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7 Slack Apps For File Sharing And Collaboration

by Howard Wen Contributing Writer 7 Slack apps for file sharing and collaboration how-to Mar 07, 202511 minsDropboxGoogle DriveOneDrive Many of us collaborate in Slack all day. And we all work with documents stored in the cloud — at Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and others. Here's how to bring them together for greater efficiency.

Credit: Slack / Steve Johnson

Slack is a powerful tool for collaborative chatting among co-workers, as well as brainstorming, task management, and more. By adding certain third-party apps to your Slack workspace, you can also collaborate on documents that are stored in your cloud accounts, such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or Box.

You and your team members can share and discuss documents directly within a Slack channel or direct message. This can reduce or eliminate the need to switch between Slack and the cloud services' web apps, helping to streamline collaboration.

To use any of the apps listed here, you'll need an account (free or paid) for its cloud service. Your fellow team members may also need to have an account on the cloud service (but not always so).

Note that access settings for your documents in the cloud service may affect how the Slack app works. You may need to change these settings from the cloud service's desktop or web app if you find you cannot do so from within the service's Slack app.

How to install apps in your Slack workspace

On the toolbar along the left of your Slack workspace, click the three-dot icon above More. On the menu that opens, select Automations and then choose Apps on the left. The Apps panel opens. Type inside the search box to find the app that you want, then click Add.

Searching for an app in Slack.

Howard Wen / Foundry

A new tab will open in your web browser showing further details about the app. Click the Add to Slack button under the company logo to install it, and then follow any further instructions that prompt you to complete the installation process.

Some apps may require being added to a specific channel in order to work properly. If the app requires this, during the installation process, click the channel name and select the Integrations tab.

By default, any member of a workspace can install apps unless restricted by administrators. If your workspace restricts installing Slack apps, you may need to request approval from an administrator. The process is similar to the above, but after clicking Add to Slack, type a brief message explaining why you want to install the app. Click Submit. You'll receive a direct message (DM) from Slackbot notifying you when your request has been reviewed and approved.

Now that you're familiar with the general steps for adding an app, here's a rundown of recommended Slack apps for the most well-known cloud services for document storage and creation.

Box

There are two official Slack apps for Box. The first, called simply Box, is made by Box itself and available for Box customers on eligible paid plans. The other, called the Box File Picker, is made by Slack developers and available to anyone with a Box account.

Box

The Box app for Slack lets you generate a link to a document stored in your Box account from the Box web app and post it in a channel or DM in Slack. When you share a Box document in Slack, it'll display details such as its file name, author information, and a thumbnail.

Share a document with the Box app: Open the Box web app, select a document in your Box storage, and click the Slack icon on the sidebar. This will generate a link that you can then post inside a Slack channel or DM.

The app also includes a file picker that you can use to share files from within a Slack channel or DM without going to the Box app.

Other actions: You can also update the document's access permissions from within the Slack channel or DM, and documents that are uploaded from your PC to a Slack channel or direct message can be automatically backed up to your Box account. Other features include an AI assistant, slash commands for quickly performing actions, and admin controls such as the ability to restrict the app to certain Slack workplaces.

Box File Picker

The Box File Picker app for Slack lets you import a document stored in your Box account from within a Slack channel or DM.

Share a document with Box File Picker: Open a Slack channel or DM and type /box in the message window. On the menu that pops up, click Add from Box. A panel opens that lets you search and select documents and folders in your Box account.

Selecting Box files to import to Slack with Box File Picker.

Howard Wen / Foundry

DocuSign

The DocuSign app for Slack lets you create and send documents to your team members for them to electronically sign within Slack. You can upload documents, specify the order of signers, and initiate the signing process. The app sends notifications within Slack about your document's status to help you track when your document has been signed.

Create a document for e-signing: In a channel, type /docusign. You'll be guided through creating the document you want to be signed. You can select a document template or upload your own document stored on your PC. The app will then take you through providing recipient information, such as names and email addresses, and defining the order in which team members need to sign.

Sign a document: The recipient team members will get a notification within Slack to review and electronically sign your document. They'll be guided through this process without having to leave Slack.

notification to sign document in docusign slack app

Team members will receive a notification from the DocuSign app when they need to sign a document.

Howard Wen / Foundry

Dropbox

There are two official apps available for working with Dropbox documents, both made by Dropbox itself.

Dropbox

Along with letting you share your Dropbox documents inside Slack channels or DMs, the Dropbox app for Slack also lets you save other documents that are being shared in a Slack channel or DM to your Dropbox account. When you share a document stored in your Dropbox account, it'll display its Dropbox URL and a thumbnail.

