In this article, we’ll look at several Google Doc features that you probably didn’t know about, and how you can use them to save time on creating content.
Please note that these features are mostly accessible on the desktop version of the Google Docs tool. Those that can also be used on the mobile version will be indicated.
1. Voice Typing
To use the voice typing feature, open a document and click Tools from the menu bar at the top of the page. Select Voice Typing from the drop-down.
A microphone will pop up on your screen, with a language menu where you can select your preferred speaking language. When you’re ready to speak your text, click the microphone or press Cmd + Shift + S (if you’re using a Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + S (if you’re using a Windows PC) to start recording.
To add punctuation in between text, say the name of the punctuation mark you want to add, like ‘period’, ‘comma’, or ‘question mark’. You can give formatting instructions like ‘new line’ or ‘new paragraph’, or ‘stop listening’ if you want to take a break from voice typing, and ‘resume’ when you’re ready to continue.
Look up the advanced editing commands from this list of commands on Google’s Support Page.
You could also use this feature for transcribing any audio. Simply play the audio (from your phone or any other device) to the voice-to-text, and it should type it out for you. You may have to do a few edits, but you’d have saved a lot of time.
The voice typing feature is only available on the desktop but it only works on the Chrome browser.
2. Offline Editing
Many people love Google Docs for its instant save-to-cloud feature, but it can be inconvenient if you don’t have access to the internet for a while. The good news is that you can still access and edit your files offline.
This feature is only available on Google Chrome, and you would need to install and activate the Google Docs Offline Chrome extension. Also, make sure that you’re not browsing in private mode.
This feature needs to be put in place when you’re online, but once it’s done, you can write and edit text offline, and then they’ll get saved to the cloud when you get access to the internet. Here’s how.
To make it possible to open and save Google Docs files offline, follow these instructions. This feature is available on PCs, iOS, and Android.
3. Track/Restore Document Version History
If you’re working on a document alone or with others, you can track changes to the document using the Version History feature.
You can also restore the document to a previous version temporarily or permanently; a feature that can be a lifesaver if you accidentally delete parts of your document and cannot use the Undo button to restore them.
To use the version history feature, click File from the menu bar, and select Version History from the drop-down. You’ll see that you can also name a version, so you can use that to keep track of continuous changes in the document, especially if other users are making edits to the same document.
This feature is only available on the desktop.
4. Suggesting and Review Mode
While it is great to collaborate with others and edit a document together, it can be difficult (and messy) to keep track of the changes each person has made.
The Suggesting feature allows you to simply suggest edits if you don’t want to alter the document altogether. Your suggestions will pop up to the editor as comments on the sidebar, and the editor can make instant changes by accepting the suggestion. You can also carry on conversation threads with Reply, so you can give and receive feedback right on the document page without having to send emails back and forth.
To suggest edits, click on the pencil icon for Editing mode on the top right corner of your open document, then select Suggesting.
To view the document without the suggestions, click Viewing. You will be able to read without the strikethroughs and comment pop-ups.
To save time, you can accept or reject all the suggestions at once. Click Tools, then select Review suggested edits. Click Accept all or Reject all.
This feature is only available on the desktop.
5. Add Fonts
If you ever want to stylize your text to suit your message, you can do that with Google Docs too. Apart from the 24 default fonts that are already programmed into the Google Docs tool, you can add several cool fonts of your choice to amp up your text visually.
To add fonts, simply click on Fonts on the menu bar and select More Fonts. Select as many fonts as you want from the provided collection.
This feature is only available on the desktop.
6. Compare Documents
This is another feature that you can use to keep track of changes made to a document by yourself or a collaborator. It is especially useful for large documents, and as the name suggests, you can compare two documents to view differences between them.
To use this feature, open the base document that you want to make a comparison for, then click on the Tools and select Compare Documents.
In the dialogue box that pops up, select the document that you want to compare it against from your Drive, and click Compare. In the Attribute differences to field, enter the name of the collaborator who will be the author of the suggested edits in the final document.
The differences will show the same way as they do in the Suggesting mode we discussed above, and you can accept or reject edits as well.
This feature is only available on the desktop.
7. Find and Replace
If you ever need to replace multiple instances of an error within your text, Google Docs makes it easy to do it with the Find and Replace feature.
For users who are familiar with the Find and Replace feature in Microsoft Word, this works just the same.
To find a particular word or phrase in your document, use shortcut Ctrl + F on a Windows PC or Command + F on a Mac. Enter the word in the “Find in document” field.
To replace the found text, click on the three dots on the right side and select Find and Replace.
Then, enter the text in the Find field, and the replacement text in the Replace with field. Scroll through the text instances with the up and down cursor, and click Replace to swap them out individually. Or click Replace All to replace all the selected text at once.
8. Use a Dictionary
To help you concentrate and avoid having to switch in between tabs when you’re looking for the meaning of a word, Google Docs has an in-app dictionary.
When you’re typing and need to look up a word, highlight the word, then right click and select Define from the menu. The Dictionary tool will search for the definition of the word on the internet, and it will appear on the right side of your screen.
9. Add Language Accents
Say bye to memorizing accent keyboard shortcuts, or copy/pasting accented letters from other documents.
To use accented letters, you would have to download the “Easy Accents" add-on. It lets you insert accents for 20 different languages directly from a sidebar in your document.
Download the Google Doc add-on by opening the Tools menu, then click on Add-Ons and Get add-ons. In the Google Marketplace box that pops up, search for Easy Accents and click on the blue install button to add it to your Google Docs add-on collection.
After installing, click on the Add-Ons menu to select the Easy Accents add-on and start adding correct accents on all your foreign words.
This add-on is only available on desktop, but mobile keyboards typically support language accents so you’ll be able to write text with accent marks on your phone without the add-on.
10. Create Custom Shortcuts
Most people are familiar with Microsoft Word shortcuts, but you can make your own shortcuts in Google Docs, too. To create customized shortcuts, click on Tools > Preferences > Substitution. You’ll find that there are already a few fractions and symbols shortcuts, (like changing 3/4 to ¾), but feel free to add in some of your own.
This feature is only available on the desktop.
Do More With Google Docs
Now that you have learned these Google Docs tools, you can put them to use while creating your next document. Hopefully, they make things easier for you!
