why I can sometimes open them and sometimes not.

iOS version 18.5

Dropbox version 426.6

Thanks for the update here, @Martie.

Are you getting the error above when you simply open the files to preview them in the Dropbox app? Or when trying to open them in the Excel app to edit them?

What is the size of the files giving you this error?

Previewing is fine. The problem is opening the files in Excel. My Excel files are small, none of them larger than 300 KB.

I see, thanks for the clarification, Martie.

Have you ever tried to uninstall/reinstall both Dropbox and the Excel app, to see if it helps?

I have now uninstalled and reinstalled the Dropbox app, and my files open perfectly. I just have no idea if the problem will strike again.

One thing that did change, however, is that before I uninstalled/reinstalled the app, while my files were opening, a dialog box would open and close on its own. Not the ‘Allow’ dialog box, but one that asked me to log in. Before I could do so, the box would disappear on its own. Perhaps this was part of the problem? Now, the box doesn’t appear anymore.

That's great to hear, Martie, I'm glad to see it worked!

Hopefully, it will remain this way, but if you come across any issues again, let us know.

Theresa

Hi @Martie and welcome to the Dropbox Community! It's great to have you here. Thanks for getting back to us to let us know your issue has been resolved. It's people like you who keep the Community spinning each day 😼.

By the way, I'm Theresa - you will see me here on the Community getting involved in threads and starting conversations 👩‍💻 . I'm curious - what would be your favourite Dropbox feature?

Looking forward to hearing from you,

T😺( Dropbox Community Manager)

Hi, bad news, I’m afraid. 😔 The intermittent problem hasn’t gone away after all. I’ve marked all Excel files as available off-line, deleted and reinstalled the Dropbox app, deleted and reinstalled Excel, and for a few days the problem seemed solved. Now it’s cropping up again. What else could I try?

Sorry to hear that, Martie.

If you do the uninstall/reinstall process again, does it help?

It’s very frustrating. Some of my Excel files open, others do not. Just now, none of my files would open. I can’t figure out if there’s a pattern. I’ve just deleted/reinstalled the app again; now some files open, and one in particular is still stubborn and won’t open.

I completely understand where you're coming from, Martie, and rest assured that we will get to the bottom of this, one way or another.

Is it possible to send us a screenshot of the error that you're getting?

Now that I need a screenshot, of course, all my files open! It’s a very cursory error message, saying something like “error the file can’t be opened.”

No worries, @Martie! If the error appears again, feel free to post it here then.

Ok. Here we go: this is the error I get.

Jay

Thanks for the image, @Martie.

As you mentioned that the file opens normally in the Dropbox mobile app, and you only get this error in the Excel app itself, there might be some issue with the connection there.

Are you able to open the Excel file in the iOS Files app when navigating your Dropbox account?

Do you have enough free space on your device in general?

Hi there, I can open the files through the Files app. I still have about 160GB on the device.

Walter

Hey @Martie - how large is your IPad's screen? If you're using a tablet larger than 10", Microsoft requires that you have an O365 license to use Office applications.

My screen is 10.9”. I bought the licence for the Office 365 apps. The problem happens intermittently; otherwise, I have no problems with Excel or any other Office app. I can also open the files in Excel in my phone, and open Excel files on my iPad through the Files app.

If you save one of the Excel files you can’t currently open to your iPad, are you having any issues opening it then? Or are you able to access it, just like you can on your Files app?

Yes, I can open the file if I saved it to my iPad.

Thanks for confirming! Next thing I’d like you to do is open the Microsoft Excel app on your iPad and follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Excel app

2. Tap account icon in top left corner

3. Tap 'Storage Accounts'

4. Add Dropbox account.

Please also make sure that there’s no more than one Dropbox account listed there.

Done!

Perfect! Are you still unable to open your Excel files now?

My files are opening! The problem has been intermittent, though, so I’m not 100% sure the problem is solved. Shall I mark the above as the solution, until (if) the problem crops up again? I’m cautiously optimistic ...