What is Google Docs & How to Make the Most of it

Google Docs is one of the most favored online word processors out there. Used by professionals and amateurs alike, you can create, edit, save, share, and even work on documents with teammates in real time. Plus, did we mention its free? Here’s an introduction to Google Docs, and just what it can do for you.

What is Google Docs?

Google Docs is an online word processor that allows you to create text documents without any special software, for free. Any device with an internet connection and the ability to type should allow you to use it, whether that be a laptop, tablet, computer, or even your phone.

There’s a lot more to Google Docs than just regular text documents, though. It’s part of Google Workspace, which is a suite of apps that includes Sites, Drive, Calendar, Chat, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Keep, Gmail, and Meet. These are all cloud-based apps that are great for collaborations, personal use, or even businesses, who can purchase different tiers of services. Speaking of purchase, it’s important to note that, while Google Docs is free—as well as Google Meet, Gmail, and a few other such apps—Google Workspace is not. It provides greater range for larger scale collaborations, and has different tiers of pricing, so be aware of your needs to find which Google products suit you best.

Google Docs comes with amazing features, such as real-time cooperation between multiple people on the same documents. Other benefits include security and privacy, automatic saving and version history, seamless connection with other Google apps, third-party add-ons, offline access, built-in intelligence for things like grammar and spelling, and tons of editing capabilities so that it’s easy to work on group projects.

How to Use Google Docs

If you’re new to Google Docs, it may feel overwhelming at first, but the app is very intuitive and easy to learn. Here are some steps to get you started.

Accessing Google Docs

Depending on the device you’re using, steps to access Google Docs might be slightly different. Here are the basic steps for the different devices. Note, all of them will require you to have a google account, which is free to sign up for.

Google Docs Web Browser Access:

1. On your device (any that has a web browser), go to drive.google.com. If you’re signed into your google account, it will take you to, “My Drive.”
2. From there, you can upload, create, share, or organize files.

Another browser method is:

1. Another way to access Google Docs is to sign into your Gmail or google account from any web browser.

2. From there, on the upper right side you’ll see a google apps menu. Click it, then either scroll down to Google Drive and access Docs there, or you can scroll further down and access Google Docs individually.

Desktop and Laptop PC Google Docs Access:

1. Go to https://www.google.com/drive/download/ and install Google Drive for your Mac or PC.
2. Open Google Drive from your desktop, paying attention to where the folder is saved so you can access it easily. From there you can get to Docs.

* Keep in mind, Linux based devices will need to access Google Docs through their web browser instead of downloading Google Drive, as it’s not available for that operating system.

Mobile/Tablet Google Docs Access

1. Depending on your device, you can install the Google Drive app from the Play Store for Android, or the App Store for iOS.
2. Open the Drive app from your device
3. Access Google Docs from Drive

Creating and Editing Documents in Google Docs

One of the prime reasons to use Google Docs is to create and edit documents. Different devices will have different methods to do so, all of which will be covered below.

Creating Documents with PCs

1. From the Docs home screen (opened via your computer), look for the “Start a New Document,” in the upper left.
2. Click the “Blank” option to create a new document. Note: to the right of this are several templates to choose from as well, such as brochures and project proposals.
3. From there, you can create and edit a document, using the tool bars and drop down options to customize or make changes. It will save automatically throughout the process.

There’s a lot of customization available when creating documents. Here’s a handy tip on how to set a custom page size in Google Docs.

Creating Documents via Mobile/Tablet

1. Go to your app and open it. Sign in if prompted.
2. In the bottom tap the “Create +” option. This will create a new file. You can also use this option to open up a template, such as a resume or letter, to work on.

Editing Features in PC

The editing possibilities in Google Docs are numerous enough to warrant their own article. Some of the basics, however, are below. Go to a document to explore these.

• Undo/Redo: Go to “Edit” in the toolbar to access. It undoes or redoes the last action taken.
• Copy/Paste, Find and Replace: All under the “Edit” Copy and paste is useful for text and images, Find is perfect when looking for keywords, and Replace is a time saving way to replace specific words within the entire document.

• The “View” option will show things like the ruler and print layout so you have an idea of what your document will look like.

• The “Insert” drop down on the upper left has all manner of features, such as the insertion of tables, page numbers, images, charts, table of contents, links, and more.

• “Format” has paragraph features such as spacing, bullet points, text, etc.

• Note: Right clicking will open some of the more frequently used editing options, such as paste, comment, insert link, etc. This saves you time. What’s more, most of these features have keyboard short cuts that you can see and learn for even faster document editing.

Editing Features in Mobile/Tablet

The mobile app still has plenty of editing capabilities, even if there are some differences from the PC version.

• In the upper right: Undo and redo buttons, Insert + toolbar, and text/paragraph formatting options if you tap on the A. The bottom of the mobile version has font options such as bold or underline, highlighting features, text alignment, and even bullet points and numbering.

