Home Industry Google Docs cheat sheet: How to get started

by Howard Wen
Contributing Writer

Google Docs cheat

sheet: How to get
started
How-To
Aug 16, 2021 18 mins

Collaboration Software Enterprise Applications G Suite

How to use Google Docs to create, edit, and

collaborate on documents online.

CREDIT: PEOPLEIMAGES / ONURDONGEL / GETTY IMAGES /

GOOGLE
Google Docs is a powerful word processor that you
use through your web browser. It’s integrated with
Google Drive to store your documents in the cloud.
Anyone with a Google account can use Google
Docs for free. It’s also available with Google
Workspace — Google’s subscription-based online
collection of office apps that also includes Gmail,
Google Slides, Google Sheets, and more. There are
Google Docs mobile apps for Android and iOS, too.

This quick guide will get you started with the Google
Docs web app and show you how to share your
documents and collaborate on them with other
people.

[ Cheat sheets: Google Docs | Google Sheets | Google Slides | Google Meet |
Google Keep ]

Create or open a
document
To start a new document or load one you’ve already
saved in Google Drive, you’ll need to sign in to your
Google or Google Workspace account. If you
haven’t signed in yet, you’ll be prompted to do so
when you click either link below.

From the Google Docs home page: To start a new

document, click the Blank thumbnail or select a
template to the right. To see more templates, click
the Template gallery button in the upper-right corner
of the screen; click any thumbnail to start a new
document in that template.
THE TOP OF THE GOOGLE DOCS HOME PAGE. (CLICK IMAGE
TO ENLARGE IT.)

IDG

From the Google Drive home page: To start a new

blank document, click the New button at the upper-
left of the screen and then click Google Docs. If you
want to select a template to start a new document,
click the New button, then move the cursor over the
> to the right of “Google Docs” and select From a
template. The Google Docs home page will open,
showing its full template gallery.

CREATING A NEW DOCUMENT FROM GOOGLE DRIVE. (CLICK

IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT.)

IDG

Documents that are already in your Google Drive

storage appear on either of these home pages.
Double-click a document, and it will open in Google
Docs. You can use the search box at the top of
either home page to search for your document’s file
name or text that is in it. On the Google Docs home
page, you can also click the folder icon on the right
above the documents list. This opens a simplified
version of your Google Drive inside a panel.
To open a document that someone else has shared
with you via Google Drive: On the Google Drive
home page, click Shared with me in the left column,
and then double-click the document to open it in
Google Docs.

Upload a document or PDF for

editing in Google Docs
If you want to edit a document that’s not already
stored in Google Drive, here’s how to upload it.

From the Google Docs home page: Click the folder

icon on the right above the documents list, then click
the Upload tab on the screen that appears.

From the Google Drive home page: Click New > File
upload and select the document from your PC’s
drive.

Through either method above, you can drag-and-

drop a file onto your web browser screen or browse
your computer’s storage drive and select a file.

Microsoft Word documents

Traditionally, when you uploaded Microsoft Word
files to Google Drive, they were automatically
converted to Docs format. That’s stll the case when
you upload Word files via the Google Docs home
page.

However, since mid-2019, Google Docs has

supported the ability to edit Microsoft Word (.docx)
files in their native format. By default, any .docx files
that you upload via Google Drive will remain
formatted as Word documents. You can edit and
collaborate on a Word file right in Docs, with all
changes made by you or your collaborators saved
directly to the Word file.

ANY WORD-FORMATTED DOCUMENT APPEARS LISTED ON

YOUR GOOGLE DOCS HOME PAGE AND GOOGLE DRIVE
HOME PAGE WITH A “W” ICON NEXT TO IT INSTEAD OF THE
USUAL DOCS ICON.

IDG

If you prefer that Word files that you upload via

Google Drive be automatically converted to Docs
format, click the gear icon in the upper-right corner
of the Drive home screen and select Settings from
the drop-down menu. In the Settings box next to
“Convert uploads,” check the checkbox
marked Convert uploaded files to Google Docs
editor format.

PDF or image files

You can also upload a PDF or image file of a
scanned document to Drive, then convert it so that
you can edit it in Google Docs. The accuracy of this
conversion depends on how readable the text is in
the PDF or source image.

From the Drive home screen, click New > File

upload and select the PDF or image file. After the
file is uploaded, right-click its filename on the Drive
home screen and select Open with > Google Docs.
Drive converts the PDF or extracts the text from the
image file and opens the result in Google Docs for
you to view and edit. This converted version
appears listed on your Google Docs home page and
Google Drive home page as a new Docs document.
Note that only the text from the source file is
converted; if your PDF has images, those will not
appear in the new document.

