X

Dropbox rolls out Windows 8 app

The cloud-based file storage service unveils its own dedicated Windows 8 app, though it's lacking some key features.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
Dropbox for Windows 8
Dropbox for Windows 8. Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET

Dropbox users running Windows 8 or Windows RT can now access their online files right from the Start screen.

The new and free Dropbox app for Windows 8 displays tiles for all of the folders and files stored in your online account. The app offers the usual touch-friendly approach, so you can swipe and tap your way around the screen to view your files.

Using the Search Charm, you can search for specific files by name or extension. You can right-click a file, open the Share Charm, and share the file via e-mail or a social network. And you can open, edit, and save Microsoft Office documents and other types of editable files stored on Dropbox.

But that's about it.

You can't view your locally synched files or upload new files to Dropbox from your PC or tablet. For those options, you'll still need to install the standard Dropbox desktop application, which provides the full array of features.

Dropbox for Windows 8 is a decent first step, but the app needs a few tweaks to make it worth using over its desktop counterpart.