Students, authors, content writers, creative writers, or even hobbyists can greatly benefit from including Google Docs in their writing arsenal. Its primary USP is a clean interface with user-friendliness. Getting started with Google Docs is a piece of cake. But don’t be fooled by its simple appearance. It packs some serious features and resources that can enhance your writing and boost productivity.
Here’s a compilation of the top Google Docs tips and tricks that you may have missed out on. Keep these in mind to maximize the use of this writing tool.
Work Offline
Did you know you can continue writing or editing on Google Docs even if you have an unstable Internet connection? If you are having trouble connecting to the Internet, you can simply work on Google Docs offline. The feature is available on Google Chrome. All you need to do is open Google Docs, and on the file, you want to use offline, click More > click Available Offline.
Then, you can continue writing or editing even if you are not connected to the Internet. All the changes will be applied and synced as soon as you are online.
Leverage Add-ons
Google Chrome is known for its extensions, and Google Docs is known for its add-ons. Depending on the task at hand, the add-ons can quicken things or simply them. Since the add-ons list is updated regularly, you can be sure to find a suitable add-on for almost any task, including converting documents to Google forms, checking plagiarism, and building customizable charts.
When you are working on a doc, click on Extensions > Add-ons > Get Add-ons and then install the ones you need. You can also manage add-ons if there are too many.
Speak Instead of Typing
If your speaking speed is better than typing, put that skill to the test using the in-built voice-to-type feature. The dictation setting has been dubbed Voice Typing by Google, and you can enable this in Google Docs.
Head to Tools > choose Voice Typing, and when the microphone icon appears, click on it to start recording. Once you are done, click the microphone icon to stop recording.
Voice Typing lets you enter Text, along with entering punctuations, managing formatting, and inserting page breaks.
Find Synonyms, Check Definitions, and More Within the Doc
Usually, people switch tabs to quickly search for meanings or synonyms on Google. While you can continue doing this, it might be time-consuming and distracting. Sometimes, it may even get on your nerves. Thankfully, these tasks can be handled within Google Docs itself. Some of the tasks are given below:
- You can find synonyms and check definitions by choosing the word and then right-clicking on it. You can choose Define so that the word is searched in the dictionary, and the meaning will be shown within the doc itself. You will also find synonyms right below the word definition.
- You can get bibliographies and citations within docs. Head to Tools > click Citations. Choose the format, accessed by, source type, enter the URL, and click Search. Alternatively, you can do this manually.
- Search and insert pictures from the Internet by going to Insert in the doc > click Image > Search the web > select and insert images.
- If you are using a Google Maps link, you can preview the location within Google Docs. Select the location link and the map icon. Then, a preview will appear.
Make Edits Manageable Using the Suggestion Mode
Collaborators can track changes from the Activity dashboard, but this is tiresome, especially if there are multiple creators. The user making changes can add comments and tag them, but even this is time-consuming.
Hence, the best solution is the Suggestion mode. In this mode, you will not directly make changes to the document. Instead, the edits and changes will be marked, and the collaborators will approve the changes or ignore them.
You can invoke the Suggestion mode by clicking the Editing button and then clicking Suggesting. After that, go ahead and make changes.
Create Text Replacements
Speed up typing by creating text replacements. If there are terminologies and sentences that you use too often in the documents, create substitutions for them.
Navigate to Tools > Preferences > Substitutions > enter the text and replacement.
Email Document Directly
You can save yourself from downloading the document and then sharing it. Instead, you can directly mail the document from within Google Docs. Click File > select Email and then choose Email this File, Email Draft, or Email Collaborators.
The Bottom Line
These are some tricks and tips to remember when using Google Docs. These will help to boost your speed and finish tasks faster. Of course, there are more hacks yet to be explored.
If you want to recommend any other Google Docs trick, feel free to share it in the comment below.
