From editable PDFs to instant translations, Google Docs is packed with features most people never use.
Google Docs has become the universal document collaboration platform.
Features such as Voice Typing, Smart Chips, and Version History surpass most word processors, but many have never used them.
In this guide, I share over 25 useful tips for Google Docs to help you streamline your workflow.
Google Docs has been part of my life for nearly two decades. I remember when it first launched back in 2006 — I was still in high school, and I haven’t stopped using it since. Being able to access a full-featured word processor from any computer in the world felt revolutionary then, and its usefulness is still relevant today.
Most people are familiar with the basics of the platform, but I bet you don’t know most of its features. Google Docs is packed with tools that even longtime users miss. To help you out, I’ve compiled over 25 Google Docs tips and tricks to help you work faster, stay organized, and collaborate more effectively.
Because there are so many, I’ve broken things down to six separate categories:1. Basic productivity
Like Windows, Google Docs has its own set of keyboard shortcuts. Many of the well-known key combos still apply (such as Ctrl + C to copy and Ctrl + V to paste); however, Docs has its own unique shortcuts specific to the platform, including Ctrl + Alt + Mto add a comment and Alt + Shift + Ito open the Insert menu.
Learning these will save you a ton of time. To see the entire shortcut menu, press:
Ctrl + / on Windows
Cmd + / on MacOS.
If you ever struggle with getting your idea out of your head and onto the page, the Voice Typing tool can turn those thoughts into text. Go to Tools > Voice typing to enable it. A microphone icon will appear in the corner. Click it and begin talking.
This feature works best in Google Chrome. On other browsers, punctuation voice commands, such as saying « semicolon », may not convert correctly and will instead type out the words literally.
Use Find and Replace to correct typos, update text, and adjust information in bulk.
Ctrl + F to find words on Windows.
Ctrl + H to replace text on Windows.
Cmd + F to find words on MacOS.
Cmd + H to replace text on MacOS.
No need to retype text to fix capitalization. Highlight the text, then go to: Format > Text > Capitalization. From the menu, you can flip the text between lowercase, uppercase, or title case, which capitalizes the first letter of each word.
Bookmarks are useful when writing a large report or research document, as they provide a quick way to navigate between points. To add a bookmark, place your cursor at a point in the text > Insert > Bookmark.
Use these keyboard shortcuts to navigate:
To jump forward: press Ctrl + Alt + N + B on Windows / press Ctrl + Cmd + N + B on MacOS.
To jump backward: press Ctrl + Alt + P + B on Windows / press Ctrl + Cmd + P + B on Windows 2. Page layout
Google Docs can create a document outline and a Table of Contents to help organize your text, and both rely on the same action: applying Headline styles.
To assign Headings, highlight a piece of text > select a Heading style from the dropdown menu next to the Font name. The hierarchy works like this:
Heading 1 is for main section titles
Heading 2 is for subsections
Heading 3 is for specific topics or items, such as images, tablets, or graphs.
When you apply headings, Google Docs instantly creates an Outline panel on the left. To implement a Table of Contents at the start of the document, place the cursor at the top > Insert > Page elements > Table of contents. Choose a style, and the platforms will generate a Table. Each entry features a hyperlink that allows you to jump directly to a specific section.
