Dropbox Dash team member onboarding guide

What is Dash?

Dropbox Dash combines AI universal search and organization with universal content access control. Connect Dash with everyday work apps to create a central hub for all your company’s information. Robust access permission controls guarantee your company’s content is seen only by the right people, both inside and outside Dash.

Combined with universal search, AI-powered insights, and content collections, Dash makes it easy to find, organize, share and secure your work.

Bringing advanced content access control and search capabilities to any size business, Dash is ideal for those who handle large volumes of content and care about protecting sensitive information.

Receiving your invite to Dropbox Dash

You’ll receive an email invite from your admin with a link to join Dash.

1. Open the email from your admin and click Accept invite.

   • You’ll be redirected to the Dropbox Dash login page.

2. Use your work email and Dropbox credentials to log in. If you don’t have a Dropbox account, you’ll be prompted to create one.

Perform your first search

Now that your apps are added, you’ll be introduced to Dropbox Dash main feature: its powerful search functionality.

1. Start typing into the search bar to begin. Dash doesn't just look at document titles—it goes deeper. It analyzes the actual content within files, including Word or Google documents, PDFs, presentations, and more, to surface the most relevant results.

2. Dash also takes into account your interactions, like recently viewed or edited content, to help tailor results to you. What appears will depend on the apps you've added and the content available to Dash, so results may vary.

3. As you type, Dash will search across your apps and show a preview of matching content. Press Enter to see a full list of results.

4. Use the filters at the top of the search results to sort by specific apps, such as Google Docs, Outlook, and more.

• You can also use typeahead filtering to refine your search as you type, including:

  • from: to find files or messages from a specific person

  • in: to search within a particular app

  • time: to filter by date

  • type: to search by file type (such as documents, spreadsheets, emails)

• Dash automatically applies these filters to your results, ensuring a consistent user experience.

• After entering a keyword, you'll see autocomplete suggestions as you type, making it easier to find what you need.

Note: If you have the Dropbox Dash browser extension installed, you can also search by typing “ds” and the space key directly into the address bar on Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. “Dropbox Dash |” will appear, and you can start typing your query.

This quick and easy process shows how simple it is to find what you need without switching between different apps.

Summarize and ask questions about your documents

After locating the document, you can search for specific information or share it. Some search results will have (twinkle) next to the file name. This indicates that Dash can extract relevant information from these documents and quickly answer your queries, saving you time and effort.

Note: Summaries currently work only for a single document.

You can stop there if the summary snippet provides the information you need. However, if you want more context, click Ask new question to ask additional questions based on the information in the document.

Use the start page in Dropbox Dash

The start page is the central hub of your Dropbox Dash experience. It provides a quick overview of everything you need to start your day, including key features like Recents, Upcoming events, Activity feed, and stacks.

Create a stack to organize your work

Dropbox Dash also allows you to create “stacks," which are collections of related content that help you stay organized. To view a pre-made stack from the Dash team:

1. From the Dash start page, click Stacks on the left sidebar.

2. Click the Get started with Dash stack to view helpful documentation on how to use Dash best.

Stacks are perfect for organizing documents, emails, and links in one place, making collaboration with your team more efficient. You can also create your own stacks to gather links, documents, and other information for easy access through Dash.

1. From the Stacks page, click Create stack.

2. Name your stack something relevant (for example: “Marketing Project” or “Client Onboarding.”)

3. Add content to your stack by typing in keywords or copying and pasting links from your search results. Dash will suggest items you can add, and you can click (add sign) to include them in your stack.

4. Once your stack is created, you can share it with your team or pin it to the top of your dashboard for quick access.

Use Ask and Write

Dropbox Dash provides powerful AI tools designed to boost your productivity and streamline content creation. It includes two main features—Ask and Write—each tailored to support different aspects of your workflow. Ask helps you engage with your content through questions, summaries and data extraction. Write focuses on drafting and editing to refine your ideas.

