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Google Docs

What is Google Docs?

Google Docs is a convenient cloud-based word processor available on
Google. It lets you edit documents just as you would in Microsoft
Word using your web browser online or offline and the Google Docs
mobile app on your mobile devices.

Why use Google Docs?

With Google Docs, you can create and edit text documents right in
your web browser—no special software is required—making it perfect
for working on your assignments. Even better, multiple people can
work at the same time, you can see people’s changes as they make
them, and every change is automatically saved.

There are a lot of useful features to learn about with Google Docs. The
following topics will be covered:
● The Google Doc Login
○ Includes how to create a document
● What To Know When Starting a New Document in Google Docs
● Formatting TEXT in Google Docs
○ Understanding the Different Formatting Options
○ How to Strikethrough in Google Docs
○ How to Use Superscript and Subscript in Google Docs
● Formatting DOCUMENTS in Google Docs
○ How to Change Margins in Google Docs
○ How to Number Pages in Google Docs
● Other Useful Google Doc Features
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○ Word Count on Google Docs

○ Download a Google Docs Document
○ Find and Replace in Google Docs
● how to save documents
● how to change font, change color, change spacing
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The Google Docs Login

Make sure you are logged into your Google account.

Go to this link (https://docs.google.com/) for the Google Docs page.

Once you’re signed in, you’ll see a Blank document icon at the left
side of the top ribbon. Select this to start creating a new document
from scratch.

There are also useful Google Doc templates that you can use so you
don’t have to start from scratch. Select the Template gallery button in
the upper right corner to see the entire template gallery.

This will take you to the entire library of Google Docs templates
available for you to use. These include resumes, letters, meeting notes,
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newsletters, and legal documents.

Selecting any of these templates will open a new document for you
using that template. This can save a lot of time if you know what you
want to create but aren’t sure how to start.
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What To Know When Starting a New

Document in Google Docs
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Formatting TEXT in Google Docs

Formatting text in Google Docs is as simple as in Microsoft Word.

Unlike Word, the icon ribbon at the top (pictured below) doesn’t
change depending on your selected menu.

There are many different features when it comes to formatting text. In

this section, we will cover the following:
● Understanding the Different Formatting Options
● How to Strikethrough in Google Docs
● How to Use Superscript and Subscript in Google Docs

Understanding the Different Formatting Options

The icon ribbon should look similar to the image below. You may need
to click the three vertical dots on the far right for more options.

This section will cover what the different icons do.

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Search the menus:

Undo:

Redo:

Print:

Spelling and Grammar Check: This feature automatically checks

for spelling and grammar errors in your document.

Paint Format:

Zoom: You can change how you view your document. Zooming in or
out will make your file look bigger or smaller. For example, changing
the zoom to 200% will make the text appear bigger and changing the
zoom to 50% will make the text appear smaller.
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Styles (Header Types):

Font:

Decrease font size:

Font Size:

Increase font size:

Bold:

Italic:
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Underline:

Text color:

Highlight color:

Insert link:

Add comment:

Insert image:
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Align:

Line & paragraph spacing:

Checklist:

Bulleted list:

Numbered list:

Decrease indent:

Increase indent:

Clear formatting:
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Editing mode:

How to Strikethrough in Google Docs

There will be times when you want to draw a line across text. This
could be for any number of reasons. However, you’ll notice that
strikethrough isn’t an option in the icon ribbon. To use a
strikethrough in Google Docs, follow these steps.

Step #1
Highlight the text you want to strikethrough by holding the left button on
your computer mouse and dragging it over the text you want. It should be
highlighted, as seen in the image below.
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Step #2
(1) While the text is still highlighted, Select the Format menu at the top.

(2) Select Text.

(3) Then select Strikethrough.

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Step #3
Now, you’ll notice that the text you’ve highlighted has a line drawn through
it, like in the image below.
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How to Use Superscript and Subscript in Google Docs

You may have noticed in the same menu as strikethrough, there is an
option to format the text as either superscript or subscript. The steps
below are similar to using the strikethrough option.

Let’s say you want to write an exponent, such as x to the power of 2.

