Dropbox launches overhauled desktop app with a focus on killing clutter

What you need to know

  • Dropbox officially launched its new desktop app today.
  • The update sports a new look and aims to break down barriers with a slew of new features.
  • The new desktop app is available for Dropbox users to download now.

Dropbox took to its Work in Progress conference today to officially launch its new desktop app. The app, which soft-launched as part of an early acces program in June, represents a major overhaul for the company, bringing a focus on cutting clutter out of your workspace with some handy new features.

The new Dropbox sports a fresh look, but the company has also put a heavy emphasis on making it easier to get things done without fussing around too much. The app, for example, now allows you to create and share Google and Microsoft Office docs right from the toolbar, opening a window to Office Online or Google's online editor once you've named the file. All of the changes you make will then be synced with Dropbox.

A unified search will let you quickly search through all of your files, while you can also create shortcuts for any website within Dropbox.

There are also a lot of new features focused on easing collaboration among team members in this update. Dropbox Spaces is a new hub that the company describes as an evolution of the shared folder, with a focus on organization. You'll be able to preview files like AutoCAD renders even if you don't have the source app installed, and a new AI-powered image search can help narrow things down by analyzing what's in each image.

Dropbox is also tapping AI for personalized file and folder suggestions, calendar integrations, and team highlights from the new "For You" tab. That's in addition to Paper integration, @mentions, pinning content to workspaces, and the ability to assign to-dos to team members on files.

For more, you can check out Dropbox's full blog post. Otherwise, you can download the new app directly frop Dropbox now.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl