Quick Tip: Google Docs Updates

Google has been releasing a lot of small updates lately, so keep your eyes open!

Just three sneak peeks of what is coming in the next couple of weeks:

  • In Google Docs, text formatting options will be moved from the Format submenu to a new “Text” submenu.
  • In Google Docs, text color and highlight color will be split into separate controls (buttons) for each one.
  • And…. (here’s a biggie)…. Soon we’ll be able to comment on Word docs, PDFs, and images while in preview mode (without having to convert the Word docs to Google Docs). You might already see this in your personal Google account, and it should be rolling out to EDU accounts soon!

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How To Force A Copy on Google Docs, Slides, Sheets and Drawings

Sometimes, you may just want to quickly share a file with the class (maybe a template or a chart?) and make sure each student has their own copy.  So you send out the link and ask the students to go to File –> Make a Copy, but inevitably there’s always a few who miss that step and then suddenly you have several students editing the original file!

You can prevent all of that with this easy trick to force all users to make a copy of the Google Doc, Slide, Sheet, or Drawing before they access it (and it will automatically be saved to their Drive!). These directions will show you how to do that in just 6 steps~

How To Force a Copy in Google Docs, Slides, Sheets or Drawings

You could also do this by creating an assignment through Google Classroom (and make a copy for each student), but this tip is perfect for those time that you don’t want to go through Google Classroom and you just need a quick way to get the job done!

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