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How we use Dropbox: Alex
We’re back again to share how some Dropboxers actually use Dropbox in our real lives. This time it’s my turn - if you haven’t seen my name around before, I’m Alex, and I’m part of the Community team. I was one of those straight A kids in school. The obnoxious one who always thought she had the answer and would be upset if she didn’t get the highest grade (sorry….not sorry). I was always the organized nerd and thanks to that, I’ve been using Dropbox since my student days. It has been an essential tool for storing my files in the cloud and accessing all my docs wherever and whenever I need. The more docs I could upload, the more prepared I felt in class. As you can probably tell, my love for the Dropbox desktop app was triggered by a desire to over-achieve. Back then, I remember syncing docs between my devices so I could look at them on my mobile phone when I couldn’t get my computer to school (I had a very large, and heavy, Asus PC!) I also used Dropbox in University for projects with my peers. I would share files with my team members so we could all contribute to the main project doc. In the past, I had often ended up doing almost all of the work on group projects, rather than risk a bad grade. I think we all know the pain of a group project with a few less than enthusiastic teammates, but thankfully, with Dropbox, there was no excuse. They couldn’t pretend they didn’t have the files, their names were next to the work they did, and there was even document history so no amount of ‘I did it, but it’s not there now, someone must have deleted it’ could let them off the hook. Now, whether or not I tidied up the end product, I didn’t have to do 90% of the work on my own! Later in life, when I became a real grownup, I decided to upgrade to the Dropbox Plus so I could upload even more files. And then, at my first job, I convinced my manager to give me some budget for a Pro account. I would lie if I said that I wasn’t influenced by my early experience with Dropbox as a student. For me, Dropbox stuck with me when I was a poor and awkward kid, so I stuck with it in return, and now I actually work for them! So, tell me, who else here is a meticulously organised nerd like me?How Connie, a member of the Community, uses Dropbox
We love hearing how you, the Community members use Dropbox. Everyone has their own favorite features and little hacks, so we want to share some with you! Up first, we haveConnie (ConF2_0), a long time Dropbox Plus customer, member of the Dropbox Community, and avid Vault user. Connie sat down with Gavin, a member of our Dropbox team, and told him all about how she uses Dropbox and why she loves Vault. I am Connie and I currently live in Germany. I've lived here for two years now. I've been a speech language pathologist for more than 30 years and that's what brought me to Dropbox, actually. I worked in a school setting for years and I frequently needed to be able to take work home. I needed a way to do this without having to carry stuff and make copies. I could email my spreadsheets, and reports and things, but I kept thinking “I don't know, emailing doesn't really make me comfortable - it's supposed to be really secure, but I'm not sure." I honestly cannot remember how I stumbled on Dropbox but I thought, “Oh, this is perfect!”, so I set up my account and I've been a user ever since. I was able to start writing my notes and reports at school, and then put them in Dropbox and finish them up when I got home. I could work on my spreadsheets and lesson materials at home and have them back at school waiting for me the next day. My only concern was that as a health care provider, you need to be able to ensure security and privacy. Before Vault, I was using a third party app to encrypt my school files. I thought “there's got to be another way, Dropbox has got to be able to do this”. That third party app was sometimes cumbersome and I'd lock myself out of files. Now, it's so easy - anything that I need to have protected gets uploaded to the Vault - done. No extra passwords to remember, no extra copying and/or downloading! Thanks Connie! We love to hear stories like this and how we can make Dropbox better for all of you. How do you use Dropbox? Tell us in the comments below! Share your tips, tricks, the features you love and how you make the most of Dropbox, whether it’s at home, at work or at school!Product updates: edit photos and PDFs
Want to hear about one of the handiest Dropbox features I use regularly? Check out howeasy it is to upload, edit, send, and sign PDFs in one place. No technical wizardry, no back-and-forth file conversions, and no additional software to install. New PDF editing features let you add text and more Not PDFs are ready to go, there's usually some info you need to add or edit, and now, editing them is as easy as click, click, click. We’ve added more tools to our new PDF editing feature so you can do more without changing programs. Now, within Dropbox, you can: Add text to documents: Insert descriptions, dates, notes etc., anywhere on a PDF and modify text font, color, size, and emphasis Page zoom: Adjust the page view for easier navigation These features are useful for managing work-related and personal documents. Our own team makes the most of editing PDFs to organize and consolidate receipts at home.Learn how to get started editing PDFs now. Edit PDFs on-the-go Need to make changes when you'er away from your desk? No worries,you can edit PDFs directly on your iPhone or Android device. Edit PDFs on iPhone:Add text or a signature