U-M Dropbox Updates

Enhancements to video previews in U-M Dropbox

3/22/2023

Dropbox has announced a number of enhancements to managing and previewing video files.

  • The preview duration limit has been increased to 4 hours, so you and your collaborators can preview more of a video on dropbox.com without having to download the entire file. (This preview duration only applies to videos owned by someone in U-M Dropbox or another enterprise-level domain.)
  • The preview resolution limit has been increased to allow streaming of 2160p (4k) videos. (This preview resolution only applies to videos uploaded at that resolution and owned by someone in U-M Dropbox or another paid account.)
  • More controls for video previews:
    • Skip forward and backward by 10 seconds
    • Turn on closed captioning and read auto-generated transcriptions
    • Change the playback speed
    • Scrubbing to help locate a specific point in your video

Learn more about previewing videos in Dropbox.

According to Dropbox, these updates should now be available in U-M Dropbox.

Updates to folder sharing in U-M Dropbox

2/15/2023

Dropbox recently made updates to the ways in which you can share folders in U-M Dropbox. These updates include the ability to:

Dropbox shared link settings showing new Link for editing option  Dropbox "Share this folder" dialog box with a red box around the new "Can edit" option

Refer to Dropbox: Folder Settings and Permissions for more information on sharing folders in U-M Dropbox.

Email to Dropbox feature now available

6/8/2022

Dropbox recently announced a new feature, “Email to Dropbox,” which allows you to create a unique email address to forward email attachments directly to your U-M Dropbox account into a private folder called “Email Attachments.”

Dropbox notification confirming your unique email address has been created

Some tips on using the new feature:

  • File attachments can be no larger than 20 MB per email.
  • You can share the "Email Attachments" folder just like any other file or folder.
  • Anyone can send file attachments to your U-M Dropbox account using your unique email address, so only share it with people you trust.
  • You can change your unique email address at any time.
  • Check your “Email Attachments” folder regularly, as you will not receive notifications when an attachment has been forwarded.
  • The unique email address is not connected to MCommunity, and MCommunity groups can’t be used to forward attachments to Dropbox.
  • You should not use a unique email address to send PHI / HIPAA-regulated data to your account.

Visit the Dropbox Help Center to learn more about Email to Dropbox and creating your unique email address.

This feature is now available in U-M Dropbox.

Upcoming change to the default shared link setting in U-M Dropbox

1/25/2022

On February 1, 2022, the default view setting for shared links in U-M Dropbox will change from “Team members” to “Only people invited.” This change means that instead of sharing with everyone at the University of Michigan by default, shared links will only be viewable by people you have invited to view the file/folder in U-M Dropbox.

You can still change the shared link view setting on individual files and folders as needed. Refer to Dropbox: Share Files/Folders Using Shared Links for more information on shared links.

Dropbox shared link settings, link for viewing tab is open, who has access drop-down menu displays that Team members is selected. Red box around Only people invited option.

FINAL REMINDER: Upcoming changes to the Dropbox desktop app window on Jan. 17

1/10/2022

As a final reminder, Dropbox will no longer support the Dropbox desktop app window (shown below) beginning January 17, 2022.

Dropbox desktop app window interface

Important: This change does not mean the Dropbox desktop app is going away. You can continue to use the desktop app on your Windows and Mac computers, however, you will now access your files and folders via the Dropbox folder found in Mac Finder and Windows File Explorer. Additionally, you can still access your content using the Dropbox icon from your desktop taskbar/menu bar, dropbox.umich.edu, and the mobile apps.

For more details on how to access your Dropbox files/folders from your desktop, refer to Dropbox: Access the Dropbox Folder in File Explorer/Finder and What is the Dropbox desktop app? for more information.