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Folder shared with a user opens in the web instead of Windows Explorer

Hi,

I am having an issue with a folder that is being shared to a user.

When shared, the user receives a notification in their Dropbox application to let them know it has been shared with them.

However, when following the notification to the file, it opens in the web, instead of the local file explorer.

I understand that this is likely because the file has not been synced onto the computer and is accessible in the web through the share.

This is causing a hassle as the user typically works from the files available to them on their local computer.

Pausing/Resuming sync, restarting Dropbox and restarting the computer do not bring the folder off the web.

At the moment, the only work around I have found is to sign the user out and in again to force Dropbox to re-index the folders.

I would also like to refrain from downloading the folder and having them work off it until the sync comes through, as to avoid any conflicts that may occur if another person edits the files in the gap between the sync.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

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Nancy

Hi @DeoTech3! Welcome aboard our Community.

At the moment, it’s only possible to join a shared folder by going to www.dropbox.com, and adding it to Dropbox via the Shared tab first.

Do you mean that this user is adding this folder to their Dropbox account via the Shared tab, and it still doesn’t sync locally to their desktop app after that?

If yes, what’s the average size of the folders you’re sharing with them? The reason I’m asking is because syncing may take more time depending on how large a folder/file is.

As per the folder editing, it's always advised to have only one person edit the same files at a time, so as to avoid conflicted copies. You can also check this Help Center article on what you can do to prevent that.

Let me know more details, and we’ll have a look.

DeoTech3

Hi Nancy,

It's less the user adding the folder to their account, and more an admin giving the user permissions to the folder by sharing the folder with the user.

So far, I've had the user wait up to 4 hours and it still hadn't come through, so I had to do the re-index fix.

As for the average folder size, they range anywhere between 10MB to 500MB.
The most recent one that I let sit for 4 hours was 12.8MB.

Thanks,
Dale

Nancy

Hi again, Dale! Can you clarify what’s your current plan?

If you’re on Dropbox Business, is this user part/member of your team as well, or are they an external user instead?

DeoTech3

Hi Nancy,

That would be Dropbox Business.

This user is part of the same team that the content is being shared from.

Thanks,

Dale

Nancy

Thanks for clarifying, Dale! Have you also checked the team selective sync settings to make sure the default option isn’t to have folders stored on the Dropbox website only?

This would prevent them from syncing locally to the desktop app, so it’s a possible explanation.

DeoTech3

Hi Nancy,

Here are the settings set for the team.

My understanding with 'Online-only' meant that the folders would still be visible in the explorer and in the app, just not stored on the computer until opened.

When reviewing selective sync on the user side, the shared folder does not appear in the selective sync settings.

Hannah

Sorry to jump in here, @DeoTech3.

Just to make sure I have this right, the issue here is that the folder in question does not sync to the user's computer, right?

Does the name of the folder contain any of the characters in this article?

This might cause the folder to not sync.

DeoTech3

Hi Hannah,

No worries at all! I appreciate all input.

I can confirm that the folders in question do not contain special characters that would prevent sync. Typically a folder will appear after I sign the user out and sign them back in, (re-index), so the folders don't have an issue syncing after that.

Thanks,

Dale

Jay

Hi @DeoTech3, just for clarification, is it only for this specific folder, or this specific user, or does it apply to any new folder or user invite?

Additionally, since you have team selective sync enabled from your image, this means that you could have some folders that automatically are not downloaded to machines.

Could you ensure that none are set to 'Don’t sync automatically' using the steps in the above article?

DeoTech3

Hi Jay,

Thanks for you reply.

This is currently happening to 1 specific user and applies to any folder that has been shared to them. The rest of the users already have full access to the folders being shared to this 1 user. (They are a new staff member gradually being shared certain client files for security reasons).

Here is a screenshot of the setting you mentioned on the main folder.

(The subfolders do not have the sync default setting under the 3 dots like the main one does).

Thanks,

Dale

Jay

Since it's affecting a specific user, it might be best to contact the support team directly as they should have more insight into the permissions that user might have on your team.

DeoTech3

Ok thanks Jay.

I had performed a full uninstall of the Dropbox app for the user and hadn't heard from them in a while, so I thought it might have been fixed. However, I just recently got another report of the issue happening again, so I will raise with Dropbox Support.

Thanks everyone for contributing!