Getting started with Dropbox Capture
10 minute read
Learn how to use Dropbox Capture
Dropbox Capture is a powerful tool that makes it fast and easy to capture and share work. With Capture, you can create screenshots and add markups, as well as record screen recordings, audio, and GIFs. If it helps people understand your work better, it’s likely worth sharing with Dropbox Capture.
Let’s get started setting up Capture.
How to set up Dropbox Capture
To install the Dropbox Capture desktop app:
Go to dropbox.com/capture
Click Download.
After the Dropbox Capture desktop app has downloaded, open the file and follow the installation instructions.
When the Dropbox Capture desktop app has installed, click the Dropbox Capture icon (diamond-shaped lens) in your taskbar (Windows) or the menu bar (Mac) to open the app.
After the installation is complete, click the Dropbox Capture icon in your system tray (Windows) or menu bar (Mac) and sign in using your Dropbox username and password.
Note: If you’re already signed into the Dropbox desktop app (which you can download here), you'll automatically be signed into Capture with the same account.
Once opened, you can click “⁝” (vertical ellipsis) in the upper-right corner to access the dropdown menu where you can set your preferences, get help from the Dropbox Help center, provide feedback, and learn about recent product updates.
Customize keyboard shortcuts for the Dropbox Capture desktop app
To access or edit keyboard shortcuts:
Open the Dropbox Capture desktop app.
Click “⁝” (vertical ellipsis) in the top-right corner of your screen.
Select Preferences.
Click Shortcuts at the top of the menu.
Change your camera or microphone settings
Plug in the device.
Open the Dropbox Capture desktop app.
Click “⁝” (vertical ellipsis) in the top-right corner.
Click Preferences.
Select the device you want to use from the dropdown next to Camera and Microphone.
Enable or disable closed captions in Dropbox Capture
You can add auto-generated closed captions to any videos you create using Dropbox Capture. Closed captions make your content more accessible to viewers, including those with hearing disabilities or who can’t play audio.
When you choose to enable or disable captions, you’re enabling/disabling captions for all of your Dropbox Capture videos.
To enable/disable captions for your videos:
Open the Dropbox Capture desktop app.
Click the “⁝” (vertical ellipsis) in the top-right.
Click Preferences.
Toggle Generate closed captions on/off.
Note: If you’re on a Dropbox team and you don’t see the Generate closed captions setting, your admin has disabled captions.
How to take screenshots with Dropbox Capture
To take a screenshot using Dropbox Capture:
Open the Dropbox Capture desktop app.
Click Screenshot.
Choose which part of your screen you’d like to capture:
Click once take a screenshot of your entire screen.
Click and drag to screenshot a desired area of your screen.
Press the spacebar to screenshot a specific window.
A copy of your image will appear on the clipboard and be saved to the Capture folder of your Dropbox account.
If you’d prefer to copy a link to the screenshot instead, click “⁝” (vertical ellipsis) in the top right corner of the Capture app, select Preferences, and set When screenshot is ready to Copy Link.
How to markup screenshots created in Dropbox Capture
After taking a screenshot, you’ll see a notification appear in the bottom-right corner of your screen. From this notification, you can preview your screenshot, delete your screenshot by clicking the trashcan icon, or markup your screenshot by clicking the pencil icon labeled Markup.
To markup screenshots made with Dropbox Capture:
Open Capture app from the taskbar or menu bar.
Hover over a screenshot to view the list of actions.
Click the the pencil icon labeled Markup.
From the Markup menu, you are able to add shapes, arrows, or text as well as draw on your screenshot.
When you click Save and copy to clipboard the marked up image, will replace the image on the clipboard and in the Capture folder of your Dropbox account.
How to record your screen with Dropbox Capture
Note: If you’re on a Mac, you’ll need to update your Privacy preferences to give Dropbox Capture access to Camera, Microphone, and Screen Recording.
How much recording time do I have?
Customers on Dropbox Basic, Plus, and Family plans can record up to two hours total with no limit on individual recordings. Additional time can be added by referring Dropbox Capture.
Customers on Dropbox Professional, Standard, Advanced, and Enterprise have unlimited recording time up to their storage limit.
