When it comes down to it, Google Docs is a very straightforward application.
It gives you a blank white page with a few basic formatting options, and you may go crazy with it.
Yet when you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that Docs has a surprising number of unique capabilities not seen in any other word processor.
Add-ons, which allow developers to create additional features for the Google Doc app, are the source of most of these new functions.
These add-ons may be installed and used by anyone, and they’re a terrific way to increase your productivity.
In this post, we’ll show you how to install Google Docs add-ons and recommend nine of the best.
Installing any add-on is completely free. To use all of an add-functionality, no’s you may have to create a second account or pay a fee.
Installing Google Docs add-ons
The Google Workspace Marketplace allows you to add any third-party applications you like. Find it by clicking on the Add-on button in the top toolbar of a Google Docs, then selecting Get add-ons.
It shows the most popular add-ons first. Google
Open the desired add-on and select Install. Allow the add-on to connect to your Google account and it will install.
The Add-ons menu at the top of any Google document lists all your installed add-ons.
Tip: Add-ons only work with Google Docs online and on desktop. No add-ons for Docs mobile apps.
Writing Habit helps you hit goals
Google Docs does, in fact, include a built-in word count tool. However, it’s a quite basic tool that only tells you how many words you have.
Meanwhile, Writing Habit keeps track of all of this and more. At all times, this add-on will display you how close you are to meeting your daily or weekly word count targets. Even your typing speed will be taken into account when determining how long a project will take to complete.
Writing Habit monitors your progress over a period of time. The Insider’s Jed Grant, Google, and William Antonelli
Writing Habit can keep you up to date on your writing progress.
Easy Accents supports over two dozen languages
Because of this, writing in a foreign language is the most irritating part of the experience.
In order to expedite the procedure, Easy Accents displays a menu on the right side of your screen that includes all potential accented letters. To add a letter to your document, simply click on it. To capitalize a letter, press and hold the shift key while clicking.
Docs Paragraph Translate is quick.
Docs Paragraph Translate makes it easy to incorporate Google Translate directly into your manuscript.
Simply click Translate when you wish to use Docs Paragraph Translate to translate a sentence or paragraph into another language. Then all you have to do is copy and paste the translation into your document.
Choosing a language is easy with the first tab of the add-on, and translating text is simple with the second. Apps William Antonelli/Insider, Google, and the Vietnamese
It’s not perfect, as are all online translators, but it’s better than nothing. For those who need to convert quickly, it’s a godsend.
It turns any document into a Google Form.
You may use Google Forms to construct questionnaires, surveys, and other types of forms. In the event that your quiz was built in Google Docs (either on purpose or by accident), there is a simple way to move it over.
Google Forms can be created via the Automagical Forms add-on by scanning a Google Doc for questions. This tool can also be used to create questions if you don’t like the results it generates automatically.
As a result, Automagical Forms is an invaluable tool for those who conduct testing or surveys on a regular basis.
Math Type lets you type equations
While Google Docs is fantastic for writing plain text documents, it struggles when it comes to dealing with specific symbols, such as those used in arithmetic calculations.
Math Type can help with it. Google Docs has added a new keyboard to Math Type that allows you to type and insert practically any form of math or chemistry equation. You can also write your equation in handwriting mode and have the add-on turn it into text.
There is no limit to the length or complexity of the equations you can create with Math Type, as it will automatically convert them to images.
For mathematicians and data scientists working with Docs, Math Type is a must-have.
If you want to keep using Math Type after the free trial period, you’ll need a membership. Wikileaks, Google, and Insider William Antonelli
Diagrams.net is a free, feature-rich diagramming tool
Many Google Docs add-ons claim to support diagrams, but most charge for it. Diagrams.net provides all functionality without requiring an account.
Diagrams.net launches a new window where you can choose a pre-existing template or start from scratch. Your schematics can be as long as you like, and everything you create will be saved to your Google Drive account.
Beep for Google Docs records quick voice notes
You can use voice typing, but what if you just want to talk about something that’s not directly related to your document? Using Beep for Google Docs, you can record yourself speaking and play it again without having to contribute anything to the page.
A unique URL will be generated for each recording that you can share with others. For as long as you wish, or for as long as a day, you can set the URL to expire.
Rhetoro will read your writing to you
Google Docs allows you to convert speech to text, but it doesn’t allow you to do the same for the other way around. In order to address this need, Rhetoro uses an artificial intelligence (AI) to read aloud anything you highlight.
Not only does it read the material, but it also records the reading as an MP3 file, which you can then download and distribute to others. It’s also possible to alter the AI’s tone of voice and the pace at which it reads, as well.
FAX.PLUS delivers fax machines online
Fax machines are used by fewer and fewer businesses and homes. Having to fax something can be quite inconvenient, and this makes things much more annoying.
To send a fax from any location in the world, you can use the FAX.PLUS add-on, which turns any Google Doc into a fax. Aside from that, it allows you to schedule your fax, send it many times if it fails, and email a PDF copy of your fax to the receiver.
If you want to send more than 10 pages, you’ll have to pay for the add-on.
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