Search and find answers

Dropbox Dash helps you find and understand work across your connected apps from one place. You can use natural language to search for content, ask questions, and summarize information.

Dash uses signals like titles, content, and recent activity to surface relevant results. Built-in access controls ensure you only see content you’re authorized to view.

Improve your search results

• Ask questions or use keywords, and be specific. This helps narrow down results and increases the chances of finding relevant information.

• Use filters to refine your search results, such as by app, type, updated date, or people.

• Regularly update your knowledge base. Make sure that the documents and files you frequently use are up to date. This will improve the accuracy of search results and help team members find the most relevant information.

• Use your search history to revisit previous queries and results. This can save time when you need to find information again.

Pro tips

• Admins:

  • Connect at least three apps to improve search results (for example OneDrive, Google Calendar, and Gmail). The more you connect, the more relevant insights Dash can provide.

  • Create groups in your connected apps to manage permissions by departments or project teams.

  • Regularly review and update access levels to match current needs.

  • Use tiered access for sensitive information to ensure appropriate visibility.

• Members:

  • Use personal filters to focus on your connected content.

  • Add sources when asking questions to guide Dash toward the right context

  • Start with a search, then ask follow-up questions to explore a topic further

  • Connect the apps you use most to improve the relevance of results

Summarize long documents

Dropbox Dash helps you quickly get an overview of long documents or discussions. For example, when reviewing reports, meeting notes, or long threads, you can understand the key points without reading everything in detail.

How it works

You can summarize content in different ways, depending on where you’re working:

• From the search bar (dash.ai or desktop app): Enter a question to summarize content or get answers from your connected apps. You can also upload files for more specific results.

• From the left sidebar: Open Chat and ask Dropbox Dash to summarize a document, pull out action items, or answer questions about your content.

• From the browser extension: Ask questions and get summaries directly from the extension panel while browsing, without leaving the page.

• From quick search on desktop: Use a keyboard shortcut to open quick search and find or summarize content from anywhere on your computer.

Ask questions about your content

Dropbox Dash can help you get quick AI-powered answers by searching across the content in your connected apps and files.

For example, if you have a document about your company strategy stored in a connected app, you can ask a question about it and get a response based on that content.

To get better results:

• Ask clear, specific questions

• Add more context if needed

• Refine your question to explore the topic further

If the response isn’t helpful, try rephrasing your question or narrowing the scope.

Search the web

Dropbox Dash can also help you find and understand information from the web, not just from your connected apps and company content. This makes it useful for broader research without leaving your workflow.

How it works

To include web results, you can enable Web content when starting a chat, then enter your question.

Web search is available on dash.ai and in the browser extension.

Write more effective prompts

Getting great answers from Dash is all about clarity. The more specific you are, the better Dash can understand what you need:

• Ask specific, structured questions: clear questions lead to clear answers

• Request answers in a defined format: bullet points, summaries, short paragraphs—whatever works best for you

• Break complex tasks into smaller prompts: simple asks often yield better results

• Use follow-up questions to refine results: Dash Chat is conversational, it’s in the name, so don’t hesitate to dig deeper

• Always verify important outputs before using: especially if the info will be shared externally or influence a decision

Mistakes to avoid

Even experienced users can fall into a few traps. Here are some common mistakes—and how to steer clear of them:

• Being too vague: prompts like “Write a blog post” aren’t helpful. Add context, tone, and intent.

• Over-relying on output: AI can help, but you’re still the editor-in-chief. Make it your own.

• Skipping review: always check for accuracy, tone, and flow, especially if it’s client- or customer-facing.

• Overloading prompts: don’t try to do too much in one go. Break it down and build from there