The Google Docs interface has evolved very little since the service has existed. In terms of features, however, it’s different. Here are 10 novelties of this year to test.
It can sometimes feel like Google Docs is blocked in time. The interface looks a lot like it did 7 years ago. And what real novelties do we really have the right to expect from word processing software, anyway? It turns out that there are many areas for improvement. Besides bug fixes, Google frequently adds new features. 2022 was no exception. Here are 10 that are worth trying.
Enable pageless view
Google Docs is an online, collaborative tool, and yet, by default, documents are still separated into A4 pages. This is perfectly acceptable if you’re writing something you intend to print, but if you’re not, you can turn this feature off to write on a “pageless” document.
Go to File > “Page Setup” and switch to the “No Pages” tab. Click the OK button and make sure the “Set as defaults” option is enabled.
Try the “@” menu shortcut
Google Docs is inspired by Notion, and that’s not a bad thing. If you don’t like hunting for features or various menu items, tap the “@” key to see a list of available menus, options and functions.
Write long emails in Google Docs
Google Docs is now fully integrated into Gmail. It may sound strange, but the document is perfect for writing long, formatted emails. If you need to write such an email, it can be very convenient.
Tap on the “@” key and use the “Draft Email” option in the “Basics” section. Type in your email, recipient address, etc. When you’re ready, click the Gmail button to send it in the Gmail app.
Templates simplify tables
Nobody likes to create tables from scratch and Google understands that. Google Docs now offers four different ready-to-use templates. Only four, sure, but those will be enough most of the time.
Go to Insert > Table > Table Templates and choose your template.
Enhance tables with drop-down menus
Speaking of tables, Google Docs now allows you to create preconfigured menus. If you use Google Docs for project management, for example, drop-down menus are useful in tables.
Go to Insert > Dropdown Menu or use the “@Dropdown List” tool to quickly add such a menu. You will then see a popup to configure the title and options.
Create checklists in Google Docs
If you use Google Docs for collaborative work or for your personal projects, there’s no need to switch to Google Tasks or another app to create checklists.
Click on the Checklists button in the menu or use the “@” functionality to insert a checklist.
Improve a document with a summary
Google Docs can automatically generate a table of contents.
Click the Summary button and click More next to the Summary section to add a summary.
Add watermark
If you want to protect your work or just want to let others know that this work is yours, you can add a watermark to any document.
You just need to make sure that the document view is set to “no pages”. Then go to Insert > Watermark and use the dedicated settings to customize your watermark, with text or an image.
Write or react with emoji
If you’re editing a long document, sometimes an emoji reaction can say it all. Highlight a portion and find the new Emoji button next to the Comments button. You can search for the emoji you want.
You can also add emoji in the document, via the “@” button. Type “@emoji” in the document, press Enter and you will see the list of available emoji.
Start a meeting from Google Docs
Google Meet integration now touches Google Docs. You’ll find a button for meetings at the top of each document, next to the Share button. This button shows you your upcoming meetings and finds you an option to quickly create a new meeting link.
This allows a quick way to start a call with one of your collaborators. You can also, if you wish, share your screen.