Files have a brown box on their icon and dont open in Windows 11

Anonymous
2022-02-12T17:29:29+00:00

What is going on here? There is no information anywhere so it obviously isnt a problem for everyone.

Most of my files stored on Dropbox now have a small brown file box icon on the lower left corner of the main icon for all MS Office files. They open perfectly well on the phone and a laptop running Windows 10 but not on my laptop running Windows 11.

I get an error message saying the program cant open it because the file is unsupported or may be corrupt.

Why the **** do they release an OS that doesn't work with their own programs??

Please help,

Thanks

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-02-14T14:20:47+00:00

    Thanks!

    I just did the same.

    I had several files i was unable to access.

    After a recent windows update suddenly some files were locked and showed the small brown file icon.

    I am not IT literate at all.

    But I just typed "OneDrive" into my Search bar on my PC, opened the One Drive App and boom.....I could immediately access all the files.

    I have no idea why it happened or why it went away - but it happened after the Windows update -so maybe something happened in the update?

    Hope that helps.

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-02-19T07:31:31+00:00

    Finally a solution - thank you.... haven't been able to access important files for many months since windows 11 update. Files (like word or pdf) had an icon (looked like an archive box); solution was going into OneDrive and changing setting to "Always keep on this device" (as above instructions) and then did a sync of files. Voila - I can now access my files :). Thank you

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-02-20T10:45:25+00:00

    I’m glad you found this helpful! I posed this question after hours of researching and not finding a solution - not even on Microsoft’s help site. Couldn’t even find out what that box was! I was in a panic thinking I had lost all my files. So appreciative of all that responded.

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-02-23T20:10:52+00:00

    This is, most often, an issue with ONE DRIVE. It is possible you have either turned off the sync on MS One Drive or you are logged out. At any rate, everything is there, but you must have One Drive signed in. Once you do that, everything will sync and the pictures will appear. It may take a few minutes, but you shoud see the storage box change to a cloud and then to a sync circle and then a check mark when the file completes.

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-03-17T13:19:08+00:00

    It isn't a Dropbox or Onedrive issue. Neither of of them are active on my computer and yet I have one folder which is showing the brown boxes. Just what is going on?

    Any further ideas?

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