Google Docs can be used to create a word document. Google has made it possible for people to create and edit text documents. This is by making use of the free Google Docs application. The document you create is compatible with Microsoft Office and Open Office programs.
You can also open an existing Word document using the Google Document viewer option. For instance, if you receive an attached word document on your Gmail account, you can simply click on the view option instead of downloading it. You will be able to view your document even if you do not have Microsoft Word installed on your computer.
What You Can Achieve With Google Docs
- With Google Docs you do not have to carry your work using a flash drive. You can access your work from anywhere in the world.
- You will be able to collaborate and share your work easily. When collaborating, you will be able to see the changes the others make in real-time.
How to Create a Word Document Using Google Docs
This is the process you should follow to create a Word Document using Google Doc from scratch.
The first thing you need to do is to log into your Gmail Account. Locate and click on the Google Apps (6 dots on the right-hand side corner). Scroll and locate the ‘docs option’ and click on it. Click on the ‘Create Document’ option for a new file or else click on any template you wish to use. A new untitled document tab opens on your window. Looking at the working area, you will realize that it is very similar to that of Microsoft Word or any other text editor.
To give your file a name, click on the untitled document area, type the file name you want. You can now start typing your word document. To work offline, connect Google Drive to your desktop or have it installed on any other device that you are using.
Google Docs Menu Bar
The File menu has got the following important tools:
- Share – the share button allows you to share your file with other people.
- New – the new command is used to help you create a new document without going back to the Google Drive. The different types of documents you can create are Document, Spreadsheet, Presentation, Form, Drawing or from the template where you will be taken to Google Docs Templates. There are hundreds of different types of useful templates available.
- Open – use this command to open an existing document. You can open a file from your drive or upload from your computer or any other source.
- Rename – use this option to change the name of your file.
- Make a copy – use this option to make a copy of your work.
- Language – use this option to set the language you want to use for your document.
More Tools on the Menu Bar
- Download as – this is a tool you will cherish. You can download your file as Microsoft Word (.docx), Open Document Format (.odt), Rich Text Format (.rtf), PDF Document (.pdf), Plain Text (.txt), Web Page (.html, zipped).
- Publish to the web – use this option to publish your document to the web.
- Email collaborators – use this tool to share a link with only those you want to access the document. The link can be shared via Google mail, Google Plus, Facebook, or Twitter.
- Email as an attachment – use this option to email the document you have created as a normal attachment.
- Page setup – this option will help you to set the orientation, paper size, page colour, and margins for your document.
- Print – use this option to print out your document.
Edit Menu of Google Docs
Use the edit menu to accomplish a number of tasks, there are a number of useful tools such as undo, redo, cut, copy, paste, web clipboard, select all, and find and replace.
View Menu
The view menu has got useful tools such as print layout, show ruler, show equation toolbar, show spelling suggestions, compact controls, and full screen.
Insert Menu
The insert menu has commands for inserting objects such as image, link, equation, drawing, table, comment, footnote, special characters, horizontal line, page number, page count, page break, header, footer, bookmark, and table of contents.
Format Menu of Google Docs
Make use of the format menu to help you format your document. The commands you will find are bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, superscript, subscript, paragraph styles, align, line spacing, bulleted list, numbered list, list options, and clear formatting.
Tools Menu
The tools menu carries a number of important commands that will help you achieve specific objectives on your document. These are the commands that you will work with; spelling, research, define, word count, translate document, script manager, script editor, and preferences.
Table Menu
The table menu commands will be useful when you are working with tables on your document. With the table command, you will be able to insert a table to your document. You will also be able to make other modifications to your tables such as adding rows and columns, deleting rows, columns, or even the entire table.
Help Menu
The help menu is your online teacher. It provides you with Google docs help, user forum, Google+ community, report an issue, report abuse, and keyboard shortcuts.
Conclusion on Google Docs
What you will find is that it is much easier to create and work with the Google Docs. Those who have a bit of knowledge of Microsoft Office Word will find it much easier to work with Google Docs. You can get more tutorials here on how to work with MS Word.
