Google Docs

250 'Google Docs' stories May 2011 - November 2019

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Google Docs originated from web-based word processor Writely. The app would lay the groundwork for such common features as collaborative text editing. Eventually acquired by Google, it was made available to all Google Apps users in February of 2007.

The marquee feature of Docs is the ability to collaborate with a wide number of people online. Controls help determine who can see, comment, and edit documents. In its current form, Docs is an HTML5 app that runs on most modern browsers and even has support for rudimentary viewing on mobile. Its Android and iOS apps are quite powerful and gives users access to the same web functionality.

On Chrome, Docs works offline and allows users to work without an internet connection and have changes synced backed up to the cloud. An Add-ons feature allows third-party developers to add extra functionality like a thesaurus and a bibliography creator.

How to create a PDF from a document in Google Docs

Sandy Writtenhouse Nov 9 2019 - 7:06 am PT

PDF in Google Docs

A PDF file is one of the most widely used document types. It can be shared across multiple platforms, compressed into a smaller size easily, and cannot be edited without leaving a digital footprint. These are some of the reasons that you’ll see PDFs used for legal documents like contracts and such. You can create your own PDFs straight from documents in Google Docs a few different ways.

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Google Drive

Google tweaks editor UIs for Docs, Sheets, and Slides on Android

Abner Li Oct 8 2019 - 8:18 am PT

While Drive was one of the first Google apps to adopt the Material Theme, Docs, Sheets, and Slides followed later on the web and mobile. The latest set of updates brings Material Theme tweaks to the productivity app’s editor interfaces on Android.

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Google Docs on the web testing convenient link previews

Abner Li Sep 18 2019 - 12:34 pm PT

Google Drive Docs

In June, Google updated Docs on the web with a Material Theme URL editor. The tool is now testing a very convenient link preview to get a sense of what pages are about without needing to visit.

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Google Docs gaining always-visible word count box on the web

Abner Li Sep 9 2019 - 2:48 pm PT

Google Docs has long featured a pretty straightforward word count tool. The G Suite editing app is soon gaining an always-visible counter in the bottom-left corner of your screen on the web.

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Google Drive Docs

Google Docs adds ‘Live edits’ accessibility tool for real-time collaboration

Abner Li Aug 20 2019 - 12:44 pm PT

From Live Transcribe to Sound Amplifier, Google this year has released a number of accessibility features. The latest is for Google Docs and helps keep track of real-time updates made by document collaborators.

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Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides add reading speed-optimized ‘Lexend’ fonts

Abner Li Aug 13 2019 - 8:44 am PT

Google’s productivity apps are gaining a series of fonts “aimed at improving reading speed.” Meant particularly for educators and students, the Lexend font family is available today in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

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Google Material Theme revamp rolls out to Docs, Sheets, and Slides for Android

Abner Li Aug 9 2019 - 12:00 am PT

Google Drive

Google Drive on the web was one of the very first services to get the Material Theme treatment in 2018, with the Android and iOS clients following this April. The homepages for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides were updated in February, with a similar Google Material Theme revamp now available for the Android apps.

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Google’s docs․new shortcut can now create files in other signed-in accounts

Abner Li Jul 25 2019 - 9:44 am PT

Google Drive Material Theme

Last year, Google introduced an extremely convenient way to create blank Docs, Sheets, and Slides with the .new domain. The Google docs.new shortcut now supports quick file creation in your other signed-in accounts, including your work or school G Suite.

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Google Docs will now highlight what account you’re signed in with

Abner Li Jul 9 2019 - 9:49 am PT

Google Drive Docs

One longstanding complaint among Google users on the web is how being logged in with both personal and G Suite accounts results in a confusing file launch process. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides will now display a prominent prompt about what account you’re signed in with.

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Google Docs app tests Material Theme w/ some users on Android

Ben Schoon Jun 18 2019 - 10:10 am PT

Google’s Material Theme has solely been making its way out to the company’s various Android apps, and it seems the latest is Google Docs. Some users are currently seeing a new interface takeover the app on Android.

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Google Drive Docs

Google Docs link editor gets Google Material Theme refresh on the web

Abner Li Jun 6 2019 - 1:46 pm PT

Earlier this year, Google Docs picked up the Material Theme on both the web homepage and in the editor. With G Suite especially, Google has been incrementally adding new features to apps and tweaking others. The latest in Google Docs is a Material Theme link editor.

