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Google Workspace getting big collaboration-friendly updates

Google Workspace getting big collaboration-friendly updates
Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney

  • Updated:

Collaboration has always been one of Google Workspace’s biggest assets. Working on documents and spreadsheets with other people just always felt seamless on Google Docs and Google Sheets, long before Microsoft realized it needed to play catch up. To collaborate, however, you first need to share your documents and Google has been working on an update to its Share document user interface. Let’s take a quick look.

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We reported in May on team-focused features coming to Google Docs with the addition of easy-to-use dropdown chips and a series of table templates. Today’s update builds out Workspace’s team-based offerings further.

Essentially, this update makes it much easier for users to share content with colleagues and external providers as well as set document ownership and contribution parameters. Previously, it was only Google account holders that were prominently displayed in the Share box. Now, however, the change makes it easier to include non-Google account holders in the process as well as making it easier to transfer ownership.

Another collaboration-focused update coming to Google Workspace relates to collaborating with colleagues who use Microsoft Office. It specifically relates to Offline syncing for opened Microsoft Office documents. The Google Workspace Updates post announcing the update had this to say:

“This feature brings the collaboration benefits of Google Workspace to Microsoft Office files. At times when your device is offline, you’re now able to edit, comment, and collaborate on Office files using Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Any changes made to files while offline will then sync to Drive once you are connected again.”

This means that whenever you are working with somebody who prefers to use say Microsoft Word over Google Docs, it won’t be a problem if you ever have to work offline. Google Docs and Microsoft Word will be able to communicate with each other and update each other on the progress you have both made as soon as you get online again.

Two interesting updates for Google Workspace then, with the Microsoft Office collaboration update very interesting indeed. If you would like to learn more about Google Workspace and how to be more productive you should check out this new AI-powered productivity feature that Google has added to Google Docs.

Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney is a news reporter for Softonic, keeping readers up to date on everything affecting their favorite apps and programs. His beat includes social media apps and sites like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat. Patrick also covers antivirus and security issues, web browsers, the full Google suite of apps and programs, and operating systems like Windows, iOS, and Android.

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