CONVERTING A PDF TO GOOGLE DOCS FORMAT FOR

EDITING. (CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT.)

IDG

Work in a document
When you open a new or existing document, here’s
what you’ll see:

The toolbar along the top of your document has

buttons for the most common word processing
functions, such as formatting text and paragraphs,
inserting links and pictures, running spell check, and
printing.

THE GOOGLE DOCS COMPOSE/EDIT SCREEN. (CLICK IMAGE

TO ENLARGE IT.)
IDG

The menu bar above this toolbar includes the

following drop-down menus: File lists commands for
taking action on the whole document, including
Page setup, Print, Rename, and Share. Edit lets you
copy, paste, undo, redo, find and replace, and
similar. View lets you change your view of the
document and how you interact with it (more on that
in a moment), and Insert is where you go to insert
anything from a table to a special character to a
header or footer. Format lets you format text,
paragraphs, and other elements including
tables. Tools contains extras like getting a word
count and translating the document into another
language.

The document’s title appears at the top of the

screen, above the menu bar. To change the title,
place the cursor in the title and start typing.

Note that Docs automatically saves any changes

you make to your document as soon as you make
them.

Editing, Suggesting, and Viewing

modes
When you create or open a document, it is
presented in Editing mode, in which you compose or
edit your document normally. You can switch to two
other modes:

In Suggesting mode, changes to your document

appear as colored “suggestions” that can be
accepted or rejected. This mode mostly comes into
play when you’re collaborating with others; more on
that later in this guide.

In Viewing mode, you can’t edit the document, only

scroll through and read it. Viewing mode can help
you focus on reading through a document without
being tempted to stop and edit it. You can also share
a document with others in a way that limits them to
Viewing mode; we’ll cover that in the sharing section
of this guide.

To switch among these modes, click

the Editing pencil icon at the far right of the toolbar
and make your selection. Alternatively, you can
select View > Mode from the top menu bar.

SWITCHING TO SUGGESTING MODE. (CLICK IMAGE TO

ENLARGE IT.)

IDG

Share your document

You can share a document for others to view or edit
from either Google Docs or Google Drive. From the
Docs screen where you’re editing your document,
click the blue Share button at the upper-right. Or,
from the Google Drive home page, right-click the
filename of your document and select Share from
the menu that opens. Either way, a “Share with
people and groups” panel opens.

Google lets you share your document privately by

inviting specific people to access it, or publicly,
which means anyone with the link to it can open it.
In most cases, business users will want to share
their documents privately with specific colleagues,
but there may be times when you need to share it
publicly, such as when you’re seeking public
comments on a document.

Share your document privately

(only certain people can access it)
Inside the “Share with people and groups” pane,
type in the names or email addresses of the people
you want to collaborate with on the document. You
can also type in a brief message to them.

SETTING PERMISSIONS FOR A FILE BEING SHARED

PRIVATELY. (CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT.)

IDG

By default, every person you add is given Editor

access to your document. You can change this by
clicking Editor on the right and
selecting Commenter or Viewer.

Editor means they can change your document, add comments to it, and reshare
it with other people.

Commenter means they can view your document and add comments to it, but
they cannot change it.

Viewer means they can view your document, but they cannot change it or add
comments to it.
Keep in mind that this setting applies to everyone
you’re currently inviting to the document. When
you’re done, click Send, and everyone you’ve added
will receive an email with a link they can click to
access the document.

Change, limit, or revoke permissions

You can change anyone’s permissions for a
document at any time by clicking the Share button.
The “Share with people and groups” panel
reappears, listing everyone who has access to the
document. Click the drop-down next to their name to
change their permission level or remove their
access entirely, and click Save.

You can also limit the overall permissions for a

document somewhat by clicking the gear icon in the
upper right of the “Share with people and groups”
pane. Unchecking the first checkbox prevents others
at the Editor level from resharing the document or
changing other collaborators’ permission level.
Unchecking the second prevents anyone with
Viewer or Commenter status from downloading,
printing, or copying the document.

UNCHECKING THESE BOXES CURBS SOME OF THE DEFAULT

PERMISSIONS FOR EDITORS, VIEWERS, AND COMMENTERS.
(CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT.)

IDG

Set an expiration date

Under a Google Workspace plan, you can also deny
access to a person assigned Viewer or Commenter
access to your document on a specified date. (If
they are assigned as Editor, they will be demoted to
Commenter on a specified date.)

