It has been a good couple of years since Dropbox Paper stepped out of the beta phase. The collaboration tool lets you create shareable notes and neatly organizes documents and files into folders or projects. Dropbox Paper accepts all kinds of content and media format, thus making it incredibly easy to chart up documents.
Dropbox Paper is capable of more than that. If you want to explore the full potential of Dropbox paper, have a look at the hack and tricks mentioned below.
1. Create Invite-Only Folders
By default, when you create a folder in Dropbox Paper, all the members of the team can see it. However, if you want to create a folder for specific people on the team, the best solution is to create an invite-only folder.
To do so, click on the Create a new folder button on the right panel, and once the new window appears, add the name. Next, tap on the building-like icon on the lower ribbon, and select Invite-only.
Select the names of your team members, and hit the Create button.
Cool Tip: You may also choose to create an open-to-all folder quietly. To do so, uncheck the names of the members before you hit the Create button.
2. Check Out the Power of Search
Need to search for a document having a specific word? The power search makes it possible. All you need to do is type the keyword on the search bar, and the relevant file or folder will appear right away.
For example, the Ransomware article appears inside the GT > Android > Posts > AI folder for my account. So, I don’t need to go all the way to that folder.
Similarly, you can just search by the title of the document and the tool will take care of the rest.
3. Take the Shortcut
In this age of everything being nearly instant, it’s essential that you also follow the same mantra while managing your team on Paper, especially when it comes to formatting your documents.
Dropbox Paper comes with an assortment of keyboard shortcuts. Apart from the general shortcuts like Ctrl+B for Bold and Ctrl+U for Underline, this collaboration tool supports a bevy of alternates.
- Numbered List: 1. followed by a space
- Tasklist: [] followed by a space
- Header: Ctrl+Alt+1
- Date: /date followed by space
So, if you have to add a series of tasks, add * followed by space, and a bullet will be added instantly.
With these, you save a lot of time going back and forth between the toolbar in a document. Also, they make your workflow more seamless.
To know the full list, simply click on the keyboard icon at the bottom-right corner.
4. Create To-Dos like a Boss
As you may already know, to add a checklist of items all you need to do is type [] followed by a space. Now, the good news is that you can assign these checklist/tasks on the go by simply adding a @ sign followed by the team member’s name.
So, if you need to create a task named ‘Add Comments on Facebook’ and assign it to Sylvia with a due date of 11 March 2020, you just have to type the following command.
[] Add Comments on Facebook @Sylvia /11/03/2020
That’s it. No business of toying with the toolbar or on the best ribbon.
Cool Tip: Use the Present icon at the best to present your document as a slideshow.
5. Add Documents to Folder
Do you open a specific folder to place a document inside it often? That’s a terrible waste of time.
The best way is to create the document on the home page. And once you have named it, click on the Add to Folder link below the document name, and the tool will take care of the rest.
Did You Know: Documents with no folder structure will be displayed as Unfiled on the home page.
6. Too Many Emojis? Count Them!
Think you used way too many emojis on your document? Instead of sitting down to count them manually, how about we let Dropbox Paper do the job?
Yep, you read that right. Apart from the standard counts like word count and character count, Dropbox Paper counts the number of emojis as well.
So, if you feel that 29 emojis are a tad too much, you can just go back to the doc and remove them.
To check the word count, tap on the three-dot button at the upper-right corner and hit the option for Word Count.
7. Paste Screenshots like a Pro
Another cool trick which Dropbox Paper lets you do is that you don’t have to upload screenshots and images the conventional way. All you have to do is copy the images from the source and paste them on your doc.
Also, rearranging images on Dropbox Paper is as easy as a drag and drop. Select the image which you want to move, and move your mouse pointer to the position of your choice. Nifty, right?
8. Link to Different Media Items
Be it an audio file or a YouTube video, Dropbox Paper lets you display them rather easily. The mantra? Copy and paste. Yeah, you don’t have to add the embed link.
Here, you simply have to copy the video (or song) link from the address bar and paste it on your document — Yep, similar to images and screenshots.
9. Integrate with Your Calendar
Last but not least, you can integrate Paper to Google Calendar (or MS Outlook). To do that, click on the document name and you’ll see a small grayed out prompt for Link a calendar event.
Select the calendar of your choice, and once the set up is complete, add the date and the meeting notes.
The good news is once you have your calendar integrated, all the upcoming meetings will be displayed on Paper’s home page.
10. Link like a Ninja
Yep, I know there’s useful icon besides Invite that lets you add external links. But, it’s cumbersome to click it and then add the link every time you have to add a link.
The smart thing to do is to select the text which you want to link, hit Ctrl+K, and then add the link. Nifty, right!
11. Export Your Documents
Dropbox also lets you export your documents in PDF, Word or Markup formats. That is especially useful if you have to send over some documents to clients or business partners who do not have access to your team’s Dropbox Paper.
To export, select the document from the home page and hit the Export button, as shown in the screenshot below.
Next, select your format, and the download will start in a few seconds.
Put Pen to Paper
Apart from all the feature above, Dropbox Paper lets you easily integrate with third-party apps which extends the scope of the tool by several degrees. Above all, you can link to your Dropbox files and documents just as easily as you would add a checkbox or a bullet list.