03

Coordinate & create

Manage cloud content right from Dropbox

You can create, organize, and share cloud content, like G Suite or Microsoft Office Online files, right inside Dropbox. No need to jump between apps to track down work and feedback. All of your content is managed, organized, and saved directly in Dropbox next to all of your other files.

How to: Create cloud content

Dropbox for G Suite lets you create, organize, and share Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides on dropbox.com or from the Dropbox icon in your taskbar or menu bar. Any G Suite files you create in Dropbox save to your Dropbox account and count toward your storage space. Changes made to these files automatically save back to your Dropbox account (but not your Google Drive or Google account). 

To create new Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides from your desktop:

  1. Click the Dropbox icon in your taskbar or menu bar.
  2. Click the “+” (plus sign).
  3. Click Google Docs, Google Sheets, or Google Slides.
  4. Choose a name and a location for your file.
  5. Click Create.

To create new Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides on dropbox.com:

  1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
  2. Click All files in the left sidebar.
  3. Navigate to the folder where you’d like to save your new file.
  4. Click Create.
  5. Click Google Docs, Google Sheets, or Google Slides.

Remember that to use Dropbox for G Suite, the email you use for your Google account must match the email you use for your Dropbox account. Find out how to change the email address associated with your Dropbox account.

The Microsoft Office integration lets you create and open Office files right from your Dropbox account, make changes in the Office mobile and web apps, and save those changes directly back to your Dropbox.

To create new Microsoft Office files from your desktop:

  1. Click the Dropbox icon in your taskbar or menu bar.
  2. Click the “+” (plus sign).
  3. Click Word document, Excel workbook, or PowerPoint presentation.
  4. Choose a name and a location for your file.
  5. Click Create.

To create new Microsoft Office files on dropbox.com:

  1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
  2. Click All files in the left sidebar.
  3. Navigate to the folder where you’d like to save your new file.
  4. Click Create.
  5. Click Word document, Excel workbook, or PowerPoint presentation.

Note: Your new Office file will open in Microsoft Office Online. You will need an Office Online subscription to use this feature.

Learn more about working with Microsoft Office files from your Dropbox account.

Learn how to open and edit Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files in Google, or open previews of these files on your mobile app.

Dropbox Paper

Share ideas with Dropbox Paper, an online document workspace that brings creation and coordination together in one place. With Paper, you can write, organize work with teammates, give and receive feedback, review designs, run meetings, and co-edit to your heart’s content. You can choose to share your docs, and give recipients permission to either edit or view and comment on your work. 

Paper stores documents in the cloud and can help your team get in sync from anywhere you use Dropbox including dropbox.com, the Dropbox desktop app, and the Dropbox and Paper mobile apps.

Dropbox Paper

How to: Dropbox Paper

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Click the grid icon in the top-right corner and select Paper.
3. Click Create new doc.

Note:  If you don’t see Paper on the menu, click Create new file, then Dropbox Paper. Locate the folder you’d like to store your Paper doc in and click Create.

You can use a Paper template for regularly-used doc formats. Check out tips for using templates to get project moving quickly:
- Meeting minutes and agenda template
- Project plan template
- Brainstorming template

You can also turn any doc into a shareable template. Customize the format that works for your team’s workflow.

Learn more about how to create, use, and share a template in Dropbox Paper.

1. Open the Paper doc you want to share.
2. Click the blue Invite (or Share) button at the top of the doc.
3. After To, type the email address of the person or people you want to share with.  
4. Click Settings to set permissions for viewing and editing the doc.
5. Click Send. Recipients will receive an email invitation.

1. Open the Paper doc you want to share.
2. Click the Copy link button (chain icon) at the top of the doc. The link will be copied to your clipboard.
3. Paste the link into an email, chat message, or text and send. The recipient will be able to access the doc with the level of permissions given in the link settings of the file.

Note: All members of a shared folder will have access to Paper docs created inside it, with the same level of permissions they have for the folder.

In Dropbox Paper, you can collaborate with others by commenting on text and images, @mentioning people in line and in comments, and creating to-dos.

@mention someone:
1. Type @ (at) and then a colleague’s name.
2. Select the correct person from the list that appears.

If the person you @mention does not appear on the list of choices, you can type their email address and they will receive an email invitation to join the doc.