To do it, click the drop-down to the right of a

collaborator’s name that shows their access title
(Viewer, Commenter, Editor) and select “Give
temporary access” from the pane that opens. Then,
next to “Access expires…,” click the current date to
change the number of days that you want that
person to have access to your document.

SETTING AN EXPIRATION DATE FOR ACCESS TO A

DOCUMENT. (CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT.)

IDG

Share your document publicly

(anyone can access it)
At the bottom of the “Share with people and groups”
panel is a “Get link” area where you can copy the
link to the document. By default, this link is restricted
to those you invite to the document. To change it to
a public link, click Change to anyone with the link. A
link to your document will be generated.
GENERATING A PUBLIC LINK TO A DOCUMENT. (CLICK IMAGE
TO ENLARGE IT.)

IDG

By default, this link has Viewer access assigned to

it. To allow people to comment on or edit your
document, click the Viewer drop-down on the right
and then select Commenter or Editor.

Click the Copy link button so that you can paste it

into an email, direct message, or document, or post
it on a public forum or social media. Anyone who
sees and clicks this link will be able to access your
document.

You can turn off this publicly accessible link to your

document by reopening the “Share with people and
groups” panel and clicking the Change link in the
“Get link” area. Then click the Anyone with the
link drop-down, select Restricted, and click Done.

Status of your shared documents

On your Google Drive or Google Docs home screen,
your documents that are being shared with others
are marked by an icon of two silhouetted heads. (If
you have the home screen of Google Drive set to
“Grid view,” this icon won’t appear with the
thumbnail or filename of a shared document.)
THE SHARED DOCUMENT ICON IN THE LISTING ON THE
GOOGLE DOCS HOME PAGE.

IDG

Collaborate on your
document
The people you’ve shared your document with can
collaborate with you on it if they’ve been designated
as an Editor or Commenter. See “How to collaborate
on a document” from our Google Drive collaboration
guide for step-by-step instructions on how to add
and review comments, edit a document, and
collaborate on a document in real time.

One thing that can’t be stressed enough is how

helpful it is if you and your collaborators use
Suggesting mode. (Commenters will automatically
be in Suggesting mode when they open the
document, but Editors need to turn it on by clicking
the pencil icon in the upper right and
selecting Suggesting.) If multiple people make
changes to your document in Editing mode, it can
become difficult to keep track of who did what.
Under Suggesting mode, though, each
collaborator’s text additions appear in a different
color. If they add an image, the border of that image
will be the same color as their text color. Anything
they delete will have a strikethrough in their
assigned color.
SUGGESTING MODE MAKES IT EASY TO SEE WHO MADE
EACH CHANGE TO A SHARED DOCUMENT. (CLICK IMAGE TO
ENLARGE IT.)

IDG

Note cards will appear to the right of your document;

each shows a suggested change made to your
document (and by whom and when the change
happened). To accept the suggestion on a card,
click the checkmark; to reject it, click the X.

To view your document with or without all the edits

suggested by your collaborators, click Tools >
Review suggested edits from the top menu. A box
will open at the upper-right corner. To view your
document with the suggested edits merged in, click
the Show suggested edits drop-down and
select Preview “Accept all.” To view without the
suggested edits, select Preview “Reject all.”

REVIEWING SUGGESTED CHANGES.

IDG
If you want to accept or reject all suggestions at
once without going through them one by one, you
can click the Accept All or Reject All buttons on this
pane.

Whenever your document gets a suggested edit by

a collaborator, an updated tally appears next to its
filename, or on the upper-right of its thumbnail, on
your Google Docs or Google Drive home page.

Recover older versions of

a document
Mistakes happen, and you may want to undo
changes you or others have made to a document.
To look up older versions of an open document,
click File > Version history > See version history. A
panel opens on the right that shows a list of older
versions of your document, organized by date and
time. To see what an earlier version of the doc looks
like, click its date or version name in the list. That
version will appear in the main window.

VIEWING AN EARLIER VERSION OF A DOCUMENT. (CLICK

IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT.)

IDG
If you want to use this older version to replace the
current version of your document, click the
blue Restore this version button at the upper-left of
the screen. This restored version will then appear at
the top of the version history list.

If you want to give an older version a unique name,

click its date. You’ll be prompted to type in words to
replace the date. The version’s date and time will
then appear in smaller type underneath its new
name.

Download and export your

document to Word or PDF
You can download a document and convert it to
PDF, .docx (if it’s not already a Word document), or
another text format such as Plain Text (.txt) or
OpenDocument Format (.odt). With the document
open, select File > Download from the top menu and
choose a file format. The document will be saved to
your PC’s storage drive in that format.

