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Forum Discussion
I only seem to have read-only rights to my files on the Win11 Dropbox app
This has been mentioned before, but none of the "solutions" provided are working for me. I'm running Windows 11, and have installed the Dropbox Desktop app, both from the app store and the offline installer (uninstalled and restarted between), but I still can't open any of my Dropbox files as anything but "Read-only". I've tried going to properties and unchecking "read-only", but it just comes back when I open properties again. I tried changing properties as an administrator, also with no change.
Dropbox desktop is useless if you can't read AND WRITE to the files. How do I fix this?
- Nancy
Dropbox Staff
Thanks for posting this here, MrsBearshark.
As a first step, can you send me a screenshot of what you see when opening a file on your Dropbox app to edit it?
Also, what’s your Dropbox app’s syncing status and app version?
Let me know, and we’ll go from there.
- I installed Dropbox today, so it’s the latest version. The error I get is “this file is read only, would you like to open as read only?”
- I’m not sure how to check the syncing status since there’s no way to actually open the Dropbox app and look at anything once you’ve set up a folder.
Hello MrsBearshark,
Based on the screenshots, the reason why that DWG file appears read-only is because you are trying to open it from the ZIP archive file that contains it. Due to Windows having built-in support for browsing the contents of ZIP archives in Windows Explorer, it makes it appear as if that were a folder.
That also explains why the location of files that you see as read-only is “(Archive Root Directory)”. Because you are not opening the DWG file from an actual folder (directory), but from the ZIP file that Windows presents the contents of as read-only virtual folders.
The reason why those files are shown as read-only is because Windows has support for reading and browsing ZIP files in Windows Explorer, but not for editing them. Editing them would require extracting the contents of the ZIP file into an actual folder.
Hope this helps.
Andrew (DBoxTips)I am not opening from a ZIP file. There are files in these folders that are ZIPed, but the ones I'm trying to open and having issues with are not. They are the full, extracted files.
I agree I could be completely wrong since I don't have the full context that you have by accessing your computer. I am just trying to help based on the information you provided:
MrsBearshark wrote:
When I check the properties for that file, it says the location is "Archive Root Directory"
Your screenshot suggests that file 2024-03-27 Topaz Rev03.dwg has been opened from "2024-03-27 Topaz Rev03 - Standard.zip". In order to open it when you double-click it, Windows Explorer temporarily extracted the .dwg file to a Windows user temporary folder (highlighted by the red rectangle in the screenshot above). In case the file were fully extracted in the Dropbox folder, the location in the screenshot above would have been a path inside the Dropbox folder, as opposed to one in the user temporary folder.
From your screenshot it appears that Windows 11 is being used. Please keep in mind that in Windows 11 the visual distinction between a regular file folder and a compressed (zipped) folder is very subtle, so it can lead to this kind of confusion.
One way to make sure that you are dealing with a regular file folder and not a compressed (zipped) folder is to look at the folder icon in Windows Explorer.
It should look like this:
instead of this:
If you could send a screenshot of one of the folders where files that experience the read-only behavior are located, as seen in Windows Explorer (so that the folder icon would be visible), it could help with figuring this out.
Thanks,
Andrew (DBoxTips)