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Google Drive Docs

Google Docs adds per section margins, new break formatting tools

Abner Li May 30 2019 - 4:41 pm PT

The latest update to Google Docs adds two new tools to the G Suite word processor that improves page formatting. Especially useful when printing, the first deals with inserting and viewing breaks, while the second works in tandem to allow custom section margins.

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G Suite Google Docs

Google Docs, Slides adds ‘Linked objects’ tool to update embedded charts, graphs

Abner Li May 24 2019 - 8:32 am PT

The apps in Google’s office suite are linked together to improve workflows and productivity. Google has now added a new “Linked objects” sidebar in Docs and Slides to “access all linked content” and quickly update them.

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Google Docs new animals

Google Docs adds 13 new animal avatars for Endangered Species Day

Abner Li May 17 2019 - 12:53 pm PT

No app features a better example of Google’s whimsical touches than Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. The company’s editing suite has long identified non-logged in collaborators through anonymous animal avatars. As part of Endangered Species Day, Google is adding 13 new animals to raise awareness.

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Google Drive Docs

Google Sheets adds further enhanced tools for spreadsheet formatting

Damien Wilde Apr 19 2019 - 5:16 am PT

Google Docs continues to encroach upon Microsoft Excel territory with the addition of many stalwart Excel functions and features. Announced today, the update includes new tweaks to Google Sheets and enhanced formatting functions for images, charts, and Pivot tables.

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Google Drive Docs

Activity dashboard in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides adds sharing history, comment stats

Abner Li Apr 11 2019 - 1:01 pm PT

Last year, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides introduced an Activity dashboard to provide stats and easily see who has viewed a document. The three G Suite apps are now adding sharing history and comment analytics.

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Dropbox announces enterprise Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides integration

Kyle Bradshaw Apr 9 2019 - 9:00 am PT

Dropbox Google Docs Sheets Slides

While it’s easy to look at Dropbox and G Suite as competitors, many have wanted to see the two services align. At Google Cloud Next ’19, Dropbox has announced that this is happening, with business customers gaining access to deep integration with Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

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Google Drive Docs

Report: Teens are repurposing Google Docs from productivity tool to ‘hot’ chat app

Abner Li Mar 14 2019 - 5:32 pm PT

As evident by Allo’s death earlier this week and the upcoming consumer deprecation of Plus, Google has tried and failed to be relevant in social. However, it now appears that the company might have accidentally stumbled into a presence with Google Docs.

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Google Drive Docs

Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides homepages updated with Material Theme tweaks

Abner Li Feb 26 2019 - 6:20 pm PT

For most users, Google Drive is their primary homepage when interacting with the web suite of productivity apps. However, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides on the web also have dedicated homepages, with all three recently gaining Material Theme tweaks.

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AI-powered grammar suggestions in Google Docs rolling out to paid G Suite accounts

Abner Li Feb 26 2019 - 9:30 am PT

Google Drive Material Theme

At Cloud Next 2019 last July, Google announced grammar suggestions for Google Docs in early beta. Google is today rolling out the web feature to paid G Suite Basic, Business, and Enterprise customers.

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G Suite Google Docs

Google Docs

Google releases new API to help developers automate Google Docs

Kyle Bradshaw Feb 13 2019 - 8:17 am PT

Many times, when working with documents, you may find yourself doing the same things over and over again, whether that’s copying pieces of information from one document to another or filling out forms at work. Whatever the case may be, Google is now ready to help automate your workflow with the new Google Docs API.

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Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides rolling out Google Material Theme redesigns on the web

Abner Li Jan 15 2019 - 1:21 pm PT

Google Material Theme

Google Drive was one of the first web apps to adopt the Google Material Theme last May and now a similar redesign is rolling out to the core Docs, Sheets, and Slides productivity services on the web, as well as Google Sites.

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Google Drive

Google Drawings can now be embedded into Google Docs and easily updated

Abner Li Jan 7 2019 - 12:44 pm PT

In addition to Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, G Suite touts other productivity apps like Google Forms and Sites. Google Drawings will soon feature improved Google Docs integration by allowing a direct and updating embed.

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Google Docs

[Update: Forms] Google launches ‘․new’ links for instantly creating blank Google Docs, Sheets & more

9to5 Staff Jan 3 2019 - 9:30 am PT

Google took to Twitter today to introduce a small but useful feature that makes it easier than ever to create a Google Doc. By merely visiting a series of ‘.new’ URLs, such as ‘docs.new’ or ‘slide.new’, users will immediately be taken to a new blank document.

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