Files Open as Read-Only?

I don't understand why when I open a file - it asks me at the top if I want to enable editing.

Are you opening the file directly from the Dropbox website? Files opened through a web browser are typically marked as Read Only.

But after i have closed the document and reopened it the edits I have made have gone.

When you open a file directly from the Dropbox website (or any website) that file is downloaded to temporary storage. If you make changes to the file and just save it as is, you're saving the copy in temporary storage. That file is not saved back to Dropbox automatically. You need to upload it back to Dropbox yourself.

Instead of selecting Save, select Save As and save the file to a location that's easy to get to (i.e. your Desktop, Downloads, etc.). When done, go back to the Dropbox website and upload the file to the folder you want it to be in.

I'm having this same issue at with our dropbox file on our work Macs.

We share a bunch of files in dropbox and now excel insists on trying to open them all read only. if I move the file out of the dropbox folder, it opens fine. It is only in the dropbox folder that it screws up.

I've done all the updates, there are no forward slashes in the file names. I've recreated the files so they are unlocked, but as soon as I put them in the dropbox they are locked again "read only'.

Are there any other options to try?

Thanks Michael S., hitting pause sync does seem to help with the files opening as read only on my work PC. It's a little annoying to have to do that everytime I want to work on a file, but probably the simplest fix for now.

Does dropbox not participate in this Forum

This is primarily a user supported forum. While a Dropboxer (that's a Dropbox employee) does post once in a while, the majority of the people replying here are users that volunteer their time. If you want an official response from Dropbox, then you need to open a ticket with Support.

Open your ticket here: https://www.dropbox.com/support
Track your ticket here: https://dropbox.zendesk.com

Replies take approximately 1 - 3 business days with Pro users getting priority (longer for Basic users).

Thank you I was having the same problem on my Mac and just removed the '/' from the file name and they are opening fine now :-)

As Nick P. already mentioned, as this turned out to be the solution for me:

http://www.howtogeek.com/211496/how-to-hide-files-and-view-hidden-files-on-mac-os-x/

My problem on my Mac was that .xlsx files were opening read only when opening from local dropbox folder, but the file perfectly opened (not read only) when I moved that file out of the dropbox folder. So the problem really is temporary files, Remove them and your problem is solved.

If you are using the app from the appstore Try uninstalling the app and go to dropbox,com and download dropbox directly.

I may have to find another program if DropBox can't fix this issue!  It is so annoying and I pay to use this, so I should not be annoyed.  

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Thomas F.4wrote:

I am using Dropbox desktop App on my Mac (home) and PC (work). On the Mac (OSX latest version and Office 2011) everything works fine. But on my PC (Windows 7 Pro, Office 2010) files open as Read Only. If I go to Properties and uncheck "read only" for the file or folder in question, it is fine. But when I reboot, all my Dropbox files once again default to "read only". Can you help?

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[This thread is now closed by moderators due to inactivity. If you're experiencing a similar behavior, feel free to start a new discussion in the Dropbox Community here.]