How do I add link previews into Dropbox Paper?

[pgoodall]

I have a Paper doc that I created a couple of months ago, and at the time I added some links to various websites. These links gave me the option of creating a preview of the site, so I added those. Now, for some reason, when I add new links I don't get any such option and I cannot figure out why. Is this broken? Was it a temporary feature? Is there any way to troubleshoot? I've been been searching and I cannot find any information on this (except very old posts from users compaining about the opposite - they don't want the previews...).

Can anyone help? Is this dependent on my browser? OS? 😕

[Jay · Accepted solution]

Hi @pgoodall, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

In general, the feature to show a preview of any site is no longer available. 

There are certain site that embed media into Paper, such as YouTube links, which would show the thumbnail of the video, and be a clickable media.

If you have any further queries, feel free to message back.

[pgoodall]

Thanks, Jay. That's really unfortunate, as I really liked that feature. It must have just been removed, as I only created the doc 72 days ago.

[JohnnyDogman]

I understand your frustration with link previews in Dropbox Paper. Here’s what you can try:

1. Check Browser Compatibility: Ensure you’re using a compatible browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) and that it’s up to date.
2. Clear Cache: Clear your browser’s cache and cookies, then try adding the link again.
3. Use a Different Browser: Sometimes, switching to a different browser can resolve such issues.
4. Update Dropbox Paper: Make sure Dropbox Paper is up to date. Sometimes features change with updates.

I hope this helps!

[pgoodall]

I started adding the links while the sing the latest version of the app on my iPad. Then, I switched to using my laptop using the latest version of Firefox.

Tonight, while working on the same doc using Firefox on the same laptop it started working for new links I added.

I deleted a couple of the links that didn’t have previews and re-added them. That mostly worked. Seems very unreliable.