How to open online-only files on macOS

Dropbox is expanding the rollout of full support for macOS 12.5 and higher. This update fixes issues related to opening online-only files in third-party applications for users on macOS 12.5 and higher. 

When you’re eligible, you’ll receive a notification from the Dropbox icon in your menu bar. As a workaround, users on these versions of macOS can open online-only files directly in Finder.

How to open files when they’re online-only

Note: Online-only files on macOS 12.3 and higher will show as zero bytes in size.

To open online-only files:

Note: Online-only files have a cloud icon next to them.

  1. Open your Dropbox folder in Finder.
  2. Double-click the file you’d like to open.
  3. The file will be downloaded within your Dropbox folder and will open in its default app.

To make an online-only file available to open in third-party applications:

  1. Open your Dropbox folder in Finder.
  2. Right-click the file you want to make available.
  3. Click Make available offline.
  4. The file will be downloaded within your Dropbox folder.

Note: Once the online-only file has been downloaded, the file icon will change to a green checkmark.

The downloaded file can then be opened through any third-party application.

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