Dropbox fuels collaborative workspaces with latest updates

Dropbox is introducing what it calls the 'biggest user-facing change in the company's history', as it moves to become a central collaboration platform for teams, tools, and content.

The Dropbox experience has been updated across both dropbox.com, the desktop app, and the mobile app. Now, users get a single workspace designed to integrate files.

"Work has become scattered—files are spread across devices, in the cloud, and on our hard drives. We're working across multiple apps that don't talk to each other, and teams are struggling to keep up," explains Dropbox CEO Drew Houston.

"We're focused on removing the friction from that experience, pulling everything together in a way that nobody has done before. The new Dropbox helps you quiet the noise and find focus at work.

With that in mind, Dropbox focused on teams, tools, and content to make the workspace more convenient.

Dropbox brings teams together:

• Available via early access with the new desktop app, folders now have improved capabilities across desktop, mobile, and web, providing a rich workspace for teams. Users can:
• Pin files to the top of a folder to give anyone with access to the folder quick access to important content.
• Add folder descriptions to give everyone context on the files they see.
• Create to-dos at the top of a folder.
• @mention teammates to draw attention to folder descriptions or to-dos.
• Get updates on file activity, including content shared in Slack and Zoom from any device.
• See who's viewed files with the viewer info feature now available on desktop.
• Comment on shared content across desktop, mobile, and web.

Dropbox brings tools together:

The new Dropbox brings together the tools people want to use the most so they can spend less time switching between apps and more time getting work done. Last year, the company announced Dropbox Extensions, a series of integrations that let users start and finish workflows—like signing contracts and annotating videos—in the Dropbox platform. Users can also:

• Start Slack conversations and send files to Slack channels directly from Dropbox, and easily share Dropbox files within Slack conversations
• Join or add Zoom Meetings directly from Dropbox, and present files directly from Dropbox in Zoom. 
• See Slack and Zoom sharing activities right next to your files in Dropbox.

Dropbox brings content together:

The Dropbox icon that sits in the Windows system tray and macOS menu bar has been updated to make it easier for users to keep track of what's happening with shared content, quickly access their most important work, and create new content right from Dropbox. Users can also now access a team activity feed for updates on shared files.

• Cloud-based content like Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, which users can now create, access, and share within Dropbox. Users can also open Microsoft Office files in Office Online or Google Docs.
• Shortcuts to web content with links to productivity tools like Trello boards, wiki pages, and news articles. Users can now create and store web shortcuts alongside traditional content in Dropbox.

All Dropbox users can opt in to the new desktop app through the Dropbox early access program, and admins can opt their teams in via the admin console. All other features are now generally available to all users and will be rolling out over the next few weeks.