Google Docs is an online word processor that allows you to create and format documents, as well as work and collaborate with other people. Right now, you can already do many things with Google Docs, such as creating and editing documents, collaborating in real-time with others, commenting and suggesting edits, and offline editing.
But on Tuesday, Google announced it is introducing new features and updates in Google Docs to bring in improved efficiency and document management capabilities. Here’s the news.
Custom building blocks
The first are custom building blocks. This feature allows users to save and reuse blocks of texts, tables, and chips. Also, with this functionality, they can create updates for product launches or project kickoffs, or perhaps commonly used snippets of code or text within their teams.
“Today, we’re introducing custom building blocks in Google Docs, one of the latest innovations in smart canvas that brings people and data into a single workflow to save time and keep you focused,” Google said on its official blog.
Instead of wasting time changing existing building blocks or searching for frequently used templates, users can now be able to save their snippets or entire documents as custom building blocks, making adding saved content to other documents more straightforward and faster.
To use this feature, simply choose the desired content within a document, right-click, then select “Save as custom building block.” You can then name this block and save it for future use.
Note that all custom building blocks are stored in separate documents in a dedicated folder, the “Custom Building Blocks (auto-generated),” in Google Drive. Depending on your need, you can reorganize, edit, or delete these documents.
The custom building blocks feature is available to users with Google Workspace Business Standard, Enterprise Standard, Business Plus, Education Plus, and Enterprise Plus plans, and Nonprofits.
However, this feature won’t be accessible for users of Google Workspace Essentials, Enterprise Essentials, Business Starter, Education Standard, Education Fundamentals, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Frontline, and legacy G Suite Basic and Business accounts.
In addition, personal Google Accounts also won’t have access to this functionality.
Minimize, expand sections
Another feature on Google Docs was also recently rolled out, which is about minimizing and expanding sections within documents.
“We’re introducing a new feature that helps you minimize and expand sections within Google Docs. This collapsible headings function makes it easier to consume content by enabling you to hide portions of larger documents more easily,” Google said in a separate blog post.
This feature can enhance content consumption by enabling users to hide parts of larger documents for better focus. However, note that any expand or collapse changes made with view and comment access won’t be saved when the document is closed.
These new features can work seamlessly on various phones and laptops.
