What is the 2020 release of Dropbox Paper?

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. Other than the change to their location, you’ll keep all of your Paper docs and they’ll work mostly the same.

What's changing?

Paper Home

To get to Paper Home from dropbox.com, select Paper from the grid icon.
You can also access Paper Home by going to dropbox.com/paper.
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.
You can view the folders you have access to in the sidebar.
You can create a new Paper doc inside any folder you select from the sidebar.
If the sidebar is not loading:
- Click Try again to reload your sidebar.
- Click Retry to reload the individual folders.

Mobile App

You can view, open, and share your Paper docs from either the Dropbox mobile or the Paper mobile app.
You can only organize your Paper docs into folders using the Dropbox mobile apps, not the Paper mobile app.
You can use the Paper mobile app or visit paper.dropbox.com on your mobile device to edit Paper docs.

Sharing

With the 2020 release of Dropbox Paper, you can share Paper docs the same way as any other file 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.
Learn more about Dropbox Paper 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 the 2020 release of Dropbox Paper, 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 Console → 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

When do I get the 2020 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 2020 release of Dropbox Paper?

Some Dropbox customers are already using the 2020 release. To find out which release you’re using:

Sign in to dropbox.com.
Click Create.
Hover over your document.

If you do see Dropbox Paper in the list of document types, then you’re using the new 2020 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 2020 release of Dropbox Paper.

Can I keep using the old release instead?

No. All Dropbox users will soon be using the 2020 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 2020 release?

When you start using the 2020 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 getting the 2020 release, 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 2020 release doc if users did not have the right to view or edit the document before the 2020 release.

However, the ownership of some Paper docs may change. With the 2020 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 2020 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 2020 release of Paper?

To create a Paper doc on dropbox.com with the 2020 release of Dropbox Paper:

Sign in to dropbox.com.
Click Create.
Hover your document.
Click Dropbox Paper.

To create a Paper doc on paper.dropbox.com with the 2020 release of Dropbox Paper:

Sign 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 2020 release docs be saved and edited offline?

With Paper 2020, 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.