A Dropbox file shared in a Slack channel.

Howard Wen / Foundry

Share documents in Dropbox to Slack: From the Dropbox web app, select the document that you want to share. Click the three-dot icon next to the document. On the menu that opens, click Share to Slack. A panel opens that lets you share the document in a channel or DM.

Save documents shared in Slack to Dropbox: While you're viewing a shared document in a channel or DM, click the three-dot icon on the toolbar in the upper-right corner of the message. On the menu that opens, click Save to Dropbox. If this option is not available, select More message shortcuts and find Save to Dropbox. The document will be saved to a folder named "Slack" in your Dropbox account.

Dropbox Paper

Dropbox offers a web app for collaborative document creation called Dropbox Paper, or simply Paper. The Dropbox Paper app for Slack helps you and your team members collaborate on Paper documents in a Slack conversation or DM. You and your team members can create new Paper documents, search for existing ones, and preview them within Slack.

Create a new Paper document: In a message window, type the command /paper new title. Replace title with a name for your new Paper document.

From Slack, you can search for, preview, and create new Dropbox Paper docs.

Howard Wen / Foundry

Search for a Paper document: In a message window, type /paper search terms. Replace search terms with a few words that are in the document's name or content that you want to find.

Google Drive

With the Google Drive app for Slack, you can create, share, and search for documents stored in your Google Drive account from within a Slack channel or DM. Your team members can do the same by connecting their own Google Drive accounts.

Create a new Google Drive document: In a message window, type /google or /drive and select Create a document, Create a presentation, or Create a spreadsheet. You'll be prompted to type in a title for your new document and to select which channel or team member that it will be shared with.

Share a document stored in your Google Drive: In the new message window, type /google or /drive and select Add from Google Drive. A panel opens letting you search and select documents and folders in your Google Drive account.

When you create or share a file, the Google Drive app checks to be sure all members of the channel or DM can access it. If not, you'll be prompted to change the access permissions.

google drive file permissions notification in slack

You'll be prompted to change a doc's access permissions when needed.

Howard Wen / Foundry

In addition to access requests, you and other team members will receive notifications when files are shared with you and when new comments appear on shared files.

Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint

Lastly, the OneDrive and SharePoint app for Slack lets you and your team members share documents stored in your OneDrive account or SharePoint workspace in two ways: from within a new Slack message or as a link that you paste inside a new message. You can also create new documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in your OneDrive from Slack.

When you share a document in a Slack channel or DM, the app shows a preview of its content. Additionally, it checks that everyone in the channel or DM has the necessary permissions to access the shared document, ensuring smoother collaboration among team members. Clicking the file will open it in the appropriate web app: Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

Create a new OneDrive document: In a new message, type /onedrive and select Create a document, Create a presentation, or Create a spreadsheet. You'll be prompted to give the file a name, optionally add a message, and choose which channel or DM to post it in. The file will be created in your default OneDrive location.

onedrive create a spreadsheet screen in slack

Creating a new Excel spreadsheet from within Slack.

Howard Wen / Foundry

Share a document stored in OneDrive or SharePoint: In a new message in a Slack channel or DM, type the command /onedrive and select Add from OneDrive & SharePoint. From the panel that opens, you can browse and search your OneDrive and SharePoint to select the document that you want to share.

Share a document stored in OneDrive or SharePoint as a link: From the OneDrive or SharePoint web app, select the document that you want to share and create a publicly shared link to it. Then paste this link inside a new message in a channel or DM.

Third-party Apps Offering Hard-to-get NYC Restaurant Reservations Fuming Over Hochul Crackdown

Scoring a restaurant reservation at a coveted hotspot in New York City once required a combination of skill, charm and savvy — until third-party, bot-driven scalper sites began selling them for astronomical rates.

Tourists and other deep-pocketed gourmands have used apps like Appointment Trader to skip the line over the holidays by paying $2,500 to reserve a table for two at Big Apple hotspot The Polo Bar, Side Dish has learned.

Other diners have committed to paying $350 a person at a restaurant in order to secure a hard-to-get rezzie at A-list magnet Carbone, via another third party app.

Some diners have committed to paying $350 a person at a restaurant in order to secure a hard-to-get rezzie at A-list magnet Carbone, via a third-party app. Christopher Sadowski

The practice has caused a divide among some in the industry who support the third-party apps and state officials, who passed legislation last week to crack down on the "predatory" black market for reservations.

The main issue for Gov. Kathy Hochul is that some of the "pay to play" sites cut out the restaurants from the process – unlike apps like OpenTable, Resy, Dorsia and Access, which partner with the establishments.

