What do the Dropbox badge alerts mean?

Updated May 15, 2025

This article only applies to users who are using the Dropbox badge, and haven’t enabled Microsoft co-authoring. If you’ve enabled co-authoring, the badge will no longer appear. Learn more about co-authoring.

The Dropbox badge will alert you as people open, edit, and update a shared Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Excel file. This article describes all the alerts you'll see.

Note: To use the Dropbox badge, your computer must have the Dropbox desktop app installed, and you must be connected to the internet. Learn more reasons for why the Dropbox badge may not appear.

Not using Dropbox yet? See how Dropbox can help with content collaboration.

Dropbox logo: You're alone in the file

When you’re the only collaborator in a document, you’ll see the Dropbox badge that lets you know that you’re working within Dropbox. You can click the badge to take quick actions like sharing a link and viewing previous versions.

Initials or photo: A collaborator opened the file

When another person opens the file you’re working on, you’ll see their profile photo or initials in the Dropbox badge. After a few seconds, if the other person doesn’t begin editing, the badge will minimize back to the Dropbox logo.

Red dot: A collaborator is editing the file

The Dropbox badge will let you know that others are editing the file by showing a red dot on the badge. You’ll still be able to edit the file, but the badge will warn you that if you and the other person continue editing at the same time, you may create different versions of the file.

Warning icon: You and a collaborator are both editing the file

When you and another person are editing a file at the same time, you’ll see the Dropbox badge turn into a warning icon. When you see this, you can save your version of the file, and we’ll help the other person get your latest changes.

If the other person saves their changes to the file before you save yours, the badge will turn blue with a download arrow and you can update to their version.

Note: When working in an Excel file, the badge may always display a warning icon (even if you or other viewers have not yet edited a spreadsheet). We suggest that you ignore the exclamation mark. When your collaborators make and save any actual changes, follow the steps to update to the latest version of the document. Choose to discard your own changes or save them in a separate version through the badge.

When your collaborators make and save any actual changes, update to the latest version of the document. Choose to discard your own changes or save them in a separate version through the badge.

Download arrow: You can update to your collaborator's version

If you and someone else are both in the same file and the other person saves their changes, the badge will turn into a download arrow. This indicates that you don’t have the latest version of the file. You can update to the latest version from the badge.

Click the Dropbox badge when it shows the download arrow.
Click Yes below Save your changes as a separate file before opening the new version? to create a new version of your file without your changes included, that won’t impact the file that your colleague has already updated.
- To discard your unsaved changes and move forward with the file your colleague has edited, click No below Save your changes as a separate file before opening the new version?

Learn more about conflicted copies.

Two files: You're viewing your own version

If you decided to check Save my changes as a separate version, both the shared version and your version will be open. You can tell which version is yours because it will show a grey Dropbox badge with an icon of two files.

This version will contain all the changes you were making before your colleague saved their changes. You can delete this separate version if you no longer need it. Through the grey badge, you can also open the latest, shared version.

Was this article helpful?

Yes, thanks!

Not really