Guide to Google Docs for Writers
© Jennifer Penkethman, 2025
© Jennifer Penkethman, 2025
3a. Using Google Keep to integrate draft materials
3b. Using Comments to suggest changes to a draft
3c. Using Bookmarks as a way to navigate large files
4a. Using Google Takeout to back up many documents automatically
Google Docs is an ideal tool for writers because of its fast, lightweight, and versatile nature. It can host entire projects containing multiple folders and sub-folders as a component of Google Drive. In addition, Google Docs is easily accessible, as it can be used from any computer with a web browser. A wonderful feature for writers is the auto-save feature, which automatically saves a document any time a change is made. (You can drop the habit of hitting CTRL-S compulsively after every edit!)
Finally, the most convenient benefit, but also the biggest risk for writers protective of their material, is that Google Docs stores your files remotely on your Google Drive, and not on your local computer (unless you download them). This guide covers tools which will ensure that your files are backed up properly, so you won’t lose them.
Using Google Docs requires a Google account, where your Docs will be saved. If you don’t have one yet, go to Google.com and follow the instructions to sign up.
Accessing Google Docs is as simple as opening a web browser and typing docs.google.com into the search bar.
o NOTE: Google Docs is compatible with a variety of browsers, including Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, and Google Chrome. The latter has the most optimized compatibility, but any common browser can work.
The browser will prompt you to choose a Google account, if you have multiple accounts.
You should be on the Google Docs main page, with “Start a New Document” at the top of the page, and a row of options below this.
Click on Blank document, the first option in this row.
The document interface of Google Docs shows the main page in the center, with the editing toolbar above it. The left-side menu is where document navigation can be found, and the right-side menu contains linked Google features such as Maps, Calendar, and Tasks.
There are two particular features in this interface that will be especially useful for writers: Google Keep, for incorporating notes, and Comments, for adding suggestions to the document. Using Google Keep to incorporate Notes while writing drafts, and then adding Comments to the document once it is drafted, allows you to work on three separate stages of the writing process in the same interface, making Google Docs highly versatile in function.
3a. Using Google Keep to Integrate Draft Materials
One feature on the right-side menu that can be quite useful is the “Notes” feature, called Google Keep. Go to the right-side menu and click on the yellow notepad icon that reads “Keep.” A sidebar will open up with your notes saved from your Google account on any device, including your phone. This means you can create notes on your phone or other device, and then access them any time you are in Google Docs, in the same interface. This is an incredibly convenient way to incorporate all your material from various devices and sources.
You can add new notes from this sidebar, as well as edit existing ones. The note text can also be copied and pasted directly into your Google Doc.
NOTE: You can use Google Docs on your phone (the app is installed automatically if you’re using a Google phone) to do all the things you would on a computer, including adding and viewing comments. The benefit of using the Keep app on your phone is that it provides a separate space to jot down thoughts that are not yet attached to any specific project or document, which are collated together and float on the side of your document, to be incorporated however you wish.
3b. Using Comments to Suggest Changes to a Draft
The Comments function of Google Docs is automatically enabled when you load the document. Highlight a word or phrase, and a small menu will pop up to the right of the document. Click on the icon that looks like a speech bubble with a + sign inside it. This will create a new comment attached to whatever text you highlighted.
NOTE: You must be in “Editing” or “Suggesting” mode to add Comments. “Editing” is the default mode of Google Docs. If you switched off editing mode somehow, you can easily return to it by clicking the pencil icon in the right side of the editing menu, above the main screen, and choosing “Editing” or “Suggesting.” Editing mode is best for any document you’re writing which is your own work; Suggesting is best for a document by someone else that you’re suggesting edits for.
Adding Comments to your work allows you to make notes of changes you want to make when revising a draft. When you have made the change, you can remove the Comment by clicking on it and either clicking the checkmark, which means Mark as resolved and hide discussion, or you can click on the three vertical dots and click Delete.
You can also click on the speech bubble icon at the top right of the screen to bring up a side panel showing all Comments for the document.
3c. Using Bookmarks to Navigate Large Documents
One of the biggest advantages of using Google Docs for writing is the Bookmarks feature, which allows quick access to different sections of a large document. To take best advantage of using Google Docs to organize large documents, it is recommended that you use section breaks in conjunction with Bookmarks, to create a clear navigational system.
You can add Bookmarks to a long piece that you’ve already written, or you can add them as you go. Either way, you will use the Insert menu to first insert section breaks at the beginning of each section.