The new rules now levy civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation per day for unauthorized listings by the third-party apps.

"It's simple. If third-party apps want to sell reservations, they should have a contract with the restaurant and not scalp them on the underground market to profit off the backs of restaurants," New York City Hospitality Alliance executive director Andrew Rigie told Side Dish.

"This practice hurts businesses and workers when tables go empty and harms the guest experience when diners are seated under an alias."

But Jonas Frey, the founder of "pro-consumer" Appointment Trader, called the legislation 'horses—t."

Appointment Trader founder Jonas Frey called the legislation 'horses–t." AppointmentTrader

"Appointment Trader works because it's so hard to get reservations at places like Carbone and Four Charles," the Miami-based software engineer told Side Dish.

Big Apple restaurateurs like Stratis Morfogen, of Brooklyn Chop House, is also outraged by what he sees as government overreach with the new legislation, which he labeled "un-American."

"These politicians have never run a lemonade stand, let alone created jobs. They should stay out of it," Morfogen said.

"These apps are providing a service and people are willing to pay for it. It's basic supply and demand. Economics 101. No one is getting hurt. Why should government get involved?"

"These politicians have never run a lemonade stand, let alone created jobs. They should stay out of it," restauranteur Stratis Morfogen said. Matthew McDermott

Morfogen pointed to the popularity of third-party sites for tickets to the theater, concerts and sports events — and noted that many who flock to the city are locked out of landing a reservation. Frey agreed, adding that he hoped the law that regulates theater, concert and sports events, known as Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, could be ammended to include restaurants.

Morfogen did concede that if a person pays an app for a reservation and then fails to show-up, there should be a penalty.

Since the new law went into effect on Feb. 17, Appointment Trader has stopped offering reservations to Big Apple restaurants, although someone just paid $7,000 to score a table at London's two Michelin-starred Indian sensation Gymkhana, Frey said.

Since the new law went into effect on Feb. 17, Appointment Trader has stopped offering reservations to Big Apple restaurants. Appointmenttrader.Com

Frey says his site does not use bots and that restaurants are welcome to participate for free, and share 50% of the profit with Appointment Trader, which also covers the cost of no-shows. The refunds, however, go to the initial person who booked the table on the site, not to the restaurants.

Other third-party apps like Access, which launched in December, have found success by partnering with restaurants.

Founded by Evan Felcher and Mattia Ros, the membership-based reservation platform guarantees "keys" for prime tables even at prime times — without minimum spends. If members don't use their keys each month, they carry over to the next month.

The Polo Bar where tourists and other deep-pocketed gourmands have used apps like Appointment Trader to skip the line by paying $2,500 to reserve a table for two at the Big Apple hotspot. InstagramThe Polo Bar

Felcher and Ros first met in college on the competitive tennis circuit and reconnected when they both worked on Wall Street.

Basic membership starts at $1,788 annually and runs up to $11,988 for corporate memberships. It's a subscription-based service that generates recurring revenues.

"I believe that the recent legislation is a long-awaited relief for restaurants," Felcher said, adding that "restaurants saw their prime-time seats being stripped away without any control or opportunity for monetization."

Other third-party apps like Access, which launched in December, have found success by partnering with restaurants. Accessmembers.Com

Calum Gordon, 27, an avid diner and Access member in the "automotive protection business," says he likes the membership because there are no minimum spends.

With another app, he had to agree to spend $350 a person for four people to secure a table at Carbone.

"Believe it or not, it's really hard to spend that much if you don't buy really expensive wine, and there's so much wasted food," he told Side Dish.

We hear … Chef Eyal Shani is opening Shmoné Wine this week. The wine bar, at 65 W. Eighth St., is next to his Michelin-starred Greenwich Village restaurant, Shmoné. It's the star chef's first venture into the beverage space. "Wine is not just a drink, it is liquid poetry," Shani says. The space is around 1,000 square feet and comes with 28 seats. The shop, formerly a tattoo parlor, serves curated wines with an emphasis on small producer, family-owned brands and growers from around the world. There are also small "hyper-seasonal" bites from some of his signature dishes, like Hot Jerusalem Bageland the Stretchy Stracciatella Pyrex Lasagna, as well as the "How we start our evening" section highlighting oysters, and "Bar Creatures," with dishes like chopped chicory salad and deviled egg togarashi. Other menu items include a 'cheese and charcuterie' section and 'pantry staples,' with tinned fishes, olives, and a selection of fresh seafood.

