Google Docs gets a bunch of new editing features with the latest update

You can now assign custom names to previous versions of your document and suggest changes even on a mobile device, but how does it fare against Microsoft Office?

Before cloud computing, Microsoft’s Office products were the norm; however, with Google’s introduction of Docs, Slides, and Sheets, the way we create, edit, and share documents has drastically changed. Although Google’s cloud-based productivity services may not be the right option for everyone, the search giant is making them better and richer every day. The latest update not only brings more customization and brand-new templates, but it also brings a bunch of useful editing features:

• Name previous versions of a Doc, Sheet or Slide. You can now assign custom names to previous versions of your document, helping you organize every draft before a document is actually final. You can organize and track your team’s changes in one place under “Version history” (formerly known as “Revision history”) on the web. Select File > Version history > Name current version. For even quicker recall, there’s an option to select “Only show named versions” in Docs, Sheets or Slides.
• Preview “clean versions” of Docs. To see what your Doc looks like without comments or suggested edits. Select Tools > Review suggested edits > Preview accept all OR Preview reject all.
• Accept or reject all edit suggestions at once in your Doc.You don’t have to go through each suggestion one by one. Simply select Tools > Review suggested edits > Accept all OR Reject all.
• Suggest changes in a Doc even on a mobile device. Click the three dots menu in the bottom right of your Doc screen to suggest edits on-the-go. Turn on the “Suggest changes” toggle and start typing in “suggestion mode.”

The new update also brings new templates in Docs and Sheets, with built-in add-ons, which you can check out for yourself here. Google says that it’s worked with “LegalZoom, DocuSign, Lucidchart, PandaDoc, EasyBib and Supermetrics to help you save time and maximize efficiency throughout your team’s workflows.” For G Suite Business and Enterprise customers, Google’s Cloud Search will be integrated right into Docs and Slides via the Explore tab on the right-hand side, meaning you can access information across Google apps without having to leave your document.

Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets have come a long way since their launch, and at least among certain generations and users (i.e. millennials, students, and team-oriented audiences), they have started to replace or at least co-exist with Microsoft Office. Of course, the search giant’s cloud-based products don’t offer the exact same capabilities as Microsoft’s products, but it’s become clear that their purposes and their main audiences differ. In other words, in the realm of cloud-based productivity apps, Google holds the reins, and in the realm of traditional offline productivity services, Microsoft still dominates.

Read Next: How to use Google Drive?

What are your thoughts on these new features? Do you use Google’s cloud-based productivity apps? Let us know by leaving a comment below.