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Clicking on a Word doc / Excel spreadsheet on the website opens a preview, and not the file

I have been using Dropbox for years, but in last week or so every time I click on a file name (Dropbox online) it only gives me a preview pan on the right of screen and I have do an additional step and tell it to open with Word online / Excel online before I can edit it. It is very frustrating no going straight to the document with one click like it used to do. I had not changed anything, wondering if a recent update affected something? How can I change this back to a one-click access. I am using Dropbox online in Chrome browser. thanks for any tips!

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Nancy

Thanks for the screenshot! I think I may have understood what’s happening in this case.

When clicking on your Microsoft files at the All files tab, do you see something like a side preview on your screen?

If yes, please click on a small square button located above your files on the right side (it’s right next to the button that allows you to select the grid or list view), and choose to open your files in full screen, instead of quick view.

Does that help?

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Nancy

Hi @Belm, and thanks for posting on our forum!

If you go to your Apps tab here, and scroll down to the "Default editing apps” section, are your Microsoft files set to open with “Word for the web” and “Excel for the web” or are they set to “View on www.dropbox.com”?

If the former, please take a screenshot and upload it here. I’d like to check this further.

Otherwise, you can change the setting and your files should open like they used to.

Let me know how this goes.

Belm

Thanks Nancy - yes to the first part of your question. Screen shot as requested below:

Nancy

Thanks for the screenshot! I think I may have understood what’s happening in this case.

When clicking on your Microsoft files at the All files tab, do you see something like a side preview on your screen?

Does that help?

Belm

Yes - that has fixed the issue. Thank so much for your help!

Nancy

Glad to hear that did the trick!

If you need something else, don’t hesitate to ping me on the forum.

Dayinue

I’ve been a Dropbox user for ages, and I ran into the same issue recently. I think Dropbox did make some changes that impacted the one-click edit feature. I found a workaround that might help: when you have the preview panel open, try clicking the “Open” button at the top right corner of the preview. It should give you a dropdown with the option to open directly in Word Online or Excel Online, making the process a bit quicker.

Stroonexci

On a side note, I once had a similar problem while doing a project using Excel. I stumbled upon a website called MyExcelOnline that had some great tips and tricks for using Excel more efficiently. It's a handy resource if you’re looking to learn more about Excel.