The Best Features in Google Docs You Might Not Know About?

Google Docs is packed with features that enhance productivity, collaboration, and creativity. Here are some lesser-known but powerful features you might not know about:

What is an AI-powered research tool?

AI Research Tools. AI tools for research can help you to discover new sources for your literature review or research assignment. These tools will synthesize information from large databases of scholarly output with the aim of finding the most relevant articles and saving researchers' time.

• What it does: Automatically suggests content based on what you're writing. It can pull up relevant documents, web pages, images, or related research topics.

• How to use: Go to Tools > Explore or click the small star icon in the bottom right corner of the document. You can search for information without leaving your document.

Is Google Voice Typing free?

• What it does: Converts speech into text, allowing you to dictate instead of typing.

• How to use: Go to Tools > Voice typing, click the microphone icon, and start speaking.

 Version History (View and Restore Old Versions)

• What it does: Allows you to see all previous versions of the document, track changes, and restore older versions if necessary.

• How to use: Go to File > Version history > See version history. You can rename versions to keep track of important changes.

How do I get out of offline mode?

On Android, when you're on the home tab of the app, there should be a little gear icon. If you press that button there should be an option to turn offline mode off or on a few options down the list.

• What it does: Enables you to work on documents without an internet connection, and your changes will sync once you're back online.

• How to use: Go to File > Make available offline. You need to enable offline mode in Google Drive settings first.

Tag Comments to Specific People

• What it does: You can assign tasks or requests to specific people by tagging them in a comment, which automatically sends them a notification.

• How to use: Add a comment and type “@” followed by the person’s name or email. You can also assign them a task by checking the "Assign to" option.

 Linked Objects (Sync Between Docs and Slides)

• What it does: Links objects like charts or tables between Google Docs and Slides. If you update the data in one, it syncs automatically.

• How to use: Copy a chart from Google Sheets, then paste it into your Doc or Slide. You’ll see an option to link the chart.

How do I use smart compose on my phone

• What it does: Offers predictive text suggestions as you type, similar to Gmail’s Smart Compose.

• How to use: This feature is automatically enabled, but you can turn it on or off in Tools > Preferences > Show Smart Compose suggestions.

Document Outline (Auto Table of Contents)

• What it does: Automatically generates a navigable document outline based on your headings.

• How to use: Go to View > Show document outline or click the small icon on the left of the screen. Use heading styles to structure your document.

Keep Notepad Integration

• What it does: Integrates with Google Keep so you can drag notes or checklists directly into your document.

• How to use: Go to Tools > Keep notepad, and your saved Keep notes will appear in a sidebar. You can drag and drop content from Keep into your document.

Add-ons and Extensions

• What it does: Allows you to integrate third-party tools to enhance the functionality of Google Docs, like citation tools, grammar checkers, or workflow automation.

• How to use: Go to Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons, and browse the Google Workspace Marketplace for tools like Grammarly or DocuSign.

How do I create a custom shortcut?

• What it does: Google Docs supports custom shortcuts for frequent tasks like adding special characters or changing formats.
• How to use: Go to Tools > Preferences, then assign custom shortcuts.

Watermark and Image Adjustment

• What it does: Adds watermarks to documents, and you can adjust images directly in the document, including brightness, contrast, and transparency.

• How to use: Insert an image, select it, then choose Image options for adjustments. For watermarks, go to Insert > Watermark.

What are the emoji reactions?

Emoji reactions let you quickly respond to a message. For example, 👍 is commonly used to express agreement or confirm that you've read the message. Any emoji can be used as a reaction, including custom emoji.

• What it does: Allows you to react to specific parts of a document with emojis.

• How to use: Select the text or object, then click the smiley face icon in the toolbar.

How do I translate an entire document?

• What it does: Automatically translates the entire document into another language.
• How to use: Go to Tools > Translate document, choose the target language, and it creates a translated copy.

What is the equation editor used for?

• What it does: Lets you insert complex mathematical equations using LaTeX commands.

• How to use: Go to Insert > Equation, and use the toolbar to input mathematical symbols or type LaTeX code.

These tools can significantly boost productivity, whether you're writing a report, collaborating on a team project, or managing research notes.