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Create and edit web-based documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Store documents online and access them from any computer.
- What is Google Docs?
- How To Sign Up for an Account
- How to Create a Blank Document
- How to Import a Microsoft Word Document
- How to Check Your Spelling in Google Docs
- How to Collaborate on Documents with Others
- How to See All the Recent Changes to a Document
- How to Suggest an Edit to a Document
- How to Find the Word and Page Count
If you've heard of Google Docs before, feel free to skip ahead. If you've never heard of it before, here's a crash course on what you need to know. We'll go over the basics and get you brushed up with what Google Docs is and how you can get started right away.
Google Docs is a free, web-based word processor offered by Google as part of its complete office suite---Google Drive---to compete with Microsoft Office. The other main services included in the cloud-based suite are Sheets (Excel) and Slides (Powerpoint).
Related: What is Google Workspace, Anyway?
Google Docs is available on all devices and platforms; all you need is an internet connection and a web browser (or, in the case of mobile, the applicable apps). Google does the rest and handles the brunt of the heavy lifting while it runs the software in the cloud.
Docs supports several different file types, including .doc, .docx .txt, .rtf, and .odt, making it easy to view and convert Microsoft Office files directly from Google Drive.
And since Docs is an online word processor, you can share and collaborate with multiple people on the same document, tracking revisions, changes, and suggestions all in real time.
The first thing you'll need to do before you can use Google Docs is a sign up for a Google account (an @gmail account). If you already have an account, feel free to move on to the next section. If not, we'll go over the simple way to create a Google account and get you set up with Docs.
Head over to accounts.google.com, click on "Create Account," and then "For Myself."
On the next page, you'll need to provide some information to create an account, like first and last names, username, and password.
Also, you have to verify your phone number to make sure you're an actual human and not a bot.
Now that you have a Google account, it's time to create your first document. Head on over to Google Docs and place the cursor on the multi-colored "+" icon in the bottom right corner.
The + turns into a blue pencil icon; click on it.
Even if you're new to Google Docs, you might already have a collection of Microsoft Word files you'd like to be able to use. If that's the case, then you'll have to upload all your Word documents before you can view them. While it might not support some of the more advanced features and formatting of some Word documents, it works pretty well.
When you import a Word document, you can use either Google Docs or Drive to upload your files. Both methods let you drag and drop a file from your computer directly into the web browser for easy uploads. Your Drive houses all of your uploaded files, but for convenience's sake, when you head to the Docs homepage, it only shows you document-type files.
From the Google Docs homepage, click the folder icon in the top right, then click the "Upload" tab.
Once the Word file uploads, Docs opens it automatically, ready for you to start to edit, share, and collaborate.
To open a Word document that you want to edit, click the file with the blue 'W' next to the filename from your Google Docs homepage.
Click either view the Word file or edit it in Docs.
Now that you have a few documents, it's time to make sure your spelling and grammar are correct. Docs comes equipped with a spell-checker all ready to go for you---any time you misspell something, it underlines the error with a squiggly line, prompting you to make a change.
This should be on by default, but you can make sure in Tools > Spelling > Underline Errors.
To see spelling corrections and suggestions, right-click the word with the line underneath. Alternatively, or press Ctrl+Alt+X (Windows) or Command+Alt+X (Mac) to open the Spell Check and Grammar tool.
Another way to access the spell check is to click the icon with an A and checkmark. This enables the tool and parses your document for spelling and grammar.
Along with a spell checker, Google Docs comes loaded with a built-in dictionary and thesaurus. All you have to do is highlight a word, right-click on it, then click “Define [word].”
While this should get you started, we have a deeper dive into Docs' spelling and grammar checker if you want more info.
One of the best features of Google Docs is the ability to generate a shareable link that lets anyone with it to either view, suggest edits, or edit your document. Instead of sending a file back and forth between collaborators, you can make edits and suggestions all at once, as if you were all huddled over the same computer in real time. The only difference is that each person has their own text entry cursor to use on their personal computer.
From the document you want to share, click on the blue button "Share" to choose how and with whom you want to send a link to your file. You can enter email addresses manually or click "Get sharable link" in the top corner to hand out the invitation yourself.
From the drop-down menu, you can edit how much power the shared user(s) have over the file when you select one of these options:
•Off: Sharing is disabled. If you've previously shared a link with others, it will no longer work and revokes any permissions they once had.
•Anyone with the link can edit: Gives the shared users full read/write access. They still can’t delete it from your Drive, though—this is just for the contents of the file.
•Anyone with the link can comment: Allows shared users to leave comments if desired—this is great for team projects.
When you share documents with others, it's difficult to keep track of all the small changes that happen if you're not present. For that, there's revision history. Google Docs keeps track of all the changes that occur in a document and groups them into periods, keeping the clutter down. You can even revert a file to any of the previous versions listed in the history with the click of a mouse.
You can view a list of all recent changes by clicking File > Version History > See Version History.
If you're the owner of a document and would prefer for collaborators to have to suggest edits to your file (instead of directly edit them), you can set the access permission to "Suggestions." This lets others make an edit to a document without the worry of others messing about in your file. When a collaborator makes an edit, the owner receives an email notification regarding the suggested edit and can choose to keep or discard the change.
If you look up at the top right of the document window, you’ll see your current state. If you see “Suggesting” then you’re good to go. If you see “Editing” or “Viewing” then click that button and then click the “Suggesting” option.
By default, Google Docs doesn't display the word or page count, but it's easy to check them without a manual count. So, if you have a strict word limit for an assignment or like to keep track of the amount you write, you can see the details to your labors with the word count. You can even highlight text from any paragraph to check how many words there are in the selection.
To view your document's word/page count, click Tools > Word Count, or press Ctrl+Shift+C on Windows and Command+Shift+C on Mac.
You can also find the word count for a specific string of text by highlighting it, and jumping back into Tools > Word Count (or using the key combo).
Related: How to Find the Page and Word Count in Google Docs
- Brady Gavin
Feb 7, 2024 · Opening Google Docs is a breeze, and anyone can do it! Whether you’re a student working on a school project, a professional preparing a presentation, or just someone who wants to jot down some notes, Google Docs is the go-to tool for creating and editing documents online.
Google Docs is an online word processor that lets you create and format documents and work with other people. Get our top tips for using Google Docs. Step 1: Create a document
Use Google Docs to create, and collaborate on online documents. Edit together with secure sharing in real-time and from any device.
Use Gemini for Google Workspace to create placeholder content you can refine and update. On your computer, open a Google Doc file . In the document, click where you want to write.
Sep 15, 2020 · Google Docs lets you edit documents just as you would in Microsoft Word, using your browser while online or offline, as well as on your mobile devices using the Google Docs mobile app. Table of Contents
