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Google Docs Basics
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 Docs Accessing, creating, editing, printing, and sharing

There are several kinds of Google Docs: text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings, and forms. We’ll use a basic text document to show you how to get started with Google Docs. Most of these steps also work for other document types, so learn these tasks and you’re on your way to creating presentations, spreadsheets, forms, and drawings too.

Access your documents

One of the great things about Google Docs is that you can access your documents from any computer, anywhere in the world.

To view a list of documents you own or have access to, or to create a document:

Enter https://docs.google.com/a/your_domain.com in your browser (but be sure to replace your_domain.com with your actual domain name).

When you're using a Google Apps product (e.g. Gmail, Calendar), you'll see other Apps products listed at the top left of the page. Click Documents to access your Docs list.

In your Docs list, you'll see all of the documents, presentations, spreadsheets, forms, and drawings you have access to.

Create a document

From your Docs list, click Create and then select Document.



An untitled document appears in your browser -- now you're ready to edit!

Rename your document

Just click on the title (the title is “Untitled document” when you first create it) to rename the document.

Edit and format your document

There are many ways to edit your document with the edit toolbar.

You could stick to entering plain text, but why? Take advantage of the full range of features in Google Apps Documents to make your documents stand out from the rest.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Insert images

  1. Click Insert > Image.

  1. Choose an image from your computer or from the web (via URL). Once your image is added, you can remove or resize it at any time.


    To remove an image, select it, right-click (or click
    Edit), and choose Cut:



    To resize an image, select it and then pull one selection handle. Use a corner handle to proportionally resize in all dimensions:



    Use a top, bottom, or side handle to resize on only one dimension:

Add a table

Tables are a great way to organize information in your document.

  1. Click Table > Insert table and point at the number of rows and columns you want:


  2. Then format and fill out your table:



    Tip: To add color to cells (like the top row above), select the text in one or more cells, click Table > Table properties, and then set the cell background color.

Add a link

It’s super easy to add links in Google Docs.

  1. Select the text (or an image) where you want the link.


  2. Click the link icon in the toolbar.


  3. Type the URL and click OK. Note that you can even test the link before you add it.

Set margins, page size, orientation, and background color

To set these options, click File > Page setup.

Print
To print your document, click File > Print. A PDF version of your document will appear with these print options:

 

If you need more advanced options, or if system print settings override your Google Docs print settings, click
Print using system dialog.

Share and collaborate

Once you've created your document, share it with others! Collaborators can then edit the same document at the same time -- you'll always have the most up-to-date version at your fingertips.

To get started, click the Share button at the top right of the page to open this dialog:

You then have the following options:

Set the visibility

One way to share your document is to choose who can find and view it. Click the Change link and then choose one of the following visibility settings:

Invite individuals to view or edit

You can also share your document with specific people and determine their level of access.

  1. At the bottom of the Sharing Settings dialog, add people you want to share with and choose their access level:



    Can edit: Collaborators can add and edit content in your document, or add comments.
    Can comment: Collaborators can add comments, but they can’t edit the content.
    Can view: People can view your document, but they can’t edit it or add comments.

  1. Click Share & save.
    You'll see an option to send an email to the people you added that gives them a link to the document. You can use a standard notification or add your own personal message.

See who has access

To see who has access to your document, including their permission levels, click the Share button. Notice you can also change permission levels here. 

Publish as web page

Publish your document as a web page and others can access and view it online. Your document will be assigned a unique address (URL) that you can send to friends and colleagues.

Click File > Publish to the Web.

1/6/2012    DN:GA-GSGD_102.00