What types of files can I preview in Dropbox?

Updated Nov 13, 2023

Dropbox can preview the types of files listed in this article. If a file type isn’t shown, you can still open it by downloading the file first.

We recommend searching this article for your file type by pressing control-f (Windows) or command-f (Mac) on your keyboard.

See a list of file types that preview with Dropbox on a mobile device.

Not using Dropbox yet? See how Dropbox helps you effortlessly share files and folders.

Why can’t I preview my file?

If you’re having trouble previewing a file, Dropbox may be unable to support your file type, or it might be too big to be previewed. Check the table in this article for size limits and file types that Dropbox supports.

You can also check this article for common error messages and fixes.

Notes:

Previews will be generated only for the file types available to the file owner. For example, if a user on a Dropbox Basic plan shares a .mxf file with a user on a Dropbox Professional Plan, the user on the Dropbox Professional plan will not be shown a preview, even though the Dropbox Professional plan allows previews for those file types.
Customers who have purchased the Dropbox Replay Add-On (formerly the Creative Tools Add-On) can preview files up to 150 GB in size.

File types that preview as a presentation

If your file has one of the following extensions, it will preview as a presentation.

For the preview to work, your file must be smaller than the size limit listed in the chart.

File type	Size limit
.key*	288 MB
.kth*	288 MB
.odp	288 MB
.ppt	288 MB
.pps	288 MB
.ppsm	288 MB
.ppsx	288 MB
.pptm	288 MB
.pptx	288 MB
.xd	1 GB

File types that preview as an image

If your file has one of the following extensions, it will preview as an image.

For the preview to work, your file must be smaller than the size limit listed in the chart.

File type	Size limit
.3fr	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.ai	256 MB or 50 megapixels
.arw	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.bmp	100 MB or 50 megapixels
.cr2	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.crw	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.dcr	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.dcs	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.dng	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.dwg (Dropbox Professional, Advanced, Enterprise, and Education accounts only)	100 MB
.erf	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.gif	100 MB or 50 megapixels
.heic	100 MB or 50 megapixels
.jpeg	100 MB or 50 megapixels
.jpg	100 MB or 50 megapixels
.kdc	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.mef	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.mos	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.mrw	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.nef	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.nrw	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.orf	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.pef	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.png	100 MB or 50 megapixels
.ppm	100 MB or 50 megapixels
.psd	1024 MB or 50 megapixels
.r3d	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.raf	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.rw2	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.rwl	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.sr2	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.svg	48 MB or 50 megapixels
.svgz	48 MB or 50 megapixels
.tif	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.tiff	200 MB or 50 megapixels
.wbmp	100 MB or 50 megapixels
.webp	100 MB or 50 megapixels
.x3f	200 MB or 50 megapixels

File types that preview as a video

If your file has one of the following extensions, it will preview as a video.

For the preview to work, your file must be smaller than 100 GB.

Note: File limits are 150 GB with the Dropbox Replay Add-On.

.3gp	.3gpp	.3gpp2	.asf	.avi	.dv
.m2t	.m4v	.mkv	.mov	.mp4	.mpeg
.mpg	.mts	.mxf†	.ogv	.rm	.ts
.vob	.webm	.wmv

File types that preview as a zip file

If your file has one of the following extensions, it will preview as a zip file. You’ll be able to see a list of all folders and files within the zip.

For the preview to work, your file must be smaller than 512 MB.

.7z	.bz	.bz2	.cpio	.gz	.iso
.lha	.lz	.lzh	.lzma	.rar	.tar
.taz	.tbz	.tbz2	.tgz	.tlz	.txz
.tz	.xar	.xz	.z	.zip

File types that preview as an audio file

If your file has one of the following extensions, it will preview as an audio file.

For the preview to work, your file must be smaller than 1 GB.

.aac	.aif/.aiff	.m4a	.m4r	.mp3	.oga
.ogg	.wav	.wma

File types that preview as a text file

If your file has one of the following extensions, it will preview as a text file.

For the preview to work, your file must be smaller than 8 MB.

.as	.as3	.asm	.aspx	.bat	.c
.cc	.cmake	.coffee	.cpp	.cs	.css
.cxx	.diff	.erb	.erl	.groovy	.gvy
.h	.haml	.hh	.hpp	.hxx	.java
.js	.json	.jsx	.less	.lst	.m
.make	.markdown	.md	.mdown	.mkdn	.ml
.mm	.out	.patch	.php	.pl	.plist
.properties	.py	.rb	.sass	.scala	.scm
.script	.scss	.sh	.sml	.sql	.swift
.txt	.vb	.vi	.vim	.xhtml	.xml
.xsd	.xsl	.yaml	.yml

File types that preview as a document

If your file has one of the following extensions, it will preview as a document.

For the preview to work, your file must be smaller than the listed size limit.

File type	Size limit
.csv	40 MB
.doc	160 MB
.docx	160 MB
.docm	160 MB
.eps	256 MB
.hwp	40 MB
.numbers*	40 MB
.ods	40 MB
.odt	40 MB
.otf	32 MB
.pages*	40 MB
.pdf	500 MB
.ps	256 MB
.rtf	160 MB
.sketch	1 GB
.ttf	32 MB
.wpd	160 MB
.xd	1 GB
.xls	40 MB
.xlsm	40 MB
.xlsx	40 MB