14 DAY TRIAL // Google has just rolled out a really cool feature for its document creating suite, making sure that Docs, Sheets and Slides work with any file, anywhere, even when they’re Microsoft docs.
The top new ability allows people to edit Office files, make Suggested Edits and even to convert tracked changes to Suggested Edits.
“Technology is changing the way people work, but all that change can cause friction when employees are using different software. That’s why we made it possible to edit Office files directly in Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, so you can open and edit those documents in their native format using Office Compatibility Mode. No need to buy additional software or think about how to open your file,” Google notes.
As you may have noticed, the company is putting an emphasis on the fact that now, thanks to Google Docs, you might not actually have to buy Microsoft Office after all. This will not only save you plenty of money, but it will also take you one step closer to being completely engulfed in the Google universe.
Even so, we can’t deny that the feature serves a great purpose – that of making it easier to work on Microsoft Office Docs within Google’s own service, since the compatibility levels have been hiked to such levels.
The suggested edits enable people to make real-time edits on shared documents that much easier. This saves a lot of time otherwise spent on sending multiple version of the same document back and forth between two individuals.
“But sometimes you want to control specific changes someone else makes in a document. Suggest Edits in Docts lets you do just that: your team can make suggestions that can accept or reject with a single click. This feature is available for anyone with commenting access in Google Docs on the web,” the company points out.
Similarly, tracked changes made to a file can be converted to Suggest Edits. While users no longer have to convert Microsoft Word files to Docs thanks to the Quickoffice integration the company deployed recently, tracked changes in a .docx file will now automatically be transferred to Docs as Suggested Edits.
When the alterations are imported, you can start working on them just like you would on any other document.
The new features seek to make Google Docs even more relevant, but also serve as a bridge between Google and Microsoft, whose office tools are fighting for the top position. While Microsoft is still leading this battle, the fact that Google Docs is all in the cloud does give the Mountain View company an edge.