Google Docs™ is a text editing competitor to Microsoft Word™ but it is so much more. In an increasingly paperless world, Google Workspace has been transforming Google Docs to be a more collaborative workspace. When you do not need to print the possibilities increase.
Google Docs live in Google Drive. There is no save button! Docs are automatically backed up to the cloud. While we are usually connected, there are times we are not. Go to Google Drive to enable offline access. Any Google Docs you may want to edit offline, be sure to use the File menu to set explicitly for offline editing. Try using docs.new to quickly get started!
Google Docs as a Collaboration Tool
Google Docs is certainly a productivity tool, but where it really shines is as a collaboration tool. Have the confidence that whoever is viewing your document always has the current version. Instead of emailing a copy of the document as an attachment, send the link to the Google Doc instead. By default, Google Docs are set to private. Click on the Share button in the upper right hand corner to get the share link as well as to set the sharing permission. Explicitly type in the email address of a collaborator to give them view, commenting, or edit access. You can even give temporary access to the document that expires at a certain time. Alternatively you can set generic sharing permissions for anyone who has the link.
Blog Posts on Google Docs
Google Certified Innovator and Google Developer Expert for Google Workspace, Alice Keeler, has a plethora of helpful posts about Google Docs. Here is a random assortment of posts. Refresh the page to see new post recommendations.