• The insert tab looks like a “+” and includes: hyperlink, comment, image, table, page break, horizontal line, page number, and several other insert options.

• Clicking the three horizontal dots opens more choices, such as changing the light theme, word count, page set up, find and replace, and more.
• Note: If you’re trying to edit a document via mobile app, you may need to double tap or tap on the pencil icon to get it into editing mode as by default it’s in read only mode.

Collaborating and Sharing Documents in Google Docs

Sharing Documents via PC

Files and Folders on Google Drive can be shared with anyone. You can control if the other person can edit, comment on or simply view the file. Here are the steps:

1. Open the file you want to share
2. Click the blue “Share” button

3. Add the people you want to share it with by typing in their name or email address. If they don’t have a Google Doc account, they’ll be invited to set one up for free before viewing the file.

4. Choose your sharing permissions such as viewer (read only—can’t edit or comment), editor (full editing privileges), or commenter (can’t change the file but can view and leave comments). You have the option to send a message with the file.
5. Click the “Notify People” box to send via email, or you can copy and paste the link before finally hitting “Send.” Note: You can choose to share the file with anyone with the link, which you would do via the “General Access” drop down. But, if you do that your document will not be very secure. Anyone could share it with anyone else and they’d be able to see it.

Sharing Documents via Mobile/Tablet

1. Access the document from your mobile device or tablet
2. Tap the sharing icon on the upper right corner of the screen (the person with the + symbol)

3. Enter the name or email address of the person you want to share the Doc with. If they don’t have a Google Doc account they’ll be invited to set one up for free before viewing the file.

4. Choose your sharing permissions such as viewer (read only—can’t edit or comment), editor (full editing privileges), or commenter (can’t change the file but can view and leave comments).
5. Type a message to the recipient (optional). Keep in mind, Google Docs will automatically email the person a notification unless you tap the three circles to access the “skip sending notifications” option.

6. When ready to send, tap the “send” paper airplane button on the bottom right corner.

To send a Doc via link to anyone through mobile/tablet

1. Access the document from your device
2. Tap the sharing icon (person and + sign)
3. Tap Manage Access (the 2 people silhouette) then Restricted> to open up options.

4. Tap Restricted> again and then tap the new option “Anyone with the link” at which point you can also tap the link button to copy it to your clipboard. At that point, you will be able to determine the access level the person with the link will have, such as viewer, editor, commenter.

5. Paste the link to the other person through text or email.

Advanced Collaboration Features

Here are some tools and features to make sharing and working on files together, easier:

• Chat through the document with collaborators in real time
• Suggestion mode for edits so only approved suggestions become actual changes
• Document version history to keep you abreast of changes and past versions
• Creating comments via the + sign at the top of the Doc, in order to keep notes for yourself or others on specific aspects of the document
• @-mentions help keep track of other contacts and contributors on the project
• Access and permission levels help keep projects secure
• Invites for others to view or edit documents

Top Features of Google Docs

Besides the obvious collaborating tools and abilities that Google Docs is prized for, here are some useful features of the app that you might not know about.

Translating abilities

Using Tools-Translate document-option, this ability is great to create a translated version of a file or even for the purposes of reading a document in another language as you can copy and paste the text into a Google Doc for the sake of making yourself a version in your native language to read over.

Voice typing

Once again accessible through Tools, this enables you to use your microphone to dictate text to Google Doc. This is a great option for those who might have dexterity issues, low vision, or other such challenges, or even those who simply favor vocalizing their documents rather than writing them.

Explore Side Bar

Another Tool, this opens up a side bar with a search function. You can type in subject matter to find related content for your document. You can look for this via the web, images, or even your own Google Drive.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I See Word Count in Google Docs?

Go to the menu bar, click Tools, click Word Count. If you want a specific paragraph’s information, highlight it first and then follow these same steps.

Is Google Docs Really Free?

Yes. Anyone with a google account (also free), can access this.

How do I Import a Word File to Google Doc?

Go to your Google Drive

Click “New” and then “File Upload”

Navigate to your file and click “Open.”

When your file is uploaded, right click and then select, “Open with Google Docs.”

How do I export a Google Doc to a Microsoft Word?

Open up your Google Doc

Go to File, then hover over the “download” option

From there, move the cursor to the right and select “Microsoft Word.” A word version of the document will be downloaded for use.

Want to know more great tips, like how to save Google Docs as PDFs? We’ve got you covered, like with this method to insert a text box.

Conclusion

Google Docs is a great tool for document creation as well as collaborating, sharing, and fine tuning those documents. It connects smoothly with other apps and add-ons, is easily accessible for everyone, and has powerful features, like translation, importing and exporting, and even in-document chat. There are dozens of ways to get your project just right, all for the price of nothing.

What features of Google Docs do you love? Anything you wish you knew more about or are just dying for Google to add? Let us know in the comment section!