How to Use Google Docs Faster: 10 Practical Tips

TL;DR

Typing @ in Google Docs pulls up most features buried under the Insert, Format, and Tools menus, including bookmarks, tables of contents, pre-formatted tables like product roadmaps, horizontal lines, and email drafts. Pageless mode unlocks collapsible headings and unrestricted table widths. Saving custom heading fonts as default styles applies them to every new document you create.

Transcript

hey friends in this video I'm going over 10 extremely practical tips you probably aren't using in Google Docs but definitely should starting with tip number one use building blocks to save time if you're currently digging around the menu bar to access features like insert bookmark you should know there's a much better way simply place your cursor a... Read More

Key Insights

• The @ command is the fastest route to most Google Docs features, since many items under the Insert, Format, and Tools tabs can be triggered by typing @ followed by the feature name and pressing Enter, instead of navigating the menu bar.
• A table of contents can be styled beyond the default by inserting a one-cell table, typing the words inside it, increasing the font size, center aligning the text, and changing the cell background color for a more professional look.
• Pre-formatted building blocks such as the product roadmap table remove the need to build tables from scratch, and every element stays editable: font sizes, column labels, and even the drop-down option sets can be replaced with custom selections.
• Pageless mode, found under Format, removes page boundaries so tables can be dragged wider than a page allows, and View then Text width set to wide or full lets a document use the full extra horizontal space.
• Collapsible heading toggles only work in pageless mode, and headings can be created quickly by typing pound symbols followed by a space, where five pound signs plus a space produces heading five.
• Default fonts are saved by formatting sample headings, choosing update heading to match from the style drop-down for each level, then selecting Options and save as my default styles, which applies to every newly created document.
• Existing documents can adopt saved defaults by selecting all text, opening the style drop-down, going to Options, and choosing use my default styles, which converts the older fonts in one pass.
• Right-clicking a heading gives copy heading link, and the three dots on a comment give a link to that comment, so a request sent by email can point a colleague straight to the exact section needing input.

Questions & Answers

Q: How do you use the @ command in Google Docs?

Place the cursor at the beginning or end of a line of text, press the at symbol, type the name of the feature you want, and press Enter. For example, typing @ then bookmark inserts a bookmark directly. The rule of thumb is that many of the features found under the Insert, Format, and Tools tabs are available through the at command, so it replaces most menu bar navigation. Common uses include table of contents, product roadmap tables, horizontal lines, and email drafts.

Q: How do you insert a table of contents in Google Docs?

Type the at symbol, then table of contents, and press Enter, then select the option with the dotted tab header. For a more polished look, you can also insert a table and select just one cell, type the words table of contents inside it, make the font size slightly bigger, set the text to middle align, and change the background color to something more professional looking. This gives the table of contents a styled header block rather than plain text.

Q: What is pageless mode in Google Docs and what does it unlock?

Pageless mode is a setting found under Format that removes all the page divisions from a document. Without the page width constraint, table cells can be dragged out as far as you want, and going to View then Text width and selecting wide or full lets the document take advantage of all the extra horizontal space. It is described as most helpful during brainstorming. Pageless mode is also the only mode where collapsible heading toggles are available, and comments can be minimized there too.

Q: How do you collapse headings in Google Docs?

Heading toggles work only in pageless mode. Once pageless is enabled, an arrow appears to the left of each heading that lets you collapse and expand that section. Normal text has no toggle option. Headings can be created quickly with pound symbols: typing two pound signs and a space creates heading two, and typing five pound signs and a space creates heading five. Any of these heading levels can then be collapsed to hide the normal text beneath them.

Q: How do you set default fonts for new Google Docs?

Open a new document at doc.new, then create or paste in headings formatted the way you want. Highlight your heading 2 text, open the style drop-down menu, hover over heading 2, and choose update heading 2 to match. Repeat for headings 3, 4, and 5, and for normal text. Finally, without highlighting anything, go back to the drop-down menu, open Options, and choose save as my default styles. New Google Docs will then use those settings.

Q: How do you apply your saved default styles to an existing Google Doc?

After you have updated and saved your default styles, open the existing document that is still using the previous fonts. Press Command A on a Mac or Control A on Windows to select all the text, open the style drop-down menu, go to Options, and choose use my default styles. This updates all the fonts in that document at once, so older files can be brought in line with your new heading and normal text settings without reformatting each section manually.

Q: How do you preview suggested edits before accepting them in Google Docs?

Enable suggesting mode by clicking the option in the top right of the document so you or others can make suggestions instead of direct edits. When there are many suggestions and it is hard to visualize the end result, go to Tools, then Review suggested edits, then select Preview accept all to see how the final version would look. If everything looks good, click the Accept all button. A keyboard shortcut for the Tools menu is Control Option T on a Mac or Alt T on Windows.

Q: How do you email a Google Doc as a PDF without downloading it?

Instead of using File then Download to save a PDF and attach it manually, stay in the File menu and choose Email, then Email this file. You can input recipients and add a message, and a PDF version of the document is sent to them directly. A related option is File, then Email, then Email collaborators, which emails everyone who has access to the document in one go, useful for reminding people to leave feedback without tagging them or entering addresses individually.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The video covers ten Google Docs tips, beginning with the @ command, which surfaces features from the Insert, Format, and Tools menus directly in the document. Top use cases include inserting bookmarks, a table of contents with dotted tabs, a pre-formatted product roadmap table, and a horizontal line to mark the end of a section.

• Pageless mode, enabled under Format, removes page constraints so tables can extend as wide as needed, especially combined with View and Text width set to wide or full. It is the only mode where heading toggles let you collapse sections, and comments can be minimized with the right arrow then reopened by hovering over the comment bubble.

• Collaboration tips include copying heading and comment links to point teammates at exact sections, previewing suggested edits through Tools then Review suggested edits then Preview accept all before committing, restoring or naming versions under File then Version history, drafting emails via the email draft building block, emailing a PDF through File then Email this file, and emailing all collaborators at once.