DOWNLOADING AND CONVERTING A DOCUMENT TO WORD

FORMAT.

IDG

Alternatively, you can select File > Email and then

pick either Email this file or Email collaborators. This
will open a panel that lets you email your document
as an attachment. PDF is the default, but you can
click the PDF drop-down and choose Word or
another format.

3 tips for working with

Google Docs
Now that you’ve got the basics down, try these
intermediate tips.

Use the Google Docs mobile apps

The Docs mobile apps for Android, iOS,
and iPadOS have a simplified interface to
accommodate small touchscreens. Except for
Version history and the ability to upload documents,
the same features described in this guide are in the
mobile apps.

For example, through the Docs mobile apps, you

can share documents (see “How to use Google
Drive for collaboration” for instructions) and work on
them with other people, which includes doing so
under Suggesting mode.

Toolbars along the top and bottom of the app let you
take actions such as formatting text and inserting
images or tables. Clicking the three-dot icon at the
far right of the top toolbar opens more options
including turning on Suggesting mode, running spell
check, and sharing your document.
USING THE GOOGLE DOCS ANDROID APP. (CLICK IMAGE TO
ENLARGE IT.)

IDG

It can be tedious to work on a document on a small

phone screen, but the Docs mobile app is handy for
making quick edits or keeping up to date on
changes to your document made by other people.
Any changes you make to a document through the
mobile app are automatically saved to your Google
Drive. They will show up the next time you open the
document from the Google Docs or Google Drive
home page in your computer’s web browser.

Get suggested content for your

document with the Explore tool
On the lower-right corner of your Docs window is the
Explore icon. Click it and the Explore panel opens
on the right. This tool suggests topics or research
relevant to the content of your document.

Click a topic and you get search results pulled from

the web, images from Google Images, and any files
in your Google Drive that might have related
content. If Explore doesn’t offer any suggestions or
you want to search for a different topic, you can use
the search box near the top of the Explore pane to
search the web and Google Drive for a topic you
choose.
THE EXPLORE TOOL SHOWS SEARCH RESULTS AND IMAGES
RELATED TO YOUR DOCUMENT.

IDG

To use a web result as a citation for your document,

hover over it in the results pane and click the
quotation mark icon (“Cite as footnote”) that
appears. A footnote will be added linking to the
source. Similarly, if you hover over an image
thumbnail, a plus sign will appear over it. Click the
plus sign to insert the image directly into the
document, or click the thumbnail itself to see a
larger version of the image and decide whether you
want to use it.

Use keyboard shortcuts

Save time in Google Docs by using keyboard
shortcuts to execute tasks. Below are some of the
most useful shortcuts. For more, select Help >
Keyboard shortcuts from the top menu in Google
Docs or see Google’s extensive list of keyboard
shortcuts for Google Docs.

Handy Google Docs keyboard shortcuts

CHROME OS
MACOS
ACTION AND WINDOWS
SHORTCUT
SHORTCUT

BASICS

Copy Ctrl-C -C

Cut Ctrl-X -X

Paste Ctrl-V -V

Undo Ctrl-Z -Z

Redo Ctrl-Y -Y

Insert or edit link Ctrl-K -K

Option-
Open link Alt-Enter
Enter

Find Ctrl-F -F

Find and replace Ctrl-H -Shift-H

Select all Ctrl-A -A

Insert comment Ctrl-Alt-M -Option-M

Check spelling and

Ctrl-Alt-X -Option-X
grammar

Open dictionary Ctrl-Shift-Y -Shift-Y

Print Ctrl-P -P
CHROME OS
MACOS
ACTION AND WINDOWS
SHORTCUT
SHORTCUT

TEXT AND
PARAGRAPH
FORMATTING

Bold Ctrl-B -B

Italicize Ctrl-I -I

Underline Ctrl-U -U

Numbered list Ctrl-Shift-7 -Shift-7

Bulleted list Ctrl-Shift-8 -Shift-8

Align text left Ctrl-Shift-L -Shift-L

Align text right Ctrl-Shift-R -Shift-R

Copy text formatting Ctrl-Alt-C -Option-C

Paste text formatting Ctrl-Alt-V -Option-V

Source: Google

This article was originally published in May 2019

and updated in August 2021.

Read this next: 6 fast fixes for common Google

Docs problems
by Howard Wen
Contributing Writer

Howard Wen (www.howardwen.com) is a longtime contributor

to Computerworld. He specializes in explainer guides, how-tos, and
reviews of office applications and productivity tools.

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