1. First, make section breaks
Click on the spot at the very beginning of the section you want to separate, and then go to Insert in the top menu, and select Break. In the smaller menu that pops up beside this, you can either choose Section break (next page) if you want the section to start on its own page, or Section break (continuous) if you want it to start on the same page as the text above it.
2. Next, place Bookmarks
Once you have section breaks created, you can place a Bookmark at the beginning of each section. Again, go to the beginning of the section and click it. Then, go to Insert, and select Bookmark. A Bookmark will be created where your cursor is.
3. Last, link to Bookmarks
Finally, you need to create a link to each Bookmark in the beginning of your document.
a. Make a Table of Contents at the beginning of your document, in any organizational pattern you like.
b. Highlight a line from the Table of Contents you want to link to a Bookmark, and go to Insert and select Link (Ctrl+K).
c. Conveniently, a menu will pop up here listing matching Bookmarks, as well as recent Docs and webpages. Once you’ve found the Bookmark you want to link to and clicked on it, the highlighted text will become a link to that specific spot in your document.
NOTE: If you don’t see the name of the Bookmark you placed here, type the name of the Bookmark into the search box at the top of the pop-up menu. Alternately, you can click on the link at the bottom of the menu, Headings, bookmarks, and tabs, to display a list of all bookmarks in the document.
No more scrolling through dozens of pages of a long document – now you can click on any link in the Table of Contents to access any Bookmark in the document!
As mentioned above, Google Docs does not save your documents as files on your computer; rather, they are stored as data in the cloud, on a Google server. This can be precarious, as they rely on Google’s servers to exist, and can only be accessed with an internet connection. For a writer’s peace of mind, you will want to back up important documents, which simply means having copies of them in multiple locations.
The easiest way to do this is to download the document onto your computer. Go to File and select Download, and choose a file format you want to save the document as. Downloading a file and saving it to a folder on your computer will ensure that it is not lost in the case of either file being corrupted or deleted.
There are two more options within Google Docs that can make your important Docs more secure:
1. Use Google Docs Offline Extension
a. This option requires using Google Chrome as your browser. You will need to find the Google Docs Offline Chrome extension, by going to the Google Chrome store (https://chromewebstore.google.com/) and searching for it by name. Once you’ve found the page with the extension, click Add extension at the top to add it to Chrome.
b. Then, with your Google Doc open, select File > Make Available Offline in order to make a temporary copy of the file to your computer. You can now access the document when you’re not connected to the internet, and the changes will update automatically as soon as you are connected again.
2. Make Copies of Your Documents on Google Docs
Go to File > Make a Copy to create a copy of the document in the same Google Docs folder. Now this file exists in multiple places on your Google Drive, making it less likely to be lost or accidentally deleted.
4a. Using Google Takeout to Back Up Many Documents Automatically
Google Takeout is a better option if you have many files and don’t want to download each one individually, or if you want to set Google to automatically back up your files at a set date and time. Google Takeout allows you to save content from any feature on your Google account to back it up, including your Google Docs, which are stored in your Google Drive.
Go to https://takeout.google.com and scroll down the (long) list of Google services, to Drive. This is where all your Google Docs are. Check the box to the right of this option to include it in your download.
Some advanced options are listed below the Google Drive title. Click on the third box in these options to make sure all your Google Drive data is included.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click Next step. In the box that opens, there will be options to choose file types, frequency, and destination. Make sure you read each option carefully.
The “Destination” menu here allows you to download the files and receive a link to the download in your email (the Google email associated with the Drive). You can also download them to other services here, like Dropbox or OneDrive. This will make your copies more redundant, but will mean they are still all stored on various cloud services, not on your hard drive.
The second option allows you to download all your Google Drive files once, or alternately, you can automatically back up your Google Drive every two months. This will be handy if you don’t want to have to remember to back up your documents; however, it could result in using up a lot of space on your hard drive (or wherever you save the files).
The third option allows you to choose the file format for these Drive files to be downloaded as, either .zip or .tgz. It’s recommended to use .zip files, as they are compatible on almost any device.
Google will send the backup to whatever option you chose as the Destination. Follow directions in your Google email or OneDrive, Dropbox, or Box accounts to download the data sent to them from Google Drive.
Finally, you have learned how to create multi-stage drafts in Google Docs, and how to back them up in order to ensure you don’t lose them. You’re now ready to start any writing project on Google Docs – happy writing!