After you record your first video, your remaining recording time will appear at the top of the Dropbox Capture desktop app in the taskbar (Windows) or menu bar (Mac). Deleting videos will remove their length from your recording time. Additional time can be added by referring people to Dropbox Capture.
To record only your screen and microphone:
Open the Dropbox Capture app.
Click Screen recording.
Choose which part of your screen you’d like to capture:
Click once to record your entire screen.
Click and drag to record a desired area of your screen.
Press the spacebar to record a specific window.
Click the Red Circle icon in the left-side panel to start recording, click it again to stop recording.
Click the Draw icon in the side panel while recording to draw on your recording.
Click the Pause icon in the side panel while recording to pause/resume recording.
Click the Redo icon in the side panel while recording to stop the recording and start over.
Click the Cancel icon in the side panel while recording to stop and cancel the recording.
Note: To mute your microphone, click the microphone icon in the side panel.
To record your screen, microphone, and camera:
Open Dropbox Capture desktop app.
Click Screen recording & camera.
Choose which part of your screen you’d like to capture:
Click once to record your entire screen.
Click and drag to record a desired area of your screen.
Press the spacebar to record a specific window.
Click the red circle icon in the left-side panel to start recording, click it again to stop recording.
Click the Draw icon in the side panel while recording to draw on your recording.
Click the Pause icon in the side panel while recording to pause/resume recording.
Click the Redo icon in the side panel while recording to stop the recording and start over.
Click the Cancel icon in the side panel while recording to stop and delete the recording.
Note: You can click and drag the camera to move it around your screen before and during recording. You can also enlarge the camera by hovering your mouse over it and clicking the enlarge icon.
Note: To mute your microphone, click the Microphone icon in the side panel.
To record your audio only:
Open Dropbox Capture desktop app.
Click Audio recording.
Click the Red Circle icon in the left-side panel to start recording, click it again to stop recording.
To record your camera only:
Open Dropbox Capture desktop app.
Click Camera.
Click the red circle icon in the left-side panel to start recording, click it again to stop recording.
Click the Pause icon in the side panel while recording to pause/resume recording.
Click the Draw icon in the side panel while recording to draw on your recording.
Note: To mute your microphone, click the microphone icon in the side panel.
Note: A link to your recording will be copied to your clipboard and a copy of your recording will be saved to the Capture folder of your Dropbox account.
How do I edit videos created in Capture?
To edit videos made with Dropbox Capture:
Open the Dropbox Capture desktop app.
Hover over a video to view the list of actions.
Click the scissors icon to edit. This will open your video on capture.dropbox.com.
You can trim the length of your video by dragging the the blue bars to select a part of the video then decide if it’s the part you would like to keep or to remove.
How to record your screen as a GIF
Note: This feature is only available to macOS users and GIFs are limited to 30 seconds.
Open Dropbox Capture desktop app.
Click GIF.
Choose which part of your screen you’d like to capture:
Click once to record of your entire screen.
Click and drag to record a desired area of your screen.
Press the spacebar to record a specific window.
Click the Red Circle icon in the left-side panel to start recording, click it again to stop recording.
Click the Draw icon in the side panel while recording to draw on your recording.
Click the Pause icon in the side panel while recording to pause/resume recording.
Click the Redo icon in the side panel while recording to stop the recording and start over.
Click the Cancel icon in the side panel while recording to stop and delete the recording.
A link to your recording will be copied to your clipboard and a copy of your recording will be saved to the Capture folder of your Dropbox account.
How do I see who has viewed videos I’ve created in Dropbox Capture?
To see who has viewed your Capture video:
Open the Dropbox Capture desktop app.
Hover over a video to view the list of actions.
Click the eye icon. This will open your video on capture.dropbox.com.
Click [#] viewed in the top-right above the video preview.
Note: By default, you’ll be notified by email when someone views a video you created. You can turn this off by opening Preferences in Capture and toggling off Get notified when someone views.
How to change viewing permissions in Capture
Note: This feature is only available to Dropbox for teams.
Open the Dropbox Capture desktop app.
Hover over a video or screenshot to view the list of actions.
Click the eye icon. This will open your video or screenshot on capture.dropbox.com.
Click the dropdown menu in the upper right of your screen and choose Who has access.
You can choose from Anyone with the link (people both in and out of your Dropbox team), Team members (Dropbox team members only), or Only me (private).