What you can—and can’t—do with Dash

What you can do:

• Use Ask to answer your questions and uncover hidden insights from your documents.

• Use Write to streamline content creation and generate various types of content.

• Summarize documents and emails.

• Incorporate preset tones and company tones to match your organization's voice.

• Personalize your content by creating custom writing tones and templates so you always sound like you.

What you can’t do:

• Perform tasks outside of your existing permissions

• Access content in apps that aren’t added

• Share source files you upload

• Summarize a spreadsheet

Download Dropbox Dash for desktop

To download the Dropbox Dash desktop app:

1. Click the Download Desktop App button in the onboarding flow.

2. You’ll be redirected to the download page to choose the appropriate version for your operating system (Windows or Mac).

3. Follow the installation instructions for your device.‍

   • Windows: Double-click the .exe file and follow the prompts.‍

   • Mac: Open the .dmg file and drag the Dash icon to your Applications folder.

4. After installation, open the app and log in using your Dropbox credentials. Dash will automatically start indexing your local files.

5. Press Control + E on Windows and Command + E on Mac to launch the Dash app.

Now you can search your cloud apps and desktop files in one place.

Note:

You can open files in their respective desktop apps through Dropbox Dash in two ways:

• Click your avatar in the lower left of the Dropbox Dash desktop app, click Settings, scroll down to Preferences, then check the box next to Open files in desktop apps when available. This setting applies to files that open in Zoom, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint, if those applications are installed on your computer.

• You can also allow Dash to search your local files by clicking on Settings, navigating to the Local files tab, then checking the box next to Allow Dash to search your local files. When searching for files, apply the Local files filter to ensure that your files (including downloaded Dropbox files) open in their respective desktop apps.

Download the Dash mobile app

You can use the Dropbox Dash mobile app on Android and iOS devices to view your Dash activity feed and browse your stacks, as well as search and ask questions about your content.

To install the Dash mobile app:

1. Ensure your mobile device meets system requirements for the Dash mobile app.

2. Open the Google Play Store (Android) or the App Store (iOS).

3. Search for Dropbox Dash.

4. Install the app.

5. Open the Dropbox Dash mobile app.

6. Log in with your Dropbox Dash account credentials.

Once you’ve installed the Dropbox Dash mobile app you can view recent activity, tap the search bar to start searching or asking questions about your content, and access your stacks.

Download the Dropbox Dash browser extension for Chrome or Microsoft Edge

To further enhance your experience, Dropbox Dash offers a browser extension for both Chrome and Microsoft Edge. This extension integrates Dash directly into your browser, enabling you to organize content without leaving your current workflow and enhance your search based on your browser activity.

With the Dash browser extension installed, you can quickly search the content in your apps from any new tab.

For Microsoft Edge:

1. From the Dash start page, click Download.

2. Click Add extension.

3. This will redirect you to the Microsoft Edge Add-ons page, where you can click Add to Edge.

4. A confirmation popup will appear. Click Add Extension to complete the installation.

5. After installation, the Dash icon will appear in your Edge toolbar. Click on it, log in with your Dropbox credentials, and start using Dash directly from your Edge browser.

6. Press Keep it when asked about changing the new tab to Dash.

Note: You can disable the Microsoft Edge browser extension in the settings if you no longer need it.

For Google Chrome:

1. From the Dash start page, click Download.

2. Click Add extension.

3. This will redirect you to the Chrome Web Store, where you can click Add to Chrome.

4. A confirmation popup will appear. Click Add Extension to complete the installation.

5. Once installed, you’ll see the Dash icon in your Chrome toolbar. Click on it, log in using your Dropbox credentials, and you’re ready to start using Dash in your browser.

6. Press Keep it when asked about changing the new tab to Dash.

Note: You can disable the Chrome browser extension in the settings if you no longer need it.

When you open a new browser tab, Dash will load automatically, allowing you to search your apps and organize content directly from your browser.

Some search results will have next to the file name. This indicates that Dash can extract relevant information from these documents and quickly answer your queries.