When you create or open a document, it is presented in Editing mode, in which you compose or edit your document normally. You can switch to two other modes:

Suggesting mode: Changes to your document appear as colored “suggestions” that can be accepted or rejected. This mode mostly comes into play when you’re collaborating with others; more on that later in this guide.

Viewing mode: You can’t edit the document, only scroll through and read it. Viewing mode can help you focus on reading through a document without being tempted to stop and edit it. You can also share a document with others in a way that limits them to Viewing mode; we’ll cover that in the sharing section of this guide.

To switch among these modes: Click the Editing mode pencil icon at the far right of the toolbar and make your selection. Alternatively, you can select View > Mode from the top menu bar.

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Along the left is the “Document tabs” side panel. (If you don’t see it, click the Show tabs & outlines button at the top left.) It’s a unique feature that lets you build interactive documents in two ways.

Your document (whether it’s blank or already has content) is listed in this side panel as “Tab 1.” Click Tab 1 and it will expand down to list any headings that are in your document. When you click a heading in this side panel, your view in the main window will jump to that heading in your document.

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To add a heading to your document: On the toolbar above your document, click Normal text and from the drop-down menu, select a heading level (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) and type in your heading.

In the “Document tabs” side panel, you can rename “Tab 1” by clicking the three-dot icon to its right.

You can also add more tabs, where each tab represents a separate section of the document that has its own content and formatting, and switch among them.

For instance, you could have a project management document where one tab shows the project overview and goals, a second tab lists team members and their responsibilities for the project, a third tab is a timeline table, and so on. You could create a separate document for each of those items, but the tabbed setup keeps them more tightly tied together while allowing each section to retain its own unique purpose and formatting.

A document starts with just one tab, called “Tab 1” by default. To add a new tab (“Tab 2”), click the + next to “Document tabs” in the side panel. Your view in the main window switches to a new blank document area that you can put content on.

When you create a new tab, it feels like you’re starting a whole new document, but it’s still part of the same larger document. When you look at the top of the screen, you’ll see that the document title remains the same.

You can click back and forth between these two tabbed sections of the document using the tab links in the “Document tabs” navigation. You can add and navigate to additional tabs the same way.

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You can also add a subtab underneath another tab. In the “Document tabs” side panel, hover your cursor over the tab you want to attach a subtab to, click the three-dot icon that appears to its right, and from the menu that opens, select Add subtab.

You’ll quickly realize as you add tabs and subtabs that using the default names (Tab 1, Tab 2, etc.) isn’t very helpful. To rename any tab to something more meaningful, click its three-dot icon, select Rename, and type in a new name.

You can insert a link in one tab that goes to a heading that’s in another tab in your document. For example, a link in Tab 1 takes you to a specific heading in Tab 3.

To create this type of link: Select a tab in the “Document tabs” side panel. In the main window showing the document, right-click on a heading. From the menu that opens, select Copy heading link.

Now select another tab in the “Document tabs” side panel. In the main window, paste the link somewhere in the document. A long URL appears with a bar next to it that contains the title of your document. Click this bar or press the Tab key on your keyboard to insert the link in your document; it will appear as a capsule with your document’s title in it.

When you (or anyone you’ve shared your document with) click the capsule you inserted, a small bar opens showing the heading. Click it, and the view in the main window will jump to this heading in this other tabbed document.

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Through Google Docs or Google Drive, you can share a document for others to view or edit.

From the Google Docs screen where you’re editing your document: Click the Share button at the upper right. Or, from the Google Drive home screen: Right-click the filename of your document and select Share > Share from the menu that opens. Either way, the Share pane opens.

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Google lets you share your document privately by inviting specific people to access it, or publicly, which means anyone with the link to it can open it. In most cases, business users will want to share their documents privately with specific colleagues. But there may be a few times when you need to share it publicly, such as when you’re seeking public comments on a document.

Note: In managed business environments, your administrators may limit your sharing options. For example, you might not be allowed to share a document link publicly — or even share it privately with people outside your organization.

On the Share pane, type in the names or email addresses of the people you want to collaborate with on the document. The Share pane changes to a new view where you can add more people and change their access permissions for the doc. You can also type in a brief message to them.

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By default, every person you add is given Editor access to your document. You can change this by clicking Editor at the right of the invitees’ names and selecting another option from the dropdown that opens.

• Editor means they can change your document, add comments to it, and reshare it with other people.
• Commenter means they can view your document and add comments to it, but they cannot change it.
• Viewer means they can view your document, but they cannot change it or add comments to it.

Keep in mind that this setting applies to everyone you’re currently inviting to the document.

When you’re done, click Send. Everyone you’ve added will receive an email with a link they can click to access the document.

You can change anyone’s permissions for a document at any time by reopening the Share pane for the document. It will list everyone who has access to the document. Click the dropdown next to their name to change their permission level or remove their access entirely, then click Save.

You can also limit the overall permissions for a document somewhat by clicking the gear icon in the upper right of the Share pane:

• Unchecking the first box prevents others at the Editor level from resharing the document or changing other collaborators’ permission level.
• Unchecking the second box prevents anyone with Viewer or Commenter status from downloading, printing, or copying the document.

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Under a Google Workspace plan, you can also deny access to a person you’ve shared your document with on a specified date.

Click the down arrow to the right of a collaborator’s name and select Add expiration. Then, to the right of “Access expires…,” click the pencil icon and select an expiration date (and time if you want) on the pop-up calendar. It can be within one year of the current date.

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At the bottom of the Share pane is a Copy link button that you can click to copy the link to your document. By default, this link is restricted to those you invite to the document.

To change it to a public link: Click Restricted and select Anyone with the link from the dropdown menu.

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By default, this link has Viewer access assigned to it. To allow anyone with the link to comment on or edit your document: Click the Viewer dropdown to the right and then select Commenter or Editor.

After you’ve made your above selections, click the Copy link button. You can now paste this link to your document into an email, direct message, or document, or post it on a public forum or social media. Remember that anyone who sees and clicks this link will be able to access your document.

To turn off the public link to your document, reopen the Share pane and click Anyone with the link. From the dropdown that opens, select Restricted. Then click the Done button.

On your Google Drive or Google Docs home screen, your documents that are being shared either privately with others or as public links are marked by an icon of two silhouetted heads. (If you have the home screen of Google Drive set to “Grid layout,” this icon won’t appear with the thumbnail or filename of a shared document.)

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Mistakes happen, and you may want to undo changes you or others have made to a document. To look up older versions of an open document, click File > Version history > See version history.

A panel opens on the right that shows a list of older versions of your document, organized by date and time. To see what an earlier version of the doc looks like, click its date or version name in the list. That version will appear in the main window.

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If you want to use this older version to replace the current version of your document, click the blue Restore this version button at the upper-left of the screen. This restored version will then appear at the top of the version history list.

If you want to give an older version a unique name, click its date. You’ll be prompted to type in words to replace the date. The version’s date and time will then appear in smaller type underneath its new name.

You can download a document and convert it to PDF, .docx (if it’s not already a Word document), or another text format such as OpenDocument Format (.odt), Plain Text (.txt) or Rich Text Format (.rtf).

With the document open, select File > Download from the top menu bar and choose a file format. The document will be saved to your PC’s storage drive in that format.

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Alternatively, you can select File > Email and then pick either Email this file or Email collaborators. This action will open a panel that lets you email your document as an attachment. PDF is the default, but you can click the PDF dropdown and choose Word or another format.

A third option under File > Email is Email draft. This inserts the Email draft building block discussed earlier in the story.