Dropbox Paper FAQ: What You Need to Know About the Upcoming Changes

As part of its ongoing efforts to streamline and standardize its services, Dropbox has announced plans to retire its Paper API by Q2 2022. This change will affect new users who create documents using Paper, while existing users will not see any changes to their workflow.

So, what does this mean for your app or service that integrates with Paper? First, let's clarify that there won't be any changes to the way new documents are created by existing Paper users. They'll continue to see their Paper files alongside their other Dropbox content, just as they do today.

On the other hand, new Paper users will start seeing their Paper docs as part of their Dropbox content in the filesystem. To accommodate this change, you'll need to migrate from using /paper/ endpoints to their equivalent /files/ endpoints when working with a user's Paper docs.

Here's a timeline and guide to help you make this transition:

* September 25, 2019: New Paper users will start seeing their Paper docs as part of their Dropbox content.

* Q2 2022: The Paper API will be retired, and all new users will need to use the /files/ endpoints.

To ensure a smooth migration, it's essential to understand which API endpoints you should use for fetching Paper content. Instead of using the /paper/ endpoint, you'll need to switch to the associated /files/ or /sharing/ equivalent API endpoint.

This change is part of Dropbox's effort to maintain consistency in how its services store and manage content, as well as their associated sharing and permissions. As a result, any existing /paper/ API endpoints that interact directly with Paper content will no longer work for new users whose Paper content is stored alongside their Dropbox content.

To learn more about the API migration process and how to adapt your app or service, we recommend consulting the Dropbox Paper API Migration Guide. By making this transition now, you'll be able to continue providing seamless integration with Paper while ensuring a consistent user experience across all Dropbox services.

Dropbox paper faq