I have 7.7GB of 22.5GB used in dropbox but dropbox says I have used 21.78GB, why?
Also, Excel Files stored in Dropbox, when opened are saying 'Read Only' even though the 'Attributes' box is NOT Ticked.
Hey @Drum, welcome to our Community!
Regarding your account's storage space, can you clarify what you see when visiting your plan page online? To calculate the size of your files and folders, you can follow these steps. Have you checked your Backups page? Finally, keep in mind that shared files and folders use space from your Dropbox account as well.
As for your second issue regarding Excel files, can you please let us know if you are logged into your Microsoft account when trying to edit them? Can you also send us a screenshot of the read-only error message you keep receiving so we can get a better visual?
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Backups page is not & has never been used & it says 14.1GB! Surely that should say 22.5GB as this is the real amount of storage that I obtained a long time ago through referrals.
Also the method advised doesn't give me the correct information. The File Info for my 2 main files is grossly understated for one file while the other doesn't display any size value. You can see the File Info for the file 'Service' shown on the right of the first screenshot, it doesn't give any Size Value!
I obtained my File sizes from my computer's file properties. One file is 5.75GB & the other is 1.95GB.
Regarding the 'Read Only' issue;
I am using a computer based Lifetime version of MS Office 2021, Not the online 365 version.
I did a cross check & copied my Excel Files from Dropbox onto an external drive which is permanently attached to my computer & when the same files were opened from the External Drive, they were normal i.e. they were not 'Read Only'.
Thanks for the additional info and the screenshots, @Drum.
Regarding your space usage, from what I can understand from both the info you have provided and your screenshots, you currently have 7.7 GB of normal files (shared and non-shared) plus 14.1 GB of backup files. This means you have 21.8 GB of files in total, which sounds right according to your initial post.
You should also be able to verify that in your account settings here.
In your screenshot it looks like the backup files came from an external drive, which you should be able to view by clicking on "External Drive" here.
Now about your Excel issue, can you please clarify where you see that the files are read-only? Is it when opening the files from your local Dropbox folder or from the Dropbox website?
Local excel files are showing as 'read only'!
I tried to open the Excel files from the Dropbox Website but because it wants to use Excel 365 Web version only, I didn't open it.
I deleted those 14.1GB of Backup files (videos from a dashcam) which I didn't want or need & now have plenty of free space.
Thanks for that information.
Just in case it was a glitch, I restarted my computer after deleting the 14.1GB of Backup Files but the files are still 'Read Only'.
Also, in case Norton Security was having any effect, I temporarily turned off the Firewall & Auto Protect & then opened the Excel files but they were still 'Read Only'.
Happy to help, @Drum, and thanks for the update.
Would you mind sending me a screenshot of what the files look like in your Dropbox folder?
Also, are you having this issue with other MS Office files or just the Excel ones? And does it concern all your Excel files or only some of them?
Lastly, what is the sync status of the Dropbox app on your computer? You can see this info by hovering over the Dropbox icon in your task bar.
The 'Read Only' problem only exists with ALL of the Excel Files, I also use Word & Outlook but they are not affected.
Hovering over the Dropbox Icon on the Taskbar says 'Dropbox 267.4.3466' & 'Up To Date'.
Thanks for checking, @Drum.
If you close the Dropbox app entirely, does the issue persist?
Yes Hannah, the 'Read Only' problem persists even with the Dropbox App closed down.
Hmm, if the issue persists while the Dropbox app is closed, then I'm not sure it's actually related to Dropbox.
Were these files shared with you by someone else or did you manually add them to your Dropbox folder?
If you move them out of the Dropbox folder to, say, your desktop, are you able to open and edit them?
No, I have never shared any of these files with anyone.
I've been using them with Dropbox for at least 10 years.
Also remember when I copy them out of the Dropbox folder, I can open them without any 'Read Only' restriction.
Can you please try moving them out of your Dropbox folder and then back in again @Drum?
Also, have you ensured that your Microsoft Excel app on your computer and your computer's OS are up to date?
I have already moved (copied) the files out.
Tomorrow I will delete the files remaining in the Dropbox folder & then copy them back into the Dropbox folder again.
Yes my version of office which is 2021 H & B is current even though there is a newer version called 2024 but it's not substantially different.
My OS is W10 which has been working with MSO 2021 for the last 4 years without any issues.
N B. This problem only started today!
I see, thanks for the additional information and please let us know if the problem persists after moving the files into your Dropbox folder @Drum.
Also, can you see any mention of any Microsoft app or integration in your apps tab in your online settings?
Unfortunately after I moved the Kingdom Folder from my external drive back into the Dropbox Folder, the Excel Files once again opened as 'Read Only' files!
Below is a screenshot of the detail contained in the Apps Tab. It shows Word, Excel
This morning I went to the Dropbox folder on my computer, right clicked on it & found that the 'Attributes' box was filled in (not a tick). I clicked on it to remove the 'Filled in' state & the process shown below started. After a couple of minutes it completed the process. I then opened my Excel Files again but Unfortunately, they are still 'Read Only'.
Hey there, @Drum!
Can you also make sure and check that all your Excel files are read-only? You should be able to right-click on an Excel file in your Dropbox folder, select Properties, and make sure "Read-only" isn't checked.
Also, can you try to create a new Excel file directly in your Dropbox folder and see if you can open it normally through File Explorer?
If I were you I'd also contact Microsoft for more info, as this appears to be more on their turf.
Megan,
One of the first things I did (mentioned in my first posts) was to check the 'Read Only' attribute of the Excel Files. As you can see in this screenshot, it is not ticked!
Also,
Bear in mind that I have copied a 5.75GB File out of the Dropbox Folder & placed it in an external Drive. I can open & edit all the same Excel Files from this location - no issues whatsoever!
Then copying that 5.75GB file back into Dropbox & the problem returns upon opening those same files!
Yes, I was able to create a new Excel file, save it to the Dropbox Folder & close it. Upon Reopening this file I was able to open it & edit it without any restriction.
After creating, saving, closing & reopening the new file I double checked the original 'Read Only' files & they are still the same, i.e. they cannot be edited & saved with the original name!
I've carried out another Test.
I copied an Excel file out of the Dropbox Folder & placed it directly on my computer's Desktop.
Upon opening this Excel File, it is 'Read Only'!
I then copied this same file out again to my External Drive & opened it from there. It opens normally & can be edited & saved with the same name!
Hey @Drum!
That's amazing. Is it safe to assume that everything is working as expected now?
Unfortunately No Megan!
All the existing Excel files stored in the Dropbox folder are still 'Read Only"!
Whatever is causing it, also affects those same files if moved directly to the 'C Drive' but doesn't affect them if moved to an external drive!
Based on the details provided, I'm leaning toward this not being a Dropbox-specific issue. Keep in mind that the behavior persists even when the Dropbox app is closed, and you mentioned the file opened successfully once moved to an external drive. If this were caused by Dropbox, we wouldn't see the same issue with files located directly on your desktop.
It might be worth checking the 'Security' tab in the file properties. Try comparing the permissions when the file is in your local Dropbox folder versus when it's moved to the external drive; any discrepancies there could help pinpoint the root cause.
Additionally, since the behavior points away from Dropbox, it would be useful to see if this is device-specific. Are you able to test the file on another device to see if the issue persists? That should help determine if the problem is isolated to your current machine.