Shmoné Wine at 65 W. Eighth St. Max Flatow

The kitchen will be helmed by executive chef Orienne Shapira, who formerly led Shani's team at HaSalon. Shapira will also be leading the kitchen next door at Shmoné. The vintages — from Germany, Italy and France — start at $16 per glass and $60 per bottle from wine director Yonatan Chaitchik, formerly of SAGA. The restaurant's design is by Turjeman Yaakov of Jacob Turgeman Design. Eyal's hospitality group, The Good People Group, encompasses 40 restaurants around the world, says partner Shahar Segal. That includes eight in New York, including Malka, Shani's first kosher restaurant, Port Sa'id, HaSalon, Shmone and Shmone Wine.

Wine director Yonatan Chaitchik Good People Group

We hear … Twin Tails had a stealth opening last fall at 10 Columbus Circle, where Landmark used to be, in what was once known as the Time Warner Center. It's on the third floor, where its sister restaurant, Bad Roman, also stands. Both restaurants are part of Quality Branded. That's the hospitality company from father-and-son team Alan Stillman (founder of T.G.I. Friday's and Smith & Wollensky's) and Michael Stillman, who launched Quality Meats, Quality (Italian), Zou Zou's, Don Angie, San Sabino and more.

The menu is from chef/partner Craig Koketsu. Twin Tails is Quality Branded's first Southeast Asian restaurant, featuring Thai and Vietnamese food, with some dishes from Cambodia and Laos, in a massive space that somehow feels quiet and grand, while leaning into an epic 80s feel. Think mirror paneled walls, floor to ceiling windows with Central Park views, and amber glass chandeliers, along with rosewood tables, green leather seats and velvet banquettes.

There's also a speakeasy bar to have a salted lychee martini, Bangkok screwdriver or Sambal margarita before or after dinner. "We love Southeast Asian food. Growing up in Manhattan, there was Mr. Chow, which was modern, but nothing like this. The idea was to bring the design and narrative forward," Michael Stillman tells Side Dish.

The design is by AvroKo. With 140 seats, the eatery is inspired by 1980s greats, with "It feels like the type of place you'd go if you were having an extravagant affair," a fellow diner quipped. Dishes include raw offerings like yellowtail with watermelon nuoc cham and shiso; salmon with gaeng om, coconut milk and cashews and kusshi oysters with spicy clamansi shaved ice.

There's also starters like green papaya and kumquat salad, as well as King Crab and uni buns, and green curry escargot. Main dishes include Dover sole with tom kha beurre blanc; crispy garlic shrimp and red curry sea bass, plus shared dishes like cho lon duck; and lemongrass ribs. Desserts include a Thai iced coffee affogato with Thai coffee caramel and roasted peanuts along with a selection of souffles like pistachio-pandan, coconut red curry and passion fruit.

Third-party Launchers No Longer Suck On Pixels Thanks To Latest Update

google pixel 8 pro niagara launcher app drawer

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

TL;DR

Google has taken a massive step towards fixing the animation issues that have plagued third-party launchers on Pixel phones for years.

The fixes are currently rolling out as part of the March 2025 update.

In our tests, animations are now far smoother on Niagara and Nova Launcher, however, some issues remain.

Third-party launchers have never felt smooth on Google's Pixel hardware. Whether by design or due to technical issues, there always seems to be a massive animation quality gulf between them and Google's own Pixel Launcher. However, with the March 2025 update, the company is finally addressing this issue with third-party launcher transitions.

As detailed in the update changelog, the company has issued two notable fixes:

Fix for issues with switching between apps when using third-party launchers in certain conditions.

General improvements for performance and stability in certain UI transitions and animations.

Out of curiosity, I compared Nova Launcher and Niagara Launcher's animations before and after installing the update on my Pixel 8. And yes, whatever Google has tinkered with in the background has improved the overall quality of third-party launcher animations, especially when switching between apps and the home screen.

It's a significant step in the right direction, but it isn't a home run. Pixel Launcher remains markedly smoother and swifter, even after this latest update. While animations have always been reasonably fluid for me when using Niagara, Nova still feels decidedly jittery.

Additionally, some clear hitches are noticeable. My screen would occasionally flash black when switching between the apps list and home screens of both launchers. It's arguably more noticeable after the update, too.

Get a feel for Nova Launcher pre-update above and post-update below.

Don't just take my word (or video proof) for it. Other Pixel users have noted improvements, too. Redditors running Niagara and Nova have also claimed that animations are now fixed on their respective devices. Other popular launchers, like Lawnchair, are also benefitting from the update.

If you own a Google Pixel 6 or newer and run a third-party launcher, I'd advise installing the update as soon as possible. Head over to Settings > System > Software update > System update to receive the latest package.

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