Google Docs

You can now insert smart chips for AppSheet content in Google Docs These smart chips allow you to access AppSheet data directly into Docs - you’ll be able to view and take action on the data, including triggering automations, without having to leave Docs.

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New buttons will show at the top of your Google Doc that enable you to quickly insert building blocks for different types of content, such as meeting notes, email drafts and more, directly into your document. 

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As well as sharing a link to a document in Google Docs, you can now find the URL of a specific heading in a document. When shared and clicked,  this link will take the viewer to that specific heading in the document.

You can now show line numbers automatically next to each line of a document that is set to show in page mode. Line numbers can be configured for the entire document, page, or specific section, and will print by default. 

To show line numbers in a document, click on the Tools menu, then choose Line numbers and Show line numbers.

Variable chips allow you to predefine and insert placeholders in your document, for common information such as company names or document numbers. If you need to update a value, you can do so throughout the entire document in one step. 

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You can now add emoji smart chips to a document and use them as voting indicators to show responses to different options. 

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You can now drag tables into position in your documents, and wrap text around a table. Quick layouts are provided to easily position your table with a single click.

You can now save any text, tables or other content in your documents into a custom building block that you can insert into any document as required. 

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You can now draft calendar invites in Google Docs, sharing the document with colleagues and collaborating on content. Once the content is complete, you can quickly generate and send the invite directly from the document.

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If your document contains text that is followed by bullets, numbered text or check boxes, you will be able to collapse the introductory text to hide the bullets, or expand it to show them again. This feature will be available on all lists automatically. 

The new timer chp can be added to your Google Docs to count down from any time that you enter. The timer can paused and reset as required.

To make it easier to find commands in Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, a new tool search will be available in the command bar of these apps. This can be used to find a specific tool, and will also show suggested actions while you are creating your document. 

When adding a table of contents to your document, you can now easily switch between the available table of content layouts, and turn on features such as page numbers and leader tabs.  You can also change the indent position for the headings of the table of contents. 

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Additional options are now available in the Table Properties pane, including table alignment and text alignment within a cell. 

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If your organisation has client-side encryption set up in Google Workspace, you can now add encryption to a document or remove encryption by making a copy of the document. 

A new stopwatch smart chip is now available in Google Docs. When a stopwatch chip is inserted, you can start, stop, and reset the timer as needed. 

There is a new-look share button near the top-right corner of the screen, along with the Meet button, comments and last edit button. The activity dashboard can now be viewed via the Tools menu. Comments now show in a different shade to make them easier to view in a document, without disrupting document flow. 

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By default, non-printing characters such as paragraph breaks, tabs and spaces do not show in your document. You can choose to display these characters to help with the layout of your documents e.g. to check areas that look like they have too much space. 

A new smart canvas feature is being introduced that allows you to format and display code in Docs with code blocks. This feature gives you the ability to visualise code with industry standards, making code readable and collaboration much easier. 

If you join a Google Meet meeting from a Google Doc, Sheet or Slide, you can now quickly share the current file with meeting attendees. A link will appear in the meeting chat, and you will be able to choose how meeting attendees will be able to access the file.

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If the spelling of a word is not recognised, the word will be underlined in red in your document, even if there is no suggestion for an alternative word. When you click on the word, it will be labelled as unknown and you will be able to click on the ellipses to ignore the word, or add it to your personal dictionary. 

You can now split a cell in a table into any number of columns or rows in a Google Doc. This can be used to create subheadings by splitting a cell under a main heading, for example. 

You can now add place chips into a document by typing @ followed by the address of the place you wish to enter.

If you use checklists in Google Docs, you can assign any list item to a Google Task. If the task is updated in Tasks, the list in Google Docs will be updated automatically.

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You can now add emojis inline with your document text by typing @ followed by the emoji description e.g. @smile to add a smiling face. 

When you open a Microsoft Office document in Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, you will now see a warning indicator if there are compatibility issues with your file that may be lost if you make changes in Google Workspace. 

In Google Docs, you can now choose to receive email notifications for any changes to specific documents. Notification emails will detail what changes were made, when the changes were made, and who made them. 

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You can now select multiple ranges of text at the same time in a Google document, and perform an action on all selections, including deleting, copying and formatting all selected text. 

To select multiple areas of text using the keyboard:

• Select the first block of text using Shift and the arrow keys as normal

• Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift and the right arrow

• Use the arrow keys as normal to move to the next block of text you wish to select. 

• Press Shift and the arrow keys to select the text. 

• Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 for all text to be selected in the document. 

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The dialog box for sharing docs, sheets and slides has been improved to include all sharing options in a single screen. 

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You can now join a Google Meet call directly from Google Docs, Sheets and Slides. From the Google Meet icon, click on Join the call to quickly join and present a document, spreadsheet, or presentation to all attendees, allowing everyone in the meeting to collaborate while having a conversation.

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You can now set a paragraph so that it always starts on a new page using the Add a page break before option. This is useful for headings in a document that you would always like to appear at the top of the page. 

Note: If you import a Microsoft Word document with the page break before option enabled, this will now be converted correctly in Google Docs. 

You can now request and review formal approvals in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Once requested, approvers can approve, reject, add comments, or edit the document in response,  all without leaving the secure Google Workspace environment. 

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In Google Docs, you can now type @ to view a list of recommended files, people, meetings and other content to add to your document, as well as building blocks such as tables and images. You can also search all available components within this menu. 

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You can now add watermark images behind the text of a Google Doc. This watermark image will repeat behind the text on every page of your document. 

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You can now view embedded Microsoft Office files in your documents when you’re working with Office files in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.. This feature allows you to:  

• View embedded files in preview mode

• Copy an embedded file directly to Drive

• Download an embedded file 

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You can now present content from Google Docs, Sheets and Slides directly into a Google Meet call. If you are not currently in a Google Meet call, you can choose to join a scheduled call or enter the code of the call you wish to join.

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You can add links to people, documents and calendar events to your Google Docs which show as smart chips, providing more information when a user hovers over them in the document. You can also add check lists to your documents, making it easier to track progress on tasks and projects. 

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You can now position an image in front of or behind text in Google Docs. In addition, if you import a Microsoft Word document that contains images in front of or behind text, this formatting will be maintained in Google Docs.

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You can view the edit history of a specific range of content in Google Docs. When you highlight a range, right-click and choose Show Editors, you will see a list of everyone that has changed this range over time, as well as an option to show the full version history of the document.

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Any new comments that have been added to a document since your last view will be flagged with a blue dot - if you hover over the comment, a “New” flag will be displayed. 

You can now filter comments in a document to show only comments assigned to you, only comments that have been resolved, or all comments. 

When you respond to comments in Google docs, or assign a comment to another person, you will see their Out of Office information in the Comment dialog box.

You can mix different page orientations in the same document, if you wish some pages to show in portrait and others to show in landscape.

If you use Google Docs on iOS, you can edit, comment and collaborate on MS Office files using Docs, Sheets and Slides without the need to convert these files to Google format. 

You can now mention a user directly in a Google Doc, rather than just within a comment. 

When another user is mentioned, you can hover over their name for information about them and view suggested actions such as adding them to your Contacts, or sending an email to them. 

If you need to write academic papers in Google Docs, you can now add citations and create a bibliography to list all citations. 

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You can now see where a document is saved when you are working on it. 

If you are working online, you will see that the document is Saved to Drive, but if you are working offline, the status will show as Saved to this device.  

You can quickly make a file available offline by clicking on this status. 

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