Collaborate on Paper docs

Updated Nov 06, 2023

In Dropbox Paper, you can collaborate with people by:

  • Mentioning them in the doc and in comments
  • Commenting on text and images
  • Creating and assigning to-dos
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Note: Up to 50 people can edit a Paper doc at any given time. If more than 50 people try to edit a doc, it will become view-only for any additional editors.

Not using Paper yet? See how Dropbox allows easy team content collaboration.

Mention someone

Mention a colleague anywhere in your Paper doc by typing @ (the at symbol) and then their name.

If the person you mention has a Dropbox account, their name is shortened to reflect the name on their account.

If you click a hyperlinked name, a dropdown appears. You can then search every shared doc that person created.

Leave comments

Comment on a doc

  1. Highlight a line of text to bring up the formatting toolbar.
  2. Click the comment icon (a speech bubble) in the menu that appears.

You can @ (at) mention a colleague in your comment to send a notification.

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Note: You can also create a comment by hovering your mouse pointer in the right margin beside a line of text.

Comment on a spot of an image

  1. Click the image that you'd like to comment on.
  2. Click the circle icon with the plus sign to comment on a specific area of an image.
  3. Click the section of the image you'd like to comment on.
  4. Type your comment and click Post.

Link directly to a comment in a Paper doc

  1. In a Paper doc, click the comment you want to link to.
  2. Click the timestamp (for example: 2 hours ago).
    • The URL in your web browser will change. 
  3. Copy this URL and paste it where you like.
  4. When someone clicks this URL, they're directed to that comment.

When someone clicks this URL, they're directed to that comment.

Create and assign to-dos

You can create to-dos that need to be accomplished and assign them to colleagues.

See the author

Attribution shows you who wrote a section of a document. The name of the person who wrote a part of a document is shown beside the text. This happens even if you copy-and-paste from one Paper doc to another.

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Note: The name of the person next to a piece of text might not be the original writer. If the content is copy-pasted into Paper, the attributor may change. Content copied from external sources, or pasted without formatting, is attributed to the person who pastes it. Content copied from another Paper doc is attributed to the original contributor.

FAQs about collaborating across new Paper and old Paper releases

What happens if a new Paper user shares files with users on old Paper, and vice versa?

If a new Paper user gets shared an old Paper doc or folder, they'll have access to view and edit the content, but they won't have the ability to view the .paper file in Dropbox. The content will continue to live in the document owners Paper folder until migrated to Dropbox.

 

If a Dropbox or Paper folder is shared, both parties will be able to view the contents. The person on the old Paper release will be the only one able to add to the Paper folder. The person on the new Paper release will be the only one to add a Paper doc to the Dropbox folder.

What happens if an old Paper user joins a team with the new Paper release?

If an old Paper user joins a new Paper release team their team account becomes a new Paper release account. They won't have access Paper Home from the team account. A paired personal account is unaffected.

How can I find my Paper docs?

  • Search the Paper docs by name. 
  • Paper mobile will show all of the old and new Paper docs together. 
  • For new .paper docs shared with you, look on the Shared page.
  • Recently accessed Paper docs can be found on Recents page.
    • You can access this from the All files page on dropbox.com. Click the Recents tab.
  • Once you find your Paper docs, you can star or bookmark them to find them easily from the homepage. 
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