to PDFs on your iPhone with the Dropbox mobile app. Edit PDFs on Android:The Dropbox smartphone app makes it easy to edit PDFs on your Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, or any other Android device. Work from wherever you are, without needing to switch between devices or apps to get things done. Automatically add watermarks to multiple files No one likes to have their work passed off as someone else’s - and now you can make sure it doesn’t happen to you with a few simple steps. Save time, ensure confidentiality, and protect your brand by applying a watermark automation to a new or existing folder. Then, every PDF and image added to the folder will be automatically watermarked. We’re big fans of automations that truly make life easier, and this one makes us very happy! To create an automation and learn more about watermarking, visit our automations page. I’m definitely excited about these updates, and will make serious use of the PDF editing tools on a regular basis! And you can check out how Lauren uses PDF editing to improve her workflow too! I’d love to know how you will make the most of these new features - tell us below!Learn how to manage your research with Dropbox
We try to make sure that Dropbox works the way our customers want it to, and a big part of that is research! We are really lucky to have some champion researchers on our team, and I picked her brain about how she uses Dropbox to keep all her research and results in order. But, I want to point out that you guys are also the experts, so if you want to add to our research, let us know in the comments below. How to organize research with Dropbox folder management: Share folders with the right people early on so they all have access to the content Add relevant tags to folders Include a clear naming hierarchy so content is easy to find When it comes to research management, folder management has to be on point - it’s never just for me to view. The documentation has to make sense to anyone picking it up. That means it has to be findable, accessible and clear. That means from day one on a project, I have to ensure that I am sharing with the right people, I tag my folders, my naming hierarchy is clear. There is a user experience in even sharing the research. This also makes it easy to keep documentation - research plan, discussion guide, research report - is all organised and logically laid out. This ensures that I am never a roadblock - for a while I was just directing people to docs, as opposed to spending my time really getting into the research and interrogating the results and actions. When I joined, there was a big new project taking off and I could start the new folder hierarchy but I think we all know that people will still want to be spoon fed the results a little bit, so there are a few ways to make sure people get into the right docs and see those results. From sharing updates in emails, tagging relevant people into the right sections of the documents or even adding to-dos for people. Saving recordings from research is much easier on Dropbox, we use a research tool that saves the videos down, so being able to download these makes it possible for whole teams to access the files, not just those with accounts on that tool. Let’s do some research Let’s imagine that Kim was doing some research about the Dropbox Community. Now, step one would be to ask you lovely people to answer these questions in the comments below (which we would love for you to do!) but for the sake of the hypothetical, let’s imagine that Kim created a survey to find out: What industries Dropbox Community members work in? Which Dropbox features do you use the most often? Why are you active on the Dropbox Community right now? What other tools do you use alongside Dropbox? What kind of content would you like to see us share on the Community forums? In this scenario Kim gathers all of the info from the surveys, and then adds the results to a folder that is clearly labelled, working with a naming hierarchy that works with the Community team, so something like: Community research survey 2023. She tags the folder with Community, industry, features, and support. Then she sends an invite link to our team, and even goes one step further and tags each of us in the relevant sections to our projects. The team then comes back with notes, thoughts and comments, and this can totally open up new ideas and discussions and it means that the results are not just a static thing in a doc, we figure out how we can take that research and do something good with it. I might be a little bit of a data nerd but I love this. I have been surprised by research sometimes and had it change how we think about the Dropbox Community, and I love that we can make changes to reflect how you, our Community members, actually want to access the forums. And again, the easiest way of doing research is to ask a question and get an answer so you: is there anything you would like us to look into with some research eyes right now? Tell us below and we will keep Kim posted!Dropbox Basic: Learn the Basics
