There are many types of use that we can give to a PC at the moment, both in professional and leisure settings. However, one of the most popular is related to office automation. To do this, we use various specific programs, such as Google Docs , a proposal in which we will focus on these lines.
And it must be taken into account that one of the types of work that we most commonly carry out on any PC is text editing. Whether for personal use, for education, or for work, this is something on the agenda. So we can draw many programs focused on this, in processing and word processing. There are more complex or simple, paid or free, but as usual, there are the best known.
Launch Google Docs to start working
Perhaps the comparison between Microsoft‘s proposal with Word , and Google’s with Docs, is almost inevitable. They are two large technology companies with a multitude of solutions that cover the needs of millions of users. But if something that clearly differentiates both programs, it is that Word is paid, and Docs is not. It is true that there is a free and online version of the Redmond program , but it is too limited.
In addition we must also know that if we opt for Google’s free word processor, Docs, it works in the cloud. That means that in order to get the most out of the program, we can do it directly from our favorite browser. In this way we will not need to install anything on the PC , since it works completely, online. What this means is that to start working with this program for text editing, the first thing we will do is open the web browser that we usually use.
Two other essential requirements to start working with Docs, is that we have an Internet connection, and we also have to have a Google account . We can create this for free if we don’t have any. And is that to start with the word processor, we will have to enter our account credentials. This includes both the Gmail email address and the corresponding access password . Say that these are data that we will have to enter through the official URL of Google Docs .
Blank document or templates
Once we find the main interface of the program on the screen, we see that we have the possibility of opening a blank document, or using a template. For all those who know us, we will tell you that the templates for office programs such as Docs are very useful, as well as being free in most cases. Here we talk about predesigned documents that Google itself makes available to us.
As you can imagine, these will save us a good amount of time and effort, while obtaining great results in appearance. Thus, depending on the type of document we plan to create, here we find templates of all kinds. Of course, if we opt for any of these, we must know that after opening them, we will have to customize them. Thus, it should be noted that in Google’s word processor, we find templates referring to curricula vitae , professional letters, recipes, files, etc.
Start working on Google Docs
But in the same way, in many cases what we need is to start with a blank document that we are going to fill with text, among other elements. Thus, if we have ever worked with a program of this type, the interface that we are going to find will not be strange to us. Thus, the first thing we see is the usual blank desktop where we can start typing the corresponding texts.
The word processor menus
In turn, at the top of this window, we find the menus that give us access to the editor functions. Say that in addition to the usual File and Edit that we find in most current Windows applications, the View menu will also help us. This focuses on offering us a series of functions that will help us when customizing and adapting the program’s interface. We can activate the margin rule, see the outline of the document at all times, or work in full screen.
On the other hand and to get started with Docs in the best way, we will also find the Format menu very useful. We tell you this because from it we have the possibility of adapting the aspect of the texts that we are developing here. With this we refer to sections such as line spacing, styles , text shape, headers and footers, etc. In addition, additional functions such as the word counter , the spell checker, or the dictionary are also found in the Tools menu.
We will also comment that between the workspace as such, and the different menus of the program that we have told you about, Docs offers us some shortcuts. Specifically, these refer to buttons that give us immediate access to some of the most used functions of the program. Among these we see the use of bold and italics, centered and justified texts , undo, print, change the font type, etc.
Work with multiple additional elements to texts
As usually happens at the moment in most office software, and not only from Google, documents are no longer limited to text or numbers. We tell you this because the same thing happens in Google Docs, a solution focused on working with texts, but that can go much further. This is something that we can verify first hand just by taking a look at the Insert menu of the main interface of the program .
In this way, we will see that in a document that we generate in Google Docs, we in turn have the possibility of enriching it with other objects besides the text. Among these we can highlight the use of images from various sources, tables, drawings , equations, lines, notes or special characters. As you can imagine, this opens up a huge range of possibilities that has little to envy to what Microsoft Word offers us.
In short, we can say that we are dealing with a powerful Google word processor that, although it does not reach the level of Word functions , it will be enough for most. It is true that the proposal of this type of Microsoft is full of functionalities, but many of them are punctual, or null. However, here at Docs, we find the most important thing in this type of work, and without having to pay a single euro .