Previewing files in the Dropbox app
The Dropbox Android app automatically previews the following types of files:
- Adobe files:
- PDF (.pdf)
- Illustrator (.ai, .eps)
- Photoshop (.psd)
- Images (.bmp, gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tif, .tiff, .svg)
- Microsoft files
- Microsoft Word documents (.doc, .docx)
- Microsoft PowerPoint presentations (.ppt, .pptx, .pptm, .pps, .ppsm, .ppsx)
- Microsoft Excel spreadsheets (.xls, .xlsx)
- Raw images (.cr2, .crw, .nef, .nrw, .sr2, .dng, .arw, .orf)
- Text files (.txt, .csv, .rtf, .odt, .md)
- Videos (.3gp, .3gpp, .3gpp2, .asf, .avi, .dv, .m2t, .m4v, .mkv, .mov, .mp4, .mpeg, .mpg, .mts, .oggtheora, .ogv, .rm, .ts, .vob, .webm, .wmv, .flv)
Note: You may see a pop-up notification above the preview. This tells you that there's an updated version available, and who made the changes. Tapping Refresh will update the preview to show the latest file version.
For other types of files, the app will automatically search your device for an application that can open the file type you are attempting to view or edit. By default, the Android OS can open the following file formats:
- Audio (.aac, .flac, .m4a, .mp3, .oga, .wav, .wma)
Your device may be able to open more file formats natively, depending on your hardware and OS version. Otherwise, if Dropbox can't find an application capable of viewing your file type, you'll need to install an app that can open your file.
The Android website has more information on Android supported media formats. To learn more about playing media through the Dropbox mobile application, visit our help center article on converting media for your device.
Opening and editing files in another app
If you'd like to open or edit any of your Dropbox files in a third-party application, you can do so by opening the file with another app.
- Launch Dropbox and browse to the file you'd like to open with another app.
- Tap the downward arrow to the right of the file you'd like to open or edit.
- Tap Open With to see a list of available applications to open the file with. You can tap Always to set this as the default app to open files of this type. If you ever want to reset your default apps, you can do so in the Dropbox app settings.
Export files to local storage
The Dropbox Android app also allows you to manually export files to your local storage or an SD card, if you have one.
- Launch Dropbox and browse to the file you'd like to export.
- Tap the downward arrow to the right of the file you'd like to export.
- Tap Export.
Dropbox will automatically generate a list of apps you can export files to, or you can select Save to device to save the file to your local storage. If you cannot view your SD card after tapping Save to device, tap the menu button in the top-right of the screen and select Settings. Verify that Show advanced devices is checked.
What if my documents aren't previewing on the Dropbox app?
If a document preview isn't working, it is likely because your file is password protected. This is to ensure that files remain private until a password is entered. To open password-protected files from Dropbox:
- Tap the file you want to open (you'll see a Preview not available message).
- Tap the Open With button.
- If given the option, select a program to open the file with.
- You will then see a screen that allows you to enter the password.
If you have a file with a supported file type that is still not previewing on your Android device, contact the Dropbox Support team.
