Google Docs, also known as Google Documents in Spain, is the Silicon Valley alternative to Microsoft's Word. In fact, Google's office suite has nothing to envy that of the company led by Satya Nadella, since both offer practically the same possibilities. Do you want to get the most out of Google Docs on your mobile device, tablet or PC? Then you cannot miss these 10 tricks that you must know yes or yes.
Change text format with keyboard commands
Keyboard shortcuts are extremely useful for automating actions without having to use the mouse. Like Word, we can change the text format at will by means of a series of key combinations. Bold, italic, underlined ... We leave you with a small list of shortcuts to customize the text format.
- Bold : Control + B
- Italic : Control + I
- Underline : Control + U
- Strikethrough : Alt + Shift + 5
- Superscript : Control +.
- Subscript : Control +,
- Increase the font size : Control + Shift +>
- Reduce font size : Control + Shift + <
Clear text format copied from the Internet or other document
You have probably ever copied a text from a web page into your document and have noticed that the format is different from the original. To eliminate this text format, we can click on the crossed-out T icon that we can find in the right corner of the upper bar of the application or press the following key command:
- Control + \
- Control + Space
The formatting of the text that we have pasted in the document will be automatically eliminated.
Translate a document with Google without leaving the application
Did you know that you can automatically translate documents through the Google Docs application itself? The process is as simple as clicking on the Tools section on the top bar of the application and then selecting the option to Translate document .
Now we just have to select the translation language and the name of the document. A new document will automatically be generated with the text translated into the language that we have previously defined.
Start numbering on a page other than the cover
If we want to number the pages of our document in Google, it is most likely that the application will start to number from the cover . To start the numbering from the second page we will have to resort yes or yes to the numbering options, which we can access through the Insert menu; specifically in Page Numbers and More Options.
Within this menu we can find different options. To start numbering the pages on the page that precedes the cover, we will have to uncheck the Show on the first page option and set the figure '0' in the Start in box. Unfortunately we cannot start numbering from other pages , that is, the cover will always be taken as a reference point.
Create a table of contents in your document
Despite the fact that Google Documents has a function that allows us to add indexes, the truth is that it is quite limited. To create tables of contents divided by different sections, it is best to resort to Table of contest , a free complement that we can download from the Google store.
- Download Table of contests
Once downloaded, we will only have to select the text that we want to categorize and mark it through the plugin options.
If you are going to do mathematical exercises use this extension
One of the most noted disadvantages of Google Docs is the lack of mathematical characters with which to operate within documents. If we are going to resort to elements such as square roots, integrals, equations or derivatives, we will have to resort yes or yes to a third party complement.
In our experience, the best extension for using math formulas within the Google Docs application is MathType. Its greatest advantage is that it is capable of recognizing handwriting on touch screens , so we can perform operations directly with a stylus if we have a convertible computer or tablet. The extension will automatically transform these characters into text format to copy and paste it at will.
- Download MathType
Recovers a text deleted by mistake
Have you deleted a text within a document by accident and want to recover it? Well, thanks to the version history of Google Docs you can recover any changes that you have made within a certain document. We can use the File and Version History menu to access this history.
The application will automatically show us a series of versions categorized by number of changes. It is enough to access each of these versions to recover the text that we have deleted by mistake.
Add comments and footnotes to your documents
If we are going to correct a document or we simply want to add an annotation at the foot of the page, we can use comments or notes from Google Docs to add small annotations. For these functions, Google has created a series of keyboard shortcuts that we can access comfortably.
- Insert a comment : Control + Alt + M.
- Open a conversation : Control + Alt + Shift + A.
- Go to current comment : Control + Enter.
- Insert a footnote : Control + Alt + F.
- Go to the current footnote : Hold Control + Alt, press E and finally F.
- Go to the next footnote : Hold down Control + Alt, press N and finally F.
- Go to the previous footnote : Hold down Control + Alt, press P and finally F.
Compare documents in Google Docs to see their differences
The latest update to Google Docs has included a comparison function that allows us to automatically compare two documents with each other. Accessing this function is as simple as clicking on the Tools section and then on the Compare documents option .
Once we have selected the document that we want to compare, Google will analyze the text of the two documents to show us a list with all the differences and similarities.