Running an online business requires tools like Google Docs for carrying out activities ranging from the simplest to the most complex tasks. 

While a word processor like Google Docs may appear intelligible on the surface, it’s still packed with out-of-sight features that can help you get a lot more done rapidly. 

I’ve been utilizing Google Docs tips and tricks to work more efficiently for the last few years. It’s possible that you’ve yet to uncover several practical features of Docs. 

For example, did you know you can revert to an older document version using revision history? 

Here are ten practical Google Docs tips that will turn you into a certified Google Docs wizard. 

Instantly create a new Google doc

Google permits you to create new documents quickly without having to access your Google Drive. This little hack will save you plenty of time when you’re in a hurry to open a blank page. 

Just type “doc.new” in the new tab in your browser window, which will redirect you to a fresh document. Lightning fast!⚡

Turn on the omnipresent word count

Here’s one great tip for those who keep checking the word count after every sentence- whether you’re writing a project with a strict word limit or caught up in a slightly neurotic pattern. 

Save yourself from the distress of making several visits to the Tools section and turn on the option “Display word count while typing,” found at the bottom of the word count popup window. 

This will turn on an omnipresent word count at the bottom left corner of the screen, and you can open it to view other stats like character count and pages. 

If you’re not up for a ubiquitous word count, you can still avoid going to the Toolbar by using the shortcut “Control + Shift + C” (or “ Command + Shift + C on Mac), and the word count box will pop up. 

Utilise Speech recognition 

If you’re using Google Docs in a Chromium-based browser, you can give your fingers some rest and let Docs turn your spoken words into text. As long as your microphone is enabled, open the Tools menu and click on “Voice typing”. 

A small popup with a microphone will appear, which will turn red once you click on it. Once it turns red, clearly dictate anything, and Google will transcribe it for you. 

To denote a punctuation mark, say it out loud, like “comma,” “exclamation,” or “period”. To start a new passage or a new line, say “new passage” or “new passage” aloud. 

Voice typing supports several languages, including English, German, Chinese, Spanish, and many more. 

Collaborate with your team seamlessly

Collaboration features are abundant for times when you’re working with two or more people.

The little pencil at the top right corner of the Toolbar lets you switch between Editing, Suggesting, and Reading modes. Suppose you’re in suggesting mode. Here everything you type renders as a suggestion. 

Each suggestion will get its comment box at the right grey panel of the document, with multiple options to accept, reject, or reply. 

You can also assign the edit to a specific person by typing the “+” or “@” symbol before their name or email address in the comment box. Google will notify that person that there’s a suggestion awaiting their response. 

Activate the outline feature

When you’re working on a lengthy document, navigating between so many headlines can get a little arduous. Google Docs has an outline feature that lets you navigate through such tedious documents effortlessly so you can skip ahead, or fall back, instead of scrolling through the entire thing. 

It works similarly to a table of contents by sticking your headings at the left panel of the doc. You can click on H1, H2s, or H3s to quickly advance to that part. Make sure you categorize your document using different headlines for this feature to work. 

To turn on the outline function, head to the View option in the Toolbar and click “Show outline.”

Set up Custom Keyboard Shortcuts

Isn’t it very satisfying to know the keyboard shortcuts for whatever program you’re using? Google offers a bunch of such handy keyboard shortcuts for docs. They’re convenient for working more efficiently with increased precision. 

There are common ones like “Cmd + C” (Mac) and “Ctrl + P” (PC) to paste, or “Cmd + b” (Mac) or “Ctrl + i” (PC) to turn text into bold or italic. But there are some exclusive ones as well. Here are some of my dearests:

• Cmd + Shift + v = Paste without formatting
• Cmd + f = Find text in the document 
• Cmd + Shift + 8 = Bulleted list
• Cmd + Shift + y = Open Dictionary 

Press Cmd+ / (Mac) or Ctrl + / (PC) to display all the keyboard shortcuts of Google Docs.

Now, what if you want to create your personalized keyboard shortcuts? 

This is entirely possible thanks to the Automatic substitution functionality. Head over to Tools > preferences as displayed. 

Make sure the Automatic substitution is turned on, and now type whatever text you wish to use as a shortcut. 

In this case, I’m using the word “gm” as a shortcut, replacing every case of “gm” with “good morning”, as shown:

So the next time you’re working on an extreme deadline, remember to use custom keyboard shortcuts to speed things up. 

Use the Explore tool

The Explore feature is a godsend for times when you’re writing on a topic that requires extensive and deep research. 

It lets you research and refer to online sources without leaving Google Docs. This means you can avoid going back and forth endlessly between multiple tabs. 

To access this inbuilt browser, Click on the Explore button at the bottom right corner of the docs or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Cmd + Shift + I (Mac) or Ctrl + Alt + Shift + I (PC). 

The Explore tool will open in the left sidebar with Search options to add images, Google Scholar articles, quotes, and tables. It even lets you find royalty-free images directly from docs. 

You can also insert a specific link from the research tab by dragging it into the document. 

Google docs add-ons

Google Docs support third-party add-ons that you can install to increase the functionality and enable several hacks. To install an add-on, go to Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons. 

This will take you to the Google workplace marketplace with many popular add-ons that work with Docs. Some of the most practical add-ons are:

• SEMrush assistant to boost SEO score.
• LucidChart diagrams for collaborative online diagramming.
• Mathtype to write mathematical equations and chemical formulas. 

The same drop-down menu will let you access or manage the add-ons. 

One plugin that I particularly find compelling is the Google Docs dark mode extension. Unfortunately, dark mode is not natively available in Google Docs, but this plugin is excellent for enabling dark mode in Chromium-based browsers. 

Edit documents offline

If you’re planning to work somewhere in the hills or forests without internet access, then Google Docs offline sync will come in handy. 

Note: This offline sync option is only limited to Chromium-based browsers and requires an extension.

To enable offline sync, go to the docs home page and click on Settings from the left menu. From settings, you can toggle the Offline button to On. 

Once enabled, you can edit documents in both online and offline modes. 

Revision history

Not only does Google Docs save all the document changes as you make them, but it also keeps a record of them. This makes it convenient for you to revert to an earlier version of your Google doc, especially when more than one person is editing. 

All you need to do is go to File > Version history > See Revision history. A panel will appear on the right side with an overview of all changes, including crucial details like who made them.

Summary

These were some of the Google Docs tips and tricks I often use to enrich my experience and get things done rapidly. 

I’m sure you didn’t know at least a few of these doc features. Now that you do put them to good use in your next Google DDocs session. 

If you know any cool Google Docs features I missed out on, do mention them in the comment section below.