---
title: File will not open
type: troubleshooting
section: drive
summary: Each preview failure states its own reason. This page maps every message to its cause and says whether waiting, retrying or downloading is the fix.
sources:
  - evolve-front-end/components/content-registry/content-registry-rich-preview.tsx
  - evolve-front-end/components/content-platform/content-platform-item-preview-page-client.tsx
  - evolve-front-end/lib/content-platform/error-screens.ts
  - evolve-front-end/components/content-platform/private-content-link-error.tsx
verified:
  at: 2026-09-04
  env: code
  by: content-lane-drive
ttl_days: 45
related: [drive/open-and-preview-a-file, drive/renditions, drive/upload-failed]
---

Drive replaces a failed preview with a short statement of why. Read that statement first: it distinguishes a file that is still being processed from one that will never preview, and only some cases are worth retrying. **Download** works in almost every case, because it fetches the original rather than the preview.

## The file is still being processed

| Message | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| **Preview not yet available, scan in progress.** under **Scan in progress** | Wait. The malware scan has to pass before anything is generated. |
| **Preview is being generated, check back shortly.** under **Preview processing** | Wait, then reload the page. |
| **Partial preview available. Full content may be missing.** under **Partial preview** | Use **Retry extraction** for a full pass, or work with what is shown. |

## The file cannot be previewed here

| Message | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| **This file type cannot be previewed here.** | Use **Download**. Drive could not identify the format. |
| **Preview not available for this file type.** | The same: download it. |
| **File too large to preview. Download to view locally.** | The file is over 100 MB. Use **Download**. |
| **Metadata is available, but no browser-safe preview artifact was generated for this file type.** | The facts Drive read are on the **Info** panel. The file downloads normally. |

## Something went wrong with the file

| Message | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| **Preview generation failed. Try re-uploading or contact support.** under **Preview generation failed** | Use **Retry extraction** first. If it fails again, upload the file again. |
| **Preview unavailable: file may be corrupt. Try re-uploading.** | Download the file and open it locally to confirm. Re-upload a good copy. |

## Access or security stopped it

| Message | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| **Preview blocked: malware detected. Contact administrator.** under **Preview blocked** | Nothing to retry. The file will not be served, and the download is refused too. |
| **You do not have permission to preview this item.** under **Access restricted** | Ask the owner to share it with you, or to give you **Can edit** if you need to change it. |
| **Preview blocked.** with **Preview URL is not allowed.** | The preview source failed a policy check. Report it with the file's identifier from the **Info** panel. |

## The page itself will not load

- A link that reports **You do not have access to view this content** means you are not on the item's access list. The page adds **Ask the owner to share the file or folder with your Evolve account.**
- **This content link is unavailable** means the link expired or was withdrawn. Ask for a new one; public links last 30 days.
- Drive sends you to a not-found page when the item was deleted, and to a session page when your session lapsed.
- A server error offers **Try again**. Use it before anything else.

## An image shows facts but no picture

Some image formats need a generated browser copy before they can be shown. The viewer says which, for example **TIFF originals require a derived browser image before inline rendering.** or **Camera RAW originals require a derived browser image before inline rendering.** The extracted facts are under **Image facts**, and **Download** gives you the original. See [What Drive makes from your files](/help/drive/renditions).

## A PDF opens but has no text

The document is a scan. Choose **Run OCR** on the file's **Metadata** panel. Until it finishes, Drive says **Extracted text is unavailable for this item. This PDF may require OCR.**

## Related

- Note the exact wording. The message decides whether waiting, retrying or downloading is the fix.
- Use **Download** to confirm the file itself is sound; a preview failure rarely means a damaged file.
- **Retry extraction** exists only for a failed or partial extraction. Its absence means retrying will change nothing.
- Quote the **Item ID** from the **Info** panel when you report a preview problem.