Using Google Docs made easy: Four tips and tricks you should know

Time is precious, and we're all busy, impatient or occasionally even lazy. That's why we often look for shortcuts and quick fixes when we want something done.

We opt for next-day shipping, let spell checkers fix those pesky typos, or use ChatGPT to decide what we should eat for dinner this week. (That's right, step aside Gordon Ramsay, AI can do that!).

If you're like me, you often use Google Docs and love to find ways to work smarter, not harder. If that's the case, you're in the right place, as I'm here to share several time-saving and productivity tips that will help you work more efficiently in Google Docs, whether you're using a computer, a phone, or a tablet.

Watch this video to learn four useful tips and tricks for using Google Docs. 

Work offline

Working offline allows you to access and update your document wherever you are, including when you're not connected to the internet. 

The changes will be synced and accessible wherever you access Google Docs once your device is online again.

There are two ways to make a document accessible offline: 

• On the Google Docs landing page, click the three dots and toggle on Available Offline
• In an open document, go to File, then click Make Available Offline

Collaborate with coworkers

You can easily collaborate with friends, family, or coworkers just by sharing a link. 

To share:

1. Click Share
2. Set your preferred permissions
   • Viewer can only read the document
   • Commenter can add comments on the document
   • Editor can edit the contents of the document
3. Send the document via email or direct link 

You'll be able to see if someone else is in the document, where they are in the document and whether they're typing.

Multiple people can be actively working and typing in the document at the same time. 

Organize your work

Google Docs has a feature that automatically creates an outline of your document. 

All you have to do is change the text style. 

To create an outline: 

1. Click on Normal text on the document's menu bar 
2. Select the style
3. The outline will automatically populate on the side of the page 

If you don't see the outline, click the icon that looks like three lowercase 'i's' placed sideways. They're on the left of the document.

Now, it's easy to jump anywhere in the document just by clicking in the outline.

If it populates a line you don't want to include, hover your mouse over it and click the X that appears.

This only removes it from the outline, not the document.

How to recover deleted information  

The work you're doing gets saved regularly and repeatedly. This is fantastic if something accidentally gets deleted or you want to reverse a change.  

To find previous versions, click the icon that looks like a clock with a backward arrow near your icon in the top right of the page.

This pulls up all of your previous versions and shows the changes that were made.

You can restore an old version or copy what you need and paste it into the most recent version.

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