Did you know that Dropbox has many more features? 15 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Dropbox 15 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Dropbox Cloud storage services have come and gone, but Dropbox is probably the one that's been here the longest. And now it has upped its game with a host of new features. We are going to explore. Read More It's great for storing your files in one place where you can always access them. Plus, Dropbox offers some great productivity tools.
Here, we'll take a look at five of our favorite ways to be more productive with Dropbox. Let us know in the comments which ones you like and if we can't find them!
Dropbox's Paper app is an alternative to Evernote, OneNote, and other note-taking apps. It's more like Google Drive documents, but it's more focused on productivity. Each note in Dropbox Paper can contain text, images, embedded videos, Dropbox files, to-do lists, and even code highlights. A single click activates the insert menu, and you only need to select what you're looking for.
You can organize your notes into folders, and you can control access to those folders just like you would for any other Dropbox file or folder. And, like many other Dropbox features, there's a strong emphasis on sharing and collaboration. Each line or section is marked with the name of the person who wrote it. Comments can be left on every line and, again, are clearly marked with their authors' names.
Sharing, commenting, and tracking updates and changes is easy. However, even if you don't need all the sharing capabilities, the easy syncing and clean interface make it a great free replacement for your current note-taking app. Free apps for iOS and Android also let you take notes on the go.
Download - Dropbox Paper for iOS (free)
Download - Dropbox Paper for Android (Free)
You can use the Dropbox app to find files and take a quick look at them while you're on the go, but it can also be very handy for creating. Just hit the plus button at the bottom of the screen and you'll see a short menu. That menu lets you scan a document, upload a photo, upload a file, or create a new Microsoft Office document right from your phone.
There are many good apps for scanning documents Scan and manage your receipts, save space, paper and time Scan and manage your receipts, save space, paper and time Paper receipts are easily lost and hard to find when you need them most. Fortunately, going digital solves both problems. Read More Support for Microsoft Office file formats right from your phone is great for creating things that are formatted well. Also, desktop users can easily access and edit these files. You'll just need to download the free Microsoft Office apps first.
And of course, the Dropbox app lets you view your files on the go. This is great for PDFs, photos, and any type of document stored in your Dropbox. Contracts, spreadsheets, photos from your trip, wish lists, music... the app allows you to access it everywhere.
Download - Dropbox for iOS (free)
Download - Dropbox for Android (free)
Everyone writes the wrong thing sometimes. Or delete important parts of a document. Or just totally screw up on something else. Whatever the reason, recovering a previous version of a document can be a huge time saver. And Dropbox makes it easy to roll back your documents. Just edit a document stored in the Dropbox folder on your computer, and a new version will be saved to Dropbox.
Right click on a file in your Dropbox and select Version history , and you will see each available version. Click on one to take a look at that version and select Restore If you want to restore it. There are no changes highlighted, so if you want to see exactly what has been updated, you'll want to keep Track Changes in your Microsoft Office files.
Where do you store the files you are currently working on? On your desk? Your document folder? Instead, try to keep them in Dropbox. That way, you'll have access to them wherever and whenever you need them. Even if you almost always have your laptop with you, there will likely be times when you don't. And being able to edit Microsoft Office files from your phone is a great way to stay productive. 5 Expert Ways to Use Your Smartphone Productively Every Day 5 Expert Ways to Use Your Smartphone Productively Every Day Can your smartphone make you more productive in a healthy way? If you can. So let's see how you can optimize your smartphone and get more out of your daily life. Read More
Storing the files you're currently working on in Dropbox makes it easy to share and collaborate on them instantly, too. Need feedback on something you're writing? Submit it and ask for feedback. Want someone's input on a PowerPoint presentation? They can pull up a new slide directly from their phone.
Like Google Docs, Dropbox allows you to collaborate in real time on your files. But Dropbox allows you to work directly in Microsoft Office. Using this to work together in real time can be a huge time saver when the alternative is to flip a document back and forth with comments and markup. Just use Skype, Google Hangouts or Appear.in to talk to each other and work on the same document.
When you have a document in your Dropbox folder open and someone else changes it, the Dropbox badge will turn red so you know there's a change you haven't seen yet. (You can refer to this guide to see the different states of the credential and what they mean.) Use this feature to keep both copies of the document up to date. These collaboration features are great for companies with employees everywhere, whether they're freelance digital nomads or just in different buildings.
The badge also allows you to access the sharing tools and version history of your document.
These five ideas simply highlight how you can use Dropbox to be more productive. But with storage, sharing, and collaboration capabilities, there are likely many different ways people are using it to get more done. And we want to hear your best advice.!
How do you use Dropbox to be more productive? Do you use it for work, for personal things or for both? Share your best tips and tricks in the comments below!