If you are reading this, chances are you are new to Dropbox. Welcome! Many of us begin our Dropbox journey with a Basic Account, which has so many perks, and of course, it is free! The basics of your Basic account: Users and Space The Dropbox Basic account allows for 1 user. This means you are the only person that can use this account. But don’t worry, one user doesn’t just mean one device - you can have 3 different devices connected to your Dropbox account. I connected my dropbox account to my phone, tablet, and laptop. When I was in Ghana, I was able to access all of my files from my phone, and to upload some photos. Want to learn more about connecting your mobile devices? Discover how to make the most of your mobile access to Dropbox. Using your Dropbox Basic account: So to get started, you can upload almost any file type to your Dropbox account and keep your important files safe! Whether it’s music files, pictures, media, documents, simply upload and you can access your files anytime, anywhere!With a Dropbox Basic plan you have 2GB of space to use. And of course, we keep your files safe! Dropbox uses multi-factor authentication to ensure that all of your files are secure. Check out howDropbox uses encryption to provide security for your files.When I received my first multi-factor message I said to myself, “Come on Safety”. Dropbox Basic tools you might not know about: The tools within Dropbox are the real secret sauce. Here are some Dropbox features and products you might not know about, check them out below and find out if they can help you to make plans, organize files and save time! Dropbox Paper is a collaboration tool with endless possibilities! Charts, headings and formatting is made easy with one click, LITERALLY. This program is great for creating proposals, project plans and just quickly taking notes. The best part of it is that it takes up very little space in your Dropbox account. Trust me, I make paper docs for all of my todo lists, to plan family trips and to organize any personal projects. Paper has truly become one of my favorite products to use. HelloSign allows you to send 3 documents for eSignature per month. In the digital world we live in, this is a perfect way to get a signature from someone you may not see in person. Explore HelloSign, a simple and easy way to get documents signed securely online. I recently needed a contractor to sign a document that I drafted to fix my home and the document was signed and sent back to me within minutes. And of course, the signed docs are safe and secure too! Dropbox Capture is a tool used to Capture the attention of the person you‘re chatting to. With Capture you can share your thoughts with screenshots, GIFs, or simple videos recorded right on your screen. The upside is that you can clearly say what you mean without scheduling another meeting. Learn more about how to use Dropbox Capture. Having a Dropbox Basic account is more than just a space to store your information. Use Dropbox to manage and organize your files, whether it’s for a project, sharing memories or connecting with others.😁 Will you use these tips to make the most of your Dropbox Basic account?Dropbox Basic: Let's Maximize Space
Try to think of your Dropbox cloud storage as a well organized bedroom. In order to maximize space, you want to be thoughtful about how you use each closet and section of the room. With your Dropbox Basic account you have 2 GB of storage. With this amount of storage its imperative that you are thoughtful about the files you save to your Dropbox account. If you know more about files sizes, you can make more informed decisions about which files you upload. In this article you will get a better understanding of how to maximize space with your Basic Dropbox account. What are the average file sizes of media we use daily? Images Many of use Dropbox to upload images, which come in several formats and sizes. These formats affect the amount of space the image may take up. Photos from our computers are usually in formats such as JPEG and PNG. This is great because these images often don’t take up as much space as larger format files. Image formatting (as in the space it takes up, not the dimensions of the photo itself) is based on resolution and quality of the pictures. I know this because I uploaded each type of image to my Dropbox Account and saw that the quality and difference in resolution affected the overall size. Larger pictures, such as raw camera footage (TIFF and BMP), should be converted to JPEG before uploading to your dropbox account. The rationale here is so that you save about 1000kB of space. Documents Documents overall take up the least amount of space. With your Basic account, you can save about 25,000 pages of word documents,depending on file size. If you use documents for planning and collaboration, I suggest you try using Dropbox Paper. Paper documents take up very little space on Dropbox. I would suggest placing homework assignments and projects that you may always need access to on your Dropbox account. I am currently working on creating my dissertation and have it saved on Dropbox - this document is super important to me and I need to ensure that I can access it from all of my devices. Media Files Video is the largest file format but that doesn’t mean you can’t store video files in your Dropbox Basic account. To make the video more compact you can use an online compressor, or, like I’ve done in the past, edit the videos to make them shorter. I have also experimented with changing the format of the video to reduce file size. Remember to treat your Dropbox like your well organized bedroom. You want to shrink larger items if you can and want to organize items that you know do not take up much space. I use my Dropbox account to hold my important documents, vacation photos and files from Dropbox Paper. Now that I know how much space each file takes up, I do my best to maximize my space. Let’s maximize our space by using the tips and tricks above - and if you have any other space saving tips, share them in the comments below!
iPad Files app not showing Dropbox folders and how I managed to solve this.
