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About this lesson

How to create a new Google Doc and introduction to ‘file, edit, view’ options.

Exercise files

The exercises below will open in a new tab. When signed in to your Google account, go to File --> Make a copy to get an editable copy of the file.

Google Docs Basic Controls
Link Google Docs Basic Controls Solution
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Quick reference

Creating a new Doc, and basic controls

Google Docs is a simple online text editor. It has a collection of default templates that can be used to create a new document, and there are several options for changing the document layout.

When to use

When you want to create a new document, but you want an example format to follow instead of starting from scratch, and you want to change the way your document looks on the screen.

Instructions

Creating a document with a template

  • Create a new Doc
  • Click the blue lines in the top left corner to open “Docs Home”
  • Click “more” in the dark area at the top of the screen
  • Scroll down to see all the templates and click on the template you want to use

“File” options

  • Share - Share the document
  • New - Create a new file
  • Open - Open a file from Google Drive
  • Rename - Rename the file name
  • Make a copy - Make a copy of the file
  • Move to - Move the file to a different folder
  • Move to trash - Remove the file from Drive
  • See revision history - See all changes made to the document over time
  • Language - Change the language used by the spell check
  • Download as - Download the document as various file types
  • Publish to the web - Make the document available to view publicly online
  • Email collaborators - Email the people the document has been shared with
  • Email as attachment - Send the document as an attachment to an email
  • Document details - See where a document is located in Drive, who created the document, when, and when it was last edited
  • Page setup - Change the orientation of the document, margins, paper size, and background colors
  • Print - Print the document

NOTE: All options in “Page setup” change how the document is printed except for “Background color”. The background color doesn’t print.

“Edit” options

  • Undo - Undo the last action
  • Redo - Undo an undo
  • Cut - Cut text
  • Copy - Copy text
  • Paste - Paste text
  • Paste without formatting - Paste text, but without it’s formatting (bold, size, font, etc.)
  • Web clipboard - Copy multiple things in different formats and paste them in different apps on different computers
  • Select all - Select everything in the document
  • Select none - Stop selecting everything in the document
  • Find and Replace - Find text and replace it with different text

“View” options

  • Print layout - Display page breaks
  • Mode - Options for editing a document with other people
  • Show ruler - Display the ruler at the top of the page
  • Show equation toolbar - Display the toolbar that lets you write mathematical formulas
  • Show spelling suggestions - Display red lines under misspelled words
  • Compact controls - Display fewer options on the toolbar
  • Full screen - Hide all toolbar controls

NOTE: Press “ESC” to turn off full screen

  • 00:04 Let's take a look at how we can use Google Drive on our iOS device.
  • 00:08 To start, open up the App Store and type in Google.
  • 00:13 Google Drive should be one of the first selections in your results.
  • 00:16 We can install it, and
  • 00:18 you'll notice that Google Drive actually consists of multiple applications.
  • 00:22 So I would encourage you to install Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
  • 00:26 Now we have access to edit all of those applications directly on our iPhone or
  • 00:32 iPad.
  • 00:33 Once we launch Google Drive, we can sign in
  • 00:36 using the same Google account that we used for our desktop version.
  • 00:41 Once signed in we can see the same files that we've seen before
  • 00:45 in our desktop version of Drive.
  • 00:47 To create a new file select the plus button in the bottom right-hand corner
  • 00:51 of the screen.
  • 00:53 If you would like to open an existing file, simply select and
  • 00:57 hold it from the menu.
  • 00:59 This will open up that document and
  • 01:01 you will immediately have the opportunity to edit and make changes to that file.
  • 01:06 If you would like to make changes such as changing who can collaborate on
  • 01:10 a particular file, select the three dots on the right.
  • 01:14 Here we can add people and change their access level and notification level,
  • 01:19 very much like how we have seen before on the desktop version of Google Drive.
  • 01:25 If you would like to make changes to more than one file at a time, simply select and
  • 01:30 hold an individual file, and then do the same for
  • 01:33 the others which you would like to change.
  • 01:35 And you will see it indicated by the check marks here.
  • 01:40 By selecting the three lines in the top left hand corner,
  • 01:42 we have some further account options.
  • 01:45 For example,
  • 01:46 you may notice that I've selected this file to be available offline.
  • 01:50 Going back to my account options, I can select Offline and
  • 01:54 view all of the files that are available to me in that offline mode.
  • 01:58 I can also manage my accounts from this menu.
  • 02:02 I can chose to Add further accounts or
  • 02:04 perhaps Remove certain accounts if desired.
  • 02:09 Now remember the three dots that are available on the right side of
  • 02:12 any file will give you multiple options including those to copy, rename or
  • 02:17 remove a particular file.
  • 02:20 So I would encourage you to get familiar with the iOS version of Google Drive.
  • 02:26 Whether you use an iPad or a iPhone, it can be helpful to access all of your
  • 02:31 applications when you're on the go or when you're away from your desktop computer.

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