How to play video and audio files in Dropbox

Updated Oct 10, 2023

This article describes a feature available to all Dropbox users.

You can upload and share audio and video files on Dropbox, just like any other kind of file. Learn how to add files and folders to your Dropbox account.

Note: This article is about video and audio files you've uploaded to your Dropbox account, not about video or audio you’ve recorded with Dropbox Capture. Learn more about Dropbox Capture.

How to play video or audio files

To play a video or audio file you’ve stored in your Dropbox account:

Log in to dropbox.com.
Click All files in the left sidebar.
- You can also click Folders in the left navigation bar to locate your file.
Click the name of an audio or video file to view a preview. Learn more about how to preview files.
- To preview an audio or video file in a specific language, click the gear icon at the bottom right of the preview page. Then, click Audio track and select the language you’d like.
  - Note:This option is only available for files that have multiple audio tracks.
Click the preview to play it.

You can take the following actions while previewing your video:

Play the video by clicking the play button (triangle pointing to the right).
Change the playback speed by clicking 1x in the lower left corner and choosing a playback speed.
Skip forward or backward by 10 seconds by clicking the skip icons (10 with arrows pointing right or left) to the right of the play button.
Adjust the volume by clicking the speaker icon.
Change the quality of the video by clicking Auto, 360p, 480p, or 720p.
Generate or turn off captions for your file by clicking the closed captions icon (rectangle with two c’s).
View the video in fullscreen by tapping the fullscreen icon (rectangle with two arrows) in the lower right corner.
Trim, crop, rotate, flip, or transcribe your video by using the corresponding button at the top of the screen. Some teams may also have the option to use Dropbox AI with videos.
- If you’re using quick view, you’ll need to click “…” (ellipsis) to access the Transcribe and Dropbox AI buttons.

Open the Dropbox mobile app.
Tap the name of an audio or video file to view a preview. Learn more about how to preview files.
Tap the preview to play it.

If you’re watching a video on iOS, you can also:

Scrub backward and forward by dragging your finger along the timeline.
Skip forward or backward by 15 seconds by tapping the skip icons (15 with arrows pointing right or left) to the right and left of the Play button.
Change the playback speed by tapping 1x in the bottom left corner and choosing a playback speed.
Put the video on repeat by tapping the loop icon (two arrows in a circle) in the bottom-right corner.
View the video in fullscreen by tapping the fullscreen icon (rectangle with two arrows) in the top right corner.
Minimize the video while you use other apps by tapping the picture-in-picture icon (two rectangles) in the top-right corner.
Cast your video to AirPlay by tapping the cast icon (rectangle with an up arrow) in the top-right corner.