Google Docs Draftback to See Typing History

When students are using Google Docs you can use the Draftback Chrome extension to review their edits on the document like a movie. You can use this to view student progress or to detect plagiarism in Google Docs.
Google Docs Draftback to See Typing History

When students are using Google Docs you can use the Draftback Chrome extension to review their edits on the document like a movie. You can use this to view student progress or to detect plagiarism in Google Docs.

Watch student edits like a movie.

Draftback is a Chrome extension. It does NOT collect user data. However, it may be blocked by your Google Workspace Apps Admin. Please contact them to have it unblocked since oftentimes extensions are blocked by default by your school.

Using Draftback

After installing the Draftback Chrome extension you will see a button in the upper right of the document indicating how many revisions there are. Click on the revision to see a video of what looks like the student typing the document.

Detect Plagiarism in Google Docs

If you suspect a student of plagiarizing you can use Draftback to see if they pasted a large amount of text at once. Notice in the animation above that it shows typing character by character.

If you are a Google Classroom user you can also use the plagiarism tool. It only works on Google Docs, as does Draftback.

  • Using Gemini to Export Google Docs to Markdown

  • 5 Amazing Features of NotebookLM

  • Student Comments in Record Time

    Analyzing Hundreds of Student Comments in Record Time

  • ReadWorks and the Power of the Daily Article Routine

Leave a Comment

© 2026 All Rights Reserved.

💥 FREE OTIS WORKSHOP

Join Alice Keeler, Thursday April 15th or register to gain access to the recording.
Create a free OTIS account.

Join Alice Keeler for this session for teaching with AI

Unlock a smarter way to manage your curriculum by turning your own teaching materials into a personalized AI assistant with NotebookLM. This session explores how to transform static documents into interactive study guides and audio overviews that are tailored strictly to your specific content. You will discover how this versatile note-taking tool can streamline your prep time and help you organize complex resources with ease. Join us to see how NotebookLM can act as a powerful, free partner in your K-12 classroom.

Exit this pop up by pressing escape or clicking anywhere off the pop up.