4 Key Features of Google Docs That Will Make Your Life Easier

 

I've found myself using Google Docs in almost every professional setting for over a decade. There were always a handful of features whose absence stuck out like a sore thumb in an otherwise hyper-flexible text editor. However, little did I realize that Google has been developing many of these promising assistants, one by one, over the past few years. Since finding them, they have made my work life easier.

Pageless formatting, watermarks for documents and the ability to compare long and nearly identical documents? are you kidding me What was I doing without them? Save yourself the headache you've been through, and check out these four must-have features for any long-term Google Docs user.

How to Switch to Pageless Format in Google Docs

For many writers accustomed to the flexible formatting of Microsoft Word, one of the most frustrating things about Google Docs is the inability to quickly transition from page-based formatting to a pageless flow that's online. Better reflects the reality of the publication. As of February 2022, though, Google Docs' pageless formatting feature lets you say goodbye to page breaks and image inserts.

1. In an open Google Doc, select File.
2. Toward the bottom of the menu, select Page Setup.
3. At the top of the new menu which opens, select the Pageless tab.
   

 

How to Watermark Your Google Docs

An important step for anyone distributing documents outside of a known circle of contributors -- and a great way to ensure that your manuscripts are credited after they change hands -- your Documents should be watermarked, especially if you plan to export them as PDF.

1. While in your Google Document, select Insert from the top menu.
2. Closer to the bottom of the menu, click Watermark.
3. A new pane will appear on the right side of your document, where you can now choose what kind of watermark to insert -- whether text you create, or an image you pick.
4. Click Done.
   

How to Compare Two Similar Google Docs to Find Differences

When working with Google Docs, the ultimate frustration can be trying to figure out what a colleague has changed in the latest version of a long piece of writing after handing you another document full of text. But a little-known feature of Google Docs can turn this previously nightmarish process into a three-click solution.

1. In an open Google Document, select Tools from the top menu.
2. From the drop-down menu, click Compare Documents.
3. A new window will open up. From here you can select another document from your drive for comparison with your currently open Google Doc. You can also select an additional box in the window to bring comments over from the document you select.
   

How to Insert Bookmarks in a Long Google Doc

Comparing long documents is a drag, but even worse is trying to remember where you left off reading or editing a long document. While Google Docs' bookmark feature isn't new, it's less well-known and more helpful.

1. While in your open Google Document, click your cursor wherever you'd like to place a bookmark.
2. Select Insert from the top menu.
3. Near the bottom of the drop-down menu, find and select Bookmark.
4. A small bookmark icon will appear on your Google Doc text, where your cursor is. From here, you can click the adjacent copy icon. Now, a URL has been copied to your clipboard that will direct you back to the bookmark, whenever you paste that link in a new tab or window. Handy!