What is the new release of Dropbox Paper?
The information in this article applies to all Dropbox customers.
The 2020 release of Dropbox Paper is a product update that allows you to organize, find, and store all of your Paper docs on dropbox.com from paper.dropbox.com. Other than the change to their location, you’ll keep all of your Paper docs and they’ll have very similar functionality as before.
What's changing?
Paper home
- To get to Paper home from dropbox.com, select Paper from the grid icon.
- If you go to paper.dropbox.com, you’ll be redirected to dropbox.com/home.
- You can use Paper home to find recent Paper docs, starred Paper docs, and search for Paper docs just as you can any other file.
Creating/organizing
- If you’re not on the 2020 release of Dropbox Paper, you can only create Paper docs in Paper Home and organize them in folders created on paper.dropbox.com.
- If you’re on the 2020 release of Dropbox Paper, all new Paper docs will be created and organized like any other files on dropbox.com.
- In the 2020 release of Dropbox Paper, the filetype will be .paper for docs and .papert for Paper templates.
- You can see and move Paper docs into Dropbox folders from dropbox.com, the Dropbox mobile apps, and the Dropbox desktop app, just like you would with any other file.
- You can star or bookmark Paper docs to find them easily from Paper Home.
- Paper docs created within a folder on Dropbox will be automatically added to that folder.
- Paper docs created through the Paper home page will be added to the Paper Docs folder on your Dropbox account home page.
Mobile app
- You can view, open, and share your Paper docs from either the Dropbox Mobile or the Paper Mobile app.
- To organize your Paper docs into folders, use the Dropbox Mobile app.
- To edit Paper docs, use the Paper mobile app or Paper mobile web site as you did before.
Sharing
- Sharing now works the same for Paper docs and all other files in Dropbox. Sharing policies applied to an entire Dropbox account or specific Dropbox folders will apply to Paper docs within them.
- New Paper docs shared with you can be found on the Shared page.
- Recently accessed Paper docs can be found on the Recents page.
For more information on sharing Dropbox files, visit How to share files or folders in Dropbox.
Paper API
- Dropbox file endpoints will now work with Paper docs—a single set of endpoints can be used to search, share or enumerate all content in users' Dropbox folders.
- See here for more information about the API endpoints.
Version history
- Paper docs in the Dropbox file system will use Dropbox's version history and support Rewind, rollbacks, and restores.
- Selecting Version History for an individual Paper doc will continue to show detailed differences between versions, and provide the ability to restore back to specific Paper edits.
- Permanent deletion settings will now apply to Paper docs, as with any other file.
Admin settings
- In Paper Home, it was possible to turn Paper off entirely and prevent anyone from accessing any Paper docs. With Paper in Dropbox, admins can prevent creation and editing, but users will be able to view Paper docs shared with them.
- Admins can change these settings for Paper default access under Admin → Settings → App Permissions → Paper by Dropbox
- Any changes made to Dropbox sharing settings will now apply to Paper docs.
If you’re a team admin, visit our 2020 release of Dropbox Paper FAQs for team admins.
FAQs about the new release of Dropbox Paper
When will my account be updated to the new release of Dropbox Paper?
The new release of Dropbox Paper will gradually roll out to all Dropbox customers until everyone is updated to the new version. Look for an email from Dropbox that lets you know when you’ll be getting the release.
Am I already using the new release of Dropbox Paper?
Some Dropbox customers are already using the new release. To find out which release you’re using:
- Log in to dropbox.com.
- Click Create.
- Hover over Document.
If you do see Dropbox Paper in the list of document types, then you’re using the new new release.
If you don’t see Dropbox Paper in the list of document types, then you’re using the old release.
Note: You can also check by going to paper.dropbox.com. If you’re redirected to dropbox.com/paper, you’re using the new release of Dropbox Paper.
Can I keep using the old release instead?
No. All Dropbox users will soon be using the new release of Dropbox Paper.
When the migration starts, how long will it take?
The timing can vary, but you should anticipate the migration taking around 30 minutes to migrate a single user, and up to a few hours for an entire team.
What is the experience for users during migration?
Users will still have access to their Paper docs, both for viewing and editing. Certain actions on Paper docs will be momentarily unavailable, such as sharing the doc and starring a doc.
Once the migration is complete, the Paper doc link will automatically refresh to the new version of the doc in Dropbox.
What happens to my existing Paper docs when I start using the new release?
When you start using the new release, your existing Paper docs will show up on dropbox.com. Paper docs that you own will be placed in a folder called Migrated Paper Docs.
If you’re on a Dropbox team account, Paper docs that your team owns will be placed in a folder called Team Paper Docs. From there, you can move them to any folder in your Dropbox account.
What will happen to my Paper folders?
Just like your Paper docs, all your Paper folders will move into your Dropbox folder, too. For example, if you have a shared Paper folder called “Project proposals,” it’ll be converted into a shared folder in Dropbox called “Project proposals” within your Migrated Paper Docs folder.
Paper Team folders will be migrated to a central Team folder in Dropbox called Team Paper Docs and will be shared with the appropriate groups in Dropbox. All admins will have access to this folder.
Will the sharing permissions on my Paper docs stay the same?
After updating to the new release of Paper, all sharing permissions will remain exactly the same on all of your Paper docs and folders that were moved, and shared links will continue to work as before.
Under no circumstances will Dropbox grant anyone access to a doc if users did not have the right to view or edit the document before the update.
However, the ownership of some Paper docs may change. With the new release of Dropbox Paper, Paper doc ownership is transferred to the owner of the containing folder, but only if that owner had editing permissions on all of the docs the folder contained.
If the folder owner didn’t have editing permissions on all of the docs inside the folder, the docs are split into multiple folders and their owners stay the same.
Once you have the new release of Paper, your docs can be shared and restored just like regular files and folders in your Dropbox account.
Will Paper docs take up space on my Dropbox account?
Paper docs will take up very little space in your Dropbox account—less than 100 bytes, which is less than a 30th of a standard document file.
How do I create new Paper docs with the new release of Paper?
To create a Paper doc on dropbox.com:
- Log in to dropbox.com.
- Click Create.
- Hover over Document.
- Click Paper doc.
To create a Paper doc on paper.dropbox.com with the new release of Dropbox Paper:
- Log in to paper.dropbox.com.
- Click Create new doc.
For more details on the ways you can create, visit How to create a Dropbox Paper doc.
Can docs be saved and edited offline in the new release of Paper?
Offline editing is still available in the Paper mobile app.
On the Dropbox desktop app, Paper docs are stored as web-based files and can only open on dropbox.com. They can only be stored on your computer if exported as a PDF, .docx, or .md file first.
What will change in the Paper mobile app?
You can continue to use your Paper docs in the Paper mobile app exactly as you did before.
