Eight Advanced Google Docs Features You Should Use
Beneath the surface of word processors like Google Docs lies a treasure trove of hidden features that make it easy to create large documents and collaborate on them with colleagues. I’ve shared some Google Docs tips before, but now I want to share a few more.
1. Write Markdown in Google Docs.
Google Docs supports some of the Markdown syntax. It offers an easy way to format documents using simple text characters, making them easier to read and write, and allowing them to be converted to wider formats. If you’re proficient in Markdown, it will help you create documents faster by quickly formatting text using italics, bold, strikethroughs, and links. To enable it, go to Tools > Options > Automatically Detect Markdown .
But remember: Google Docs supports a limited set of Markdown syntax, not all of it.
2. Improve navigation with line numbers.
With a modest line number, you and your colleagues can easily reference and identify precise locations in complex and long documents. They can also help you take accurate notes because you can associate them with line numbers. But note that line numbers only work in Pages format, not in Pageless mode.
Turn them on by choosing Tools > Line Numbers . In the Line Numbers sidebar, select Show Line Numbers .
3. Use alt text to make documents more accessible.
Images help your document, but they cannot be “seen” by screen readers. Adding alt text to images helps people using screen readers understand what’s in the image.
To add alt text, right-click the image and select Alt Text . In the Image Options sidebar, briefly describe the image. Don’t include “image” or “image”, just focus on the information the image shows.
4. Use the Translate Document feature to practice reading and writing in another language.
Google Docs won’t replace a language course anytime soon, but it uses the same prowess of Google Translate to translate a document into any language. You can share translated documents with collaborators and use them to practice writing in a foreign language.
Open the document. Open Tools > Translate Document . In the overlay window, select your language and Google Docs will create a copy in the foreign language.
Remember that you can also use Google Sheets to translate languages .
5. Make the recipient make a copy of the Google Doc.
You may encounter cases where you want to share a document, but want the co-author to make changes to their copy of the original. There’s no official method in Docs to force a copy, but there’s a little unofficial hack that works.
Click Share in the top right corner of the document. Change the link settings to “Everyone with a link” and select “Editor” from the drop-down list next to it. Now copy the link and paste it into the email or messenger you use to share the document. Before you click “Submit”, edit the end of the link, replacing the word “edit” and everything after it with template/preview .
When the recipient opens the document to edit it, it will be their own copy. The “template/preview” URL suffix allows them to preview the contents of the document before editing it (click the “Use Template” button in the preview).
6. Insert the document into an email
You don’t have to send your collaborator a long document as an attachment. Email it directly from Google Docs to the recipient’s inbox as an embedded document. This makes document sharing easier and reduces the number of attachments everyone has to review.
Choose File > Email > Send This File by Email . Write a message in the field provided. Then select the Don’t Attach checkbox. Include content in your email .
7. Brainstorm with Google Keep
Combined with detailed writing in Google Docs , the minimal Google Keep (Google’s free digital notepad app for jotting down thoughts, lists, and reminders) can be a handy brainstorming aid.
Record fleeting ideas as notes or lists. When you need these ideas in your document, open the Keep sidebar (yellow light bulb icon on the right) and drag your notes directly into the document. You can also copy text from your document and save it as a Keep note for easy access to it later.
8. Collaborate via email
Gmail offers collaborative inboxes for Google Workspace accounts, but there’s another way to collaborate on email for free using Google Docs. In a Google Doc, insert a building block of an email by choosing Insert > Building Blocks > Email Draft . Alternatively, type “@email” into the document and press Enter. You can also go to File > Email Draft .
Write a letter and fill out the fields. Then click “View in Gmail” in the top left corner of your draft. When you’re finished, click Submit .
The treasure trove of features and tips doesn’t end there. Google Drive is more versatile than ever before, and you can always find different ways to work with Google Docs to suit your specific needs.