Add a comment:
1. Highlight a line of text.
2. Click the comment icon (speech bubble) in the formatting toolbar.
3. Type your comment. You can @mention anyone who you want to receive a notification about the comment.
4. Click Post.

You can also comment on images and parts of images inside your Paper docs.

Create to-dos:
1. Click Create to-do (check box) on the toolbar or type [] + Space (left square bracket, right square bracket, space).
2. Write the to-do item next to the box that appears. 
3. @mention colleagues or yourself to assign specific to-dos. 
4. To add a due date, click the calendar icon next to a to-do and choose a date.

Find out how to see your to-dos in Dropbox Paper.

Bring together tools and content

Third-party apps like Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Office integrate with Dropbox to help you streamline your work and stay focused.

You can manage third-party apps in your account settings, or in the Dropbox App Center* – a central place to discover, connect, and manage the apps you need most. 

 

 

*Not currently available to Enterprise teams

How to: Use integrated apps

With Dropbox and Zoom, you can have real-time conversations around shared content. The Zoom integration allows you to present files in Zoom, and create and join Zoom meetings, directly from Dropbox. You can also see who presented your files with Zoom.

  1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
  2. Click All files in the left sidebar.
  3. Hover over the file you'd like to present and click the check box that appears on the left.
  4. Click the arrow next to Share below the file thumbnail in the right sidebar.
  5. Click Zoom. 
  6. Click Enter Zoom Meeting ID and enter your meeting ID.
  7. Click Present.

Learn more about using Zoom with Dropbox.

When you connect your Google or Outlook calendar to your Dropbox account you can easily find what you need, when you need it. The calendar integration allows you to view upcoming meetings, join meetings, and attach files to meetings right from your desktop.

To connect in the App Center:
1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Click the grid icon in the top-right corner and select App Center.
3. Click Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar and Contacts.
- If you don’t see Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar and Contacts, use the App Center search bar.
4. Click Connect, and follow the prompts.


If you don’t see App Center in the menu, connect in your account settings:

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Click your avatar in the upper-right corner.
3. Click Settings.
4. Click the Connected apps tab.
5. Next to Google or Outlook, click Connect to Google or Connect to Outlook and follow the prompts to allow access.

Find out how to attach files and join meetings from Dropbox.

Dropbox and Slack bring your content and conversations together seamlessly. The Slack integration allows you to share files and message people in Slack directly from Dropbox. You can see who shared your file in Slack, when they shared it, and what channels they shared it in. 

  1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
  2. Click All files in the left sidebar.
  3. Hover over the name of the file and click the check box that appears on the left.
  4. Click the arrow next to Share below the file thumbnail in the right sidebar.
  5. Click Slack. You have the option to add a message.
  6. Click Send next to the channel or person you'd like to share it with.

Learn more about using Slack with Dropbox.

Get started with the Dropbox App Center

1. Sign in to dropbox.com
2. Click the grid icon in the top-right corner and select App Center.
3. Browse or search for an app you’d like to connect or learn about.

Save time with shortcuts

You can create and store a shortcut to any web page in your Dropbox account, just like you would a file. Shortcuts make it easy to keep content from online project management and productivity tools—even news articles, wiki pages and Paper docs—together with the rest of your work in Dropbox. You can create shortcuts from your taskbar or menu bar, and on dropbox.com. In the Dropbox mobile app, you can open shortcuts, but not create them. 

Note: Shortcuts have the file extension .web and are represented by a globe icon in your folders. They open in your default browser.

Learn more about shortcuts.

How to: Create a shortcut to a web page

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Click All files in the left sidebar.
3. Open the folder you’d like to store the shortcut in.
4. Click Create new file.
5. Click Shortcut.
6. Enter your URL and a Name. 
7. Click Create.

1. Click the Dropbox icon in the taskbar or menu bar.
2. Click “+” (plus sign).
3. Click Shortcut.
4. Enter your URL and a Name.
5. In the Location dropdown menu, choose the folder where you’d like to store the shortcut. 
6. Click Create.

Up next: Sharing & collaboration

Now that we know how to create and organize content with Dropbox, we’ll cover sharing your content and requesting files from others, and take a look at collaborating with comments and notations.

 

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