You might see that the Dropbox Community team have been busy working on some major updates to the Community itself! So, here is some info on what’s changed, what’s staying the same and what you can expect from the Dropbox Community overall.

Forum Discussion

KzDbx's avatar
KzDbx
Icon for Community Manager rankCommunity Manager
2 years ago

Updated Dropbox for Windows Experience - What you need to know

Thank you for testing the new version of Dropbox for Windows and for joining this group. Any feedback you can share with us will be valuable as we continue to improve this experience. 
 
Please note: Dropbox early releases are subject to additional terms and conditions.
 
This post will outline some of the changes you can expect to see in this beta release
 

What to expect from the Dropbox for Windows beta experience

The Windows beta is currently available to select users who have opted into early releases and is not available to download as a specific build.
 
The Dropbox for Windows beta is focused on the changes introduced with Microsoft’s new sync API called Cloud Files. This applies to Windows 11 devices. To properly integrate with Windows going forward, we have revamped our sync engine to make use of the Cloud Files API. We need your help to test that it works properly.
 
Some of the areas we are currently focusing on include:
  • Your ability to effectively add, delete, and share files from your Dropbox
  • Your ease of making content available online and offline
  • Your comprehension of the sync iconography 
 
You can share your experience with us by creating a topic here.

 

Expected changes

This update introduces changes to the sync icons and to the list view in your File Explorer. Below is a quick summary of the expected icon behavior. 
 
A solid green circle with a white checkmark means your file or folder is synced and available offline.
 
For folders, this icon means all files in the folder are available offline.
A blue cloud icon means your file or folder is fully synced and online-only.
 
For folders, this icon means there is at least one online-only file in the folder. There can also be files that are “available” and/or “available offline” in the folder.

 

 

A solid blue circle with two white arrows going in a circle means that your file or folder is in the process of updating.

 

A green circle with a green border and a green checkmark means that a file or folder was opened (directly or with a third-party application) and synced.
 
For folders, this icon means there is at least one available file in the folder, but no online-only files. There can also be files that are available offline in the folder.

 

 

A red circle with a white “X” means that your file or folder can’t update or sync.
 

 

 A gray circle with a white minus sign means that your file is ignored. 

 

 

The Details view in your File Explorer will now include a Status column. This column is where the relevant icon for the file or folder will be shown. 

 

 

 

 

What’s next

 
We truly appreciate you testing this beta. If you have support questions or general feedback on how we can improve this experience, let us know by creating a topic here
 
Thank you again for testing this beta and sharing your experience with us.

  • henryperkins's avatar
    henryperkins
    Helpful | Level 6

    Hello,

     

    I have made sure that I am opted into early releases and am very interested in beta testing the ARM64 version of Dropbox on Windows. Please advise where I can participate in beta testing. Thank you.

     

  • cristtos's avatar
    cristtos
    New member | Level 2

    How do I actually provide feed back? By replying here?

    I have the "currently synching" blue sign on a number of local folders, some of which I did not touch for a year or more.

    Is that normal?

    • Walter's avatar
      Walter
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

      Hey cristtos, I just wanted to mention that you can post your feedback and support questions on this page.

       

      I hope this helps!

    • KzDbx's avatar
      KzDbx
      Icon for Community Manager rankCommunity Manager

      Hi cristtos!

       

       

      I have the "currently synching" blue sign on a number of local folders, some of which I did not touch for a year or more.

      Is that normal?


      Yes - this is expected as the update needs to run through your files and folders to ensure they are migrated and compatible with the new update. Once they're synced, the blue sync icons should disappear and be replaced with either green checkmark or cloud icon, depending on whether your files are local or online-only.

      • NB141's avatar
        NB141
        Collaborator | Level 8

        Hi ... How do you take part ? I'm  currently a Beta tester and using the latest beta version but I'm assuming it is a request only ... all the best 

         

         

  • Atila B.'s avatar
    Atila B.
    New member | Level 2

    Was this change rolled back?

     

    I have beta build 185.3.5963 and I cannot see this new status column in File Explorer...

     
     
     
     
    • Rich's avatar
      Rich
      Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II

      Atila B. wrote:

      I have beta build 185.3.5963 and I cannot see this new status column in File Explorer...


      It's not available to all users. Changes like this are rolled out slowly to a limited number of people. As testing progresses they may push the beta out to more people as the need arises.

       

      The final release versions are often rolled out in a similar manner so Dropbox can watch for any issues during the rollout.