In working with a new iPad, I discovered that the Files app was not correctly connecting with Dropbox. No Dropbox folders showed up either in the Files app or in any other app with an open feature that would normally have been able to access Dropbox files. Oddly, when I clicked “Dropbox” in the list, there were no folders but I could add a folder and that new folder showed up in Dropbox on other devices (and in the Dropbox app on the iPad)! So there was some connection but not much… This is not an issue I’m experiencing on any of my other Apple devices (Mac or iOS). In talking with Apple support they had me delete the Files app, reboot the iPad, then reinstall “Files.” I did that, but to no effect. They escalated me to a higher level of support but while I was waiting, I also deleted Dropbox and reinstalled it. That solved the problem! So, if you can’t access your Dropbox folders and files in Files or in any of your other iPad apps, just delete and reinstall Dropbox—problem solved (at least for me, this time!)Notifications: calm or chaos? Tell us how you prefer to manage them
You know us, we are big fans of collaboration, but every now and then, we stumble across a topic that totally derails a meeting. While on a call, we noticed that someone on the team is walking around with over 94 unread texts, 50+ Slack notifications and a whopping 67,722 unread emails. We’re not going to name names though but when I picked myself up from the floor, it sparked a serious debate on our team and we came to the conclusion that there are two kinds of people, those who thrive in notification calm, and those who live for notification chaos - which one are you? In the interest of honesty, I am a firm believer that a clear notification screen is the only way. I avidly unsubscribe from emails I don’t want to see, I mark messages as unread so I can get back to them if needs be but I like to start my day with a clean slate. Our own Emma is a bigger fan of a well managed to-do list in Dropbox Paper, and you can read all about that right here. While it might make some people’s skin crawl, that means she can let her notifications pile up. I’m not convinced, but it works for her! To augment this ever fluid list, she’s a big fan of the Paper roundup emails and Dash to keep her on track with the many docs doing the rounds at any one time. To quote Emma herself on this, “every so often I'll clear them, but I have yet to miss anything with my chaos”. I also like how Drew (the CEO of Dropbox) has an OPP folder, which translates to other people’s priorities (or problems!)) to help manage those email notifications and understand what needs action on his part. You don’t have to take my word for it, check it out here. So, we want to know - how do you manage your notifications? Clear them? Keep them? Outright ignore them? Tell us in the comments below!How to import your passwords to Dropbox Passwords from other password managers
You might have heard about Dropbox Passwords, (and if you haven’t, you can learn all about it here) but what if you already use a password management tool? We have good news, it’s simple to import your passwords from another tool. Follow the steps below to import your already saved passwords from LastPass, Dashlane, 1Password and other password tools. Import from LastPass Sign into LastPass.com or LastPass browser extension Click Advanced Options on the sidebar Select Export under Manage Your Account Enter your LastPass master password If you’ve signed into LastPass.com on web, you will see your passwords data on a new Tab. Copy the content and save it to a file. You can name it <name>.csv If you’ve signed into the browser extension, you will see a lastpass_export.csv automatically downloaded From your Dropbox Passwords app, click Add button under your avatar, select Import from…, select Passwords Manager and select the csv file from step 4 Delete the file from step 4 for safety reasons Import from Dashlane Launch Dashlane and log in to your account Select File > Export > Unsecured archive (readable) in CSV format Enter your Master Password (if required) Save the file in a safe place From your Dropbox Passwords app, click Add button under your avatar, select Import from…, select Passwords Manager and select the csv file from step 4 Delete the file from step 4 for safety reasons Import from 1Password Open and unlock 1Password. Select the vault you want to export. It’s not possible to export from “All Vaults”, so you’ll need to switch to a specific vault. Choose File > Export > All Items. If you belong to a team account, there may be some vaults where you don’t have the “Export items” permission. Ask your team administrator. Enter your Master Password. Choose a location to save your export to (such as your desktop), choose File format: “Comma Delimited Text (.CSV)” , “All Fields” , “Include Column Labels”, Click “Save” From your Dropbox Passwords app, click Add button under your avatar, select Import from…, select Passwords Manager and select the csv file from step 5 Delete the file from step 5 for safety reasons Import from other Password Managers find the option from other Passwords managers to export items to a CSV From your Dropbox Passwords app, click Add button under your avatar, select Import from…, select Passwords Manager and select the csv file from step 1 Delete the file from step 1 for safety reasons Now that you can transfer your passwords over with just a few clicks, it’s the perfect time to get set up with Dropbox Passwords and leave the dreaded ‘forgot password?’ button in the past.
SOLUTION: Print Screen Button opens Snipping Tool (or Snip & Sketch) instead of saving to Dropbox
I initially was going to post to ask for help, but I finally got this figured out!! First of all, Dropbox has a feature to save screenshots automatically. Go to preferences and then Backup and you should find a setting to "share screenshots to dropbox". Now the problem/solution: So, I have a new Lenovo laptop running windows 10. I noticed that instead of saving screenshots to Dropbox when I press the "print screen" button on my keyboard that it would open Snip & Sketch software. I tried uninstalling that software and now it just opens Snipping Tool instead. For the life of me I couldn't figure out how to simply save a screenshot into Dropbox . I tried restarting, reinstalling. I tried all the different variations of taking a screenshot, such as Windows Key + PrtSc etc etc. I tried removing Snipping Tool with registry edit but couldn't find it. I turned offthe setting “Print Screen Shortcut” in the “Easy of Access Keyboard” settings which SHOULD have done the trick but did NOT. It even says I need to restart which I did, and it still didn't work. Then I read online you can take screenshots with WINDOWS KEY + VOLUME DOWN And I got the beautiful notification "A SCREENSHOT WAS ADDED TO DROPBOX" WOOHOO! Problem Solved!! For some reason, that command now behaves like the old print screen button used to. (You might need to also find your “ease of access keyboard settings” and turn off the setting “Print Screen Shortcut” which I did prior to discovering this awkward solution, so if this didn’t work for you, try turning that setting off and trying again) I hope this helps someone out there. It took me 2 hours to figure this out.
