SECRETS OF THE GOOGLE OFFICE APPS
PC Pro|December 2022
GOOGLE'S ONLINE WORD PROCESSOR AND SPREADSHEET ARE MORE POWERFUL THAN YOU MAY REALISE; NIK RAWLINSON EXPLORES THEIR HIDDEN FEATURES
SECRETS OF THE GOOGLE OFFICE APPS

Part of what’s great about Google Docs is its familiarity. It looks and feels so similar to Microsoft Office, LibreOffice and other offline word processors that you can jump in and start working with very little culture shock. Similarly, Google Sheets looks enough like Excel that you can skip over any sort of training and start being productive right away.

However, if you think of Google’s apps merely as free alternatives to the traditional desktop office suite, you’ll miss out on some unique features, many of which take advantage of the online model. Here are some of our favourite features and tricks that will help you get the best from Google Docs and Sheets.

PAGELESS VIEW

When word processors first became mainstream in the 1980s, it was a fair assumption that most things you typed would end up being printed out for sharing and consumption. That’s certainly not true any more – so there’s no need for many documents to be divided into pages.

To remove the virtual page breaks, open the File menu, click Page setup and switch to Pageless mode. Your page breaks will disappear, as will the page edges, giving your text room to breathe at the centre of the screen. You can also change the background colour to something other than white if you find that too glaring, or if you’re working at night and want to reduce your blue light exposure.

TALK, DON’T TYPE

Google Docs has a built-in voice-to-text processor, allowing you to dictate your documents as if you were talking to a virtual secretary. However, it only works if you’re using Docs through Chrome, not any other browser, even if that browser is Chromium-based. You can activate it by pressing Ctrl+Shift+S, or by picking it from the Tools menu.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 2022 من PC Pro.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 2022 من PC Pro.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من PC PRO مشاهدة الكل
Apple's big blues
PC Pro

Apple's big blues

Apple once joined forces with IBM to create a new operating system that could easily have destroyed the Mac. David Crookes explains what happened

time-read
8 mins  |
February 2025
Printers for PROS
PC Pro

Printers for PROS

We put 14 inkjet and laser printers through their paces in our exhaustive tests for quality and speed so that you can buy with confidence

time-read
1 min  |
February 2025
Raspberry Pi 500
PC Pro

Raspberry Pi 500

A brilliant update to the Pi 400, this \"all in one\" keyboard computer makes the most of the Raspberry Pi 5's power

time-read
6 mins  |
February 2025
Dell XPS 13 (Core Ultra 200V)
PC Pro

Dell XPS 13 (Core Ultra 200V)

Intel's second-generation Core Ultra 200V chips prove an excellent fit for the ultra-compact XPS 13

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2025
AI agents: putting AI to work
PC Pro

AI agents: putting AI to work

This year is set to be all about Al agents. Nicole Kobie reveals what this means and whether the backlash is beginning before Al agents are even here

time-read
8 mins  |
February 2025
HP OmniBook Ultra Flip
PC Pro

HP OmniBook Ultra Flip

A stylish 2-in-1 packed with the latest technology, and the local AI tool shows signs of promise, too

time-read
8 mins  |
February 2025
EMULATION MAKING WINDOWS ON ARM GREAT AGAIN
PC Pro

EMULATION MAKING WINDOWS ON ARM GREAT AGAIN

HOW DO THE LATEST LAPTOPS AND MACS RUN INTEL SOFTWARE ON THEIR ARM PROCESSORS? DARIEN GRAHAM-SMITH EXPLORES THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF EMULATION

time-read
10 mins  |
February 2025
DAVINCI RESOLVE
PC Pro

DAVINCI RESOLVE

Edit and render videos like a pro. Nik Rawlinson shows you how to hit the ground running in the powerful free editing suite

time-read
8 mins  |
February 2025
WINDOWS in 2025
PC Pro

WINDOWS in 2025

With the new year bringing the curtain down on the most used version of Windows, Barry Collins explores where consumers and businesses should head next

time-read
10+ mins  |
February 2025
4 surprising things we learned from IBM Research
PC Pro

4 surprising things we learned from IBM Research

While AI and quantum computing were the two big themes at this year's IBM Research Europe media event, Tim Danton reveals there was also one surprise lurking in the lab

time-read
5 mins  |
February 2025