First, you will need to type “x2”. Then, highlight the “2” so you can
format it. While 2 is highlighted, select the Format menu, then select
Text, then choose Superscript. The “2” will be formatted as an
exponent (superscript), as seen below.
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Using the same example above, if you want the “2” to be formatted at
the bottom (subscript), highlight it so you can format it. While 2 is
highlighted, select the Format menu, select Text, then choose
Subscript. The “2” will be formatted at the bottom (subscript), as seen
below.
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Formatting DOCUMENTS in Google

Docs

In addition to the ribbon bar options to indent or left/right align blocks

of text and adjust line spacing, there are a few other useful features
available to help you with formatting your documents in Google Docs

There are many different features when it comes to formatting

documents. In this section, we will cover the following:
● How to Change Margins in Google Docs
● How to Number Pages in Google Docs

How to Change Margins in Google Docs

What if you don’t like the margins in the template you chose?
Changing the margins in a document using Google Docs is simple.

To access the page margin settings, select File and then Page setup.
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The Page setup window will pop up. Here, you can change any of the
following formatting options for your document.
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Orientation
● Set the document as Portrait or Landscape
Paper Size
● Letter-sized paper is your standard size
Page Color
● You can change the background color for the page (although we
recommend leaving it as white for class assignments)
Margins (inches)
● You can adjust the top, bottom, left, or right margins in inches.
The default is 1-inch margins all around the document.

Make sure to click OK when you’re done, and the page formatting will
take effect immediately.
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How to Number Pages in Google Docs

If you have typed up an assignment with many pages, adding page
numbers may help keep you organized.

To number your Google Docs pages (and format numbering), select the
Insert menu and select Page numbers. This will show you a small
pop-up window with simple options for formatting your page numbers.

From top to bottom, starting from the left column, the four options are:
1. Numbering on all pages at the upper right
2. Numbering on all pages at the lower right
3. Numbering on the upper right starting at the second page
4. Numbering on the lower right starting at the second page

If you don’t like any of these options, select More options. A small
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window will pop up, letting you position the page numbering exactly
where you want it.

Position of the page numbers:

● Header (at the top of the page)
● Footer (at the bottom of the page)
● Check the box IF you want to start the numbering on the first
page
Numbering:
● Lets you pick which page to start page numbering

Make sure to select Apply when you’re done to apply your page
numbering selections.
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Other Useful Google Doc Features

If you're just getting started, there are a few other important Google
Docs features you should know about. These will help you get more
use out of Google Docs.

In this section, we will cover the following:

● Word Count on Google Docs
● Download a Google Docs Document
● Find and Replace in Google Docs
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Word Count on Google Docs

Do you have a required word count for a class assignment? Or maybe
you’re curious about how many words you’ve written so far. Google Docs
has a feature that allows you to see how many words you’ve written.

To find the word count, select Tools and then select Word count. This will
show you the total pages, word count, character count, and character count
without spacing. If you check the box to Display word count while
typing, and select OK, you’ll see a total word count for your document
updated in real-time at the lower left corner of the screen.

Download a Google Docs Document

Sometimes, your instructor may ask you to submit your assignment as a
Microsoft Word document or a PDF. The good news is that you can
download your Google Docs document in a variety of formats.
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To download your Google Docs document, select File and then Download
to see all formats. You can select any of these to get a copy of your
document as a Word document, a PDF document, plain text, HTML, and
more, although the most common formats you will be asked to submit your
assignments are Microsoft Word and PDF.
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Find and Replace in Google Docs

Let’s say you finished typing up your document, and as you’re reading
through your work to edit it, you realize there are multiple places where
you have used “your” when you meant to use “you’re”.

Instead of fixing them individually, you can use the Google Docs Find and
Replace feature. This feature quickly finds and replaces any word(s) or
phrase(s) in your document with new words or phrases.
To use Find and Replace in Google Docs, select the Edit menu and select
Find and replace. This will open the Find and Replace window.

You can make the search case sensitive by checking the box next to Match
case. Select the Next button to find the next occurrence of your search
word, and select Replace to change the word.

NOTE: If you trust that you won’t make any mistakes, you can select
Replace all to make all your replacements at once.
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Notes
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