Google Docs is a cloud-based Google product with all the features you need to create, edit, and share documents. Google offers a suite of apps designed for users who work online. Integration withGoogle Drive’s cloud storage capabilitiesallows you to access and work on your documents from anywhere.
Switching fromMicrosoft Word to Google Docscan be a daunting task since there are a lot of new features to discover, and the document editing interface might look unfamiliar.
You can get started with Google Docs by following a few simple steps, and learning more about the different features of this tool will help you become a Google Docs expert in no time.
Step 1: Setting up your Google account
To create a Google account, navigate tothe sign-up page. Enter your information and follow the on-screen prompts. Congratulations! You now have a Google account. If you already have an account, just log in as you normally would.
Step 2: Launching Google Docs
There are several ways to access Google Docs, depending on your device. you’re able to download the app from theApp StoreorGoogle Play, or click theGoogle Appsicon in the upper-right corner of the Google home page (represented by nine dots). You must then click theDocsbutton — you may have to scroll down within the menu that pops up or clickMore From Googlein that same pop-up menu to see it.
Alternatively, you’re able to navigate to Google Drive and selectGoogleDocswithin theMy Drivedrop-down menu at the top, or selectGoogle Docsafter you’ve clickedNewon the left-hand side of the page. The last option is tonavigate directlyto a new Google Docs document. Once you’ve launched the web app, you’ll be ready to create a document.
Step 3: Creating a document
To make a new document, click the blank page with the multicoloredAdditionsign inside it, which is located on the upper-left side of the main Google Docs page. If you can’t find this icon, scroll up to see it or scroll down to click the multicoloredPlus Signicon in the lower-right corner of your screen. Once you do that, the aforementioned blank page icon with the multicolored addition sign will pop up again at the top of your screen. Click on that to open a new document.
If you are creating a document from Drive, selectingGoogle Docsafter hittingNewwill automatically create a blank document. If you click the small, right-facingArrownext toGoogle Docs, you can even choose to create a new document based on a provided template. There are a variety of templates to choose from, including résumés, business letters, and a selection of third-party templates. You can even upload an existing .doc or .docx file to your Drive by clickingNew >File Upload.
Step 4: Start working
Once you’ve created a document, you can get to work. ClickUntitled Documentin the upper-left corner to add a title to your document. You can also adjust the font type, text size, formatting (such astext strikethrough) layout tools likedouble spacing, and much more via theToolbarat the top of the page. Meanwhile, it’s simple todelete a page in Google Docsshould you need to make big edits.
If you can’t see your title or the menu bar at the top of the page, those options may be hidden. If that’s the case, click the downward-facingArrowin the upper-right corner to display them.
Since you’re working within your browser, any changes made to your document will be saved automatically. If you look to the right of your document’s title at the top of the screen, you should either seeSaving…orSaved to Drive. Wait for the second message to appear before exiting out to ensure all your work has been saved. To show the version history of the doc at hand, click on theLast Edit Was [number of seconds/minutes/hours] Agolink that is to the right of theHelpmenu button at the top of your screen. You’ll then be taken to a screen that shows you different edited versions of your document that you can choose to restore.
Want to keep your Google Drive storage organized? You cancreate a folder in Google Docsto help keep things tidy.
How to share your stuff
To share your documents with other people, click the blueSharebutton in the upper-right corner of the doc you wish to share. The button will be wedged between your picture — assuming you’ve added one to your Google account — and theOpen Comment Historyicon, which looks like a cartoon speech bubble. Afterward, invite other users by entering the appropriate email addresses in the resulting window and clickingDone.
People you share with can either edit, view, or comment on a document depending on what permissions you grant them. This can be changed by tapping the drop-down menu directly to the right of the email address field once you’ve added someone. In this menu, you may mark someone as aViewer,Commenter, orEditor.
If you want to share the document with people using something other than email, clickCopy Linkat the bottom half of theShare With People and Groupswindow. A link will be copied to your clipboard. Your document may have defaulted to a restricted level of privacy. This means that only people added to your document can open the link you send them. If you want to change the privacy level of the document so that it can be accessed by anyone who has the link, you can do so by clicking the blueChange to Anyone with the Linkhyperlink, which is also located in the lower half of theShare with People and Groupswindow.
Once you do that, you’ll be taken to a window that lets you copy a shareable link to your document or further customize your document’s permissions by letting you choose what people can do with the document once they receive a link to it. You can do this by clicking on the drop-down menu (that is to the right of theAnyone with the Linkoption) and then choosingViewer,Commenter,orEditorfrom the menu.
Use the comment function
With Google Docs, you’re able to watch in real time as other people make changes to a document. By clicking theOpen Comment Historybutton in the upper-right corner of your screen, you or anyone else who is in the document can start a discussion about your project. You can also see which users are currently looking at the document using the series of circles located to the left of theOpen Comment Historybutton. If no one besides you is looking at a given page, nothing will appear here.
you’re able to also set each document so that you receive notifications for all comments added to the document, for only comments that refer to you, or no notifications at all. Notifications can be a helpful tool for collaborating with large groups of people. It’s ideal when working with a group that’s not in the same physical space. If, for some reason, you don’t want users to have the option to add comments to a given document, you can also change the editing mode (more on that in the next section).
Get to know the various editing modes
The editing modedrop-down menu (located on the right side of the screen under theSharebutton)lets you view and edit your document in a variety of ways. Your three main choices are: Edit the file yourself (Editing), suggest changes for another contributor to make (Suggesting), or view or print the document (Viewing). If you’re familiar with Microsoft Word, theSuggestingfeature functions similarly toTrack Changes. The tool will spotlight suggested edits in a noticeable hue throughout the document. Other contributors or editors can either approve or deny these suggestions as they create the final draft. Aside from theSuggestingfeature, you can track a document’s revision history throughFile>Version History>See Version History.
If you need to, you can evendraw in Google Docsto add doodles, sketches, annotations, and more. This feature can also be used toinsert a text box in Google Docs.
Try out a different document type
Google Drive contains multitudes. Google Slides is a challenger toMicrosoftPowerPoint, but much like Docs does, it opens the door to collaboration from multiple contributors. Google Sheets is Microsoft Excel’s rival when it comes to creating and editing spreadsheets.
Google’s suite of productivity web apps is a free and fierce competitor to Microsoft 365. It isn’t as thorough or comprehensive, but at no charge, users can access these apps to create and save content online with elaborate collaboration. Users are able to log in to their Google account to access their saved Docs, Sheets, and Slides files on any device, anywhere in the world, as long as they have internet access.
