Google Docs, Or How To Work With Word, Excel And PowerPoint Documents For Free Without Installing Microsoft Office

2023 Author: Gordon Kinson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 08:36

Previously, Word, and the Microsoft Office suite as a whole, was a household word for all existing word processors with more functionality than a standard notepad. But as the digital industry developed, it became clear that ordinary citizens only use a small fraction of the office suite, which has spawned a host of alternatives, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

This is how Apple's iWork (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) appeared, available completely free at icloud.com, and free OpenOffice and LibreOffice, and highly specialized tools for journalists like Ulysses, Byword, iA Writer, and so on. But for the most part, they have one thing in common - the presence of the application as such. The next stage of development, which we entered a long time ago, was cloud technologies. And in this direction, there is already a well-proven Google Docs service, which we will focus on in this review.

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What is Google Docs?

Google Docs is the same full-fledged office suite as Microsoft Office, Apple iWork and further down the list. It is also based on a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation editor. The main difference is free and lack of software. All work will take place exclusively within the browser. The basis for storing files is Google Drive cloud storage with 15 GB of free disk space provided.

Based on this, there are restrictions on the stored data:

• 1,020,000 characters or 50 MB for text documents;
• 2,000,000 cells - for tables;
• 100 MB (about 400 slides) - for presentations;
• 5 TB - other files.

These volumes are more than enough to meet the needs of an ordinary user and a small corporate segment. Do not forget that when operating with large enough documents, especially with a low speed of the Internet connection, the work will proceed more slowly.

It's completely free to get started with Google Docs.

As you already understand, all data will be stored on the network, which is great, because in this case you will be able to access any documents from anywhere in the world where there is the Internet and any digital device (computer, tablet or smartphone). There is no need to install additional, and in the case of Microsoft Office - paid software. Not everyone can boast of a purchased license, but this is important when working for a company. In case of disconnection, you can continue working, and after the connection is restored, all data on the server will be updated.

Collaborate on Google Docs

There is no need to worry about reliability - each entered character is immediately sent to an online copy of the document, since this is due to the possibility of cooperative editing of one file (for example, in the iWork package, Apple has just introduced this feature, and then it is still at the stage of public beta testing) … All changes are saved in history, and it will always be displayed who and where contributed.

Group editing is great. You can add comments, send recommendations for editing materials (for example, if the boss has forbidden to make changes), and each user is assigned a different color.

As for compatibility, everything is in order. All popular office data formats are supported:

• texts: DOC, ODF, RTF, PDF, HTML and ZIP;
• tables: XLS, CSV, TXT, ODS, PDF and HTML;
• presentations: PPT, PPS, PDF and TXT.

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What files does Google Docs work with?

As for the toolkit, of course it will not be as rich as in the same Redmond office, but there are absolutely all the most important functions that allow you to comfortably create and edit the most complex documents. It is even allowed to put custom fonts, which many are frankly surprised by.

The only thing I would like to mention is Google Forms. Thanks to them, you can easily create a survey form and send it to subscribers or place it on the site. A very simple and useful service which has no analogue in competitive office suites.

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Other Google Docs features

voice input (available only in Google Chrome) - will make life easier for those who like to dictate. Speech recognition, I confess, is at its best

bookmarks - interactive links sending directly to the desired part of the document without having to tediously scroll through the material

AutoCorrect - speeds up the typing process by creating templates for the most used words and expressions in advance

search for the meaning of words - thanks to the "Define" function, you can always see the meaning of a word, and the service will select synonyms in the appendix

Google Docs is a free, self-contained cross-platform online office suite that allows you to feel all the delights of cloud technology with the right amount of comfort. For mobile people, group and remote work, it is almost ideal.

Among other things, the App Store has a handy Google Docs app for iPhone and iPad.

It's completely free to get started with Google Docs.

See also:

• 10 useful functions of Google Docs (Word, Excel in the "cloud") for more efficient work.
• How to transfer Word, Excel, Pages, Numbers documents to iCloud Drive and work with them on Mac, iPhone or iPad.
• OfficeSuite Pro is a Word, Excel document editor for iPhone and iPad.