Dropbox has announced some new previewing capabilities on its service, allowing users to preview the file without even needing to download it. Previously, that was only available on a few file types (mostly PDFs and Word documents), but now you can use this on DWG files without opening AutoCAD. You can also preview EPUB files on Dropbox without needing to download them and open them in an eReader app as well. Which makes it much simpler to view these documents without needing to download them.
With previews, Dropbox users are able to share work, collaborate with others and even easily coordinate client reviews and so much more. Previews allows users to annotate and also comment directly on the file previews. So you are able to collaborate with others and make changes without needing to download the document and open it in another app or program (depending on if you are on mobile or desktop at the time). These previews should make the workflow much simpler for many users. Dropbox says that previews already generate around 300 million views per month. And by saving time by using a preview rather than downloading the document, users should be able to save even more time and be a bit more productive, which is always a nice thing here.
On top of those file types mentioned already, Dropbox is also enabling previews for many other popular file types, including PowerPoint files, ZIP and rar files and more. ZIP and rar files are definitely useful, as you used to need to download the ZIP file and then uncompress it to see what’s inside. Now you don’t need to download it at all and can preview it from within the Dropbox app, which does make things much easier. Dropbox says that this functionality is available for all of its users beginning today, all you need to do is head to its website or use its apps to take advantage of the new previewing capabilities.