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Google/Dropbox integration changing?

Hello:

A colleague of mine at another organization received this message from Dropbox:

We’re writing to let you know that Google files stored in Dropbox will move to Google Drive on 7/20/2023. This change will ensure that your team can use the most up-to-date Google features and they remain organized with the rest of your Dropbox content.

What’s changing?
Shortcuts to your team’s Google files will be added to Dropbox so they remain accessible. This move will impact your Google storage and free up Dropbox storage.

What do you need to do?
Ensure your team confirms their preferences in order to move Google files to Google Drive.

While I have not received that message, we are increasingly using dropbox to create google docs/sheets. Does anyone know what this change means in terms of:

user experience
sharing/privilege setting
the mechanics of moving?

Regarding the latter, it seems like they might require you to install the Google Drive App on your computer in order to create shortcuts?

All in all I'm concerned that the integration might become far less useful.

Thanks for any insight you might have,

Alan

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Hannah

Hey @Alan Septoff, thanks for posting your question to our Community.

Having questions about this change is understandable, so I would highly recommend taking a look at this article from our help center.

It has all the relevant info about the change and your options, but if you still have questions, you can always let us know.

Cheers!

Alan Septoff

I want to see how this works in practice ASAP -- but I haven't received an email from dropbox about it (only a colleague has) and the options mentioned in the help page you linked doesn't provide conversion options for me. Specifically the below:

How to move your files to Google Drive

To move your files, you can click the button in your email or the banner that pops up on dropbox.com. To do so:

Hannah

Thanks for getting back to us here, Alan.

At the moment, there's nothing we can do to speed this up, really.

You'll need to wait until you receive this email as well, as this is being rolled out.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Alan Septoff

Why is it being rolled out?

It seems like a feature deprecation.

Alan Septoff

One more question Hannah -- is there any example instance where we can test these things out even as we're waiting for it to rollout to our instance?

T Blumer

With the change that will happen in August I have a particular question which I did not find answered so far: We have many .xlsx-files stored in dropbox and are used to edit them directly in dropbox but within the google layout/menu bar (while opening the document you are asked whether edit in Microsoft or Google – we prefer to edit in Google as we think it is easier with its reduced menu etc). Will this still be possible after the announced change?

Nancy

Thanks for posting here, @T Blumer!

We're currently looking into this with the team, and we'll let you know as soon as we have more updates.

Megan

Hey @T Blumer, sorry to jump in here!

You’ll no longer be able to open Microsoft Office files in Google Drive. To continue editing, an additional Microsoft Office license may be needed. You can also manually convert these files to Google Drive formats.

Let me know if you need more info. Thanks!

T Blumer

Hi Megan

It would not worry me to continue working with Microsoft 365 as most files are in xlsx. What's rather disturbing are the following experiences we now were making:

1. We are working online in Dropbox/Chrome.

2. Opening the xlsx files (usually respectively once opened with Google) now with Microsoft (in Browser), lots of formatting is lost (fonts, pictures in cells etc), files seem to be corrupted.

3. Creating a new xlsx file the above mentioned problem does not occur.

4. How can we save those hundreds of xlsx files that have been treated with Google? I hope there is a workaround otherwise this would be a disaster ...

Nancy

Hey again, @T Blumer.

It’s expected indeed to see some differences when opening/viewing files on Google Sheets vs Excel for the web. However, there’s no way, I’m afraid, to “adapt” the format of those files.

I’ve forwarded this as feedback though to our team, so that they can also see your comments and how this could affect your work.

Arsmith987

Hi Nancy, or anyone that can help.

Like others in this thread, I received the email indicating this change was coming. I hopped on and made my selection: to create shortcuts on Google Drive for our Dropbox-stored Google documents.

However, I watched in real-time today this change happen.

Dropbox converted all of our Google documents stored on Dropbox into Microsoft files. I am absolutely beyond certain that I made the correct choice. When I made it, I had to confirm the Google account. There is not a scenario in which I would have selected to convert to MSFT files.

I have reached out to support, and no one can give me an answer. They have merely "escalated" the ticket, without a provided timetable for an answer or response. Documents are essentially unusable for us at this point. A support person asked me for screenshots of when I made the selection. Sorry! Didn't know I was going to need to go back and prove that I made the selection I made.

Why can no one help me with this ASAP? This is an enormous issue, and if I am having it, I have to assume there are others. Perhaps your call centers are flooded with business users like myself demanding answers and help.

What on earth should we do? Work has stopped. Clients need answers and work must resume.

Jay

Hi @Arsmith987, as you're already in contact with the support team, they would be best placed to assist you on this matter as they have more tools available to them.

TKC2

I have the same concern. Our drop dead date to decide conversion or migration is 8/28 and I have read so many conflicting things about the upcoming change. I have tried to do my own testing, but with inconsistent results. I worry about all the MS office files we have in dropbox that are currently opened in Google Sheets. Will we encounter any issues working in files simultaneously? I have heard of that people are experiencing corruption of files fairly easily. If we convert to the Microsoft, then does the person accessing the file have to be logged into their Microsoft web account in order to access the file by way of a dropbox link? If our dropbox account is web based and our Microsoft is web based, will we need to have any app based licenses due to this change? I have so many questions and concerns about permissions, formatting, and overall accessibility. The help article is not sufficient for this type of overhaul.

Arsmith987

@Jay While I appreciate the sentiment, I mostly posted here to see if others were experiencing the same issues or seeing similar behavior.

To be honest, the support has left me feeling not supported. That's a bad thing.

I also posted to alert others to this potential major issue for them. As is clear from the post above this, many users are on different timetables for the rollout of this migration. Letting them know can potentially help them. The literature and information supplied to customers ahead of the migration was lackluster at best.