When working with a word processing application like Google Docs, it's important to be comfortable with the document interface and to know how perform basic tasks. In this section, you'll get to know the interface and learn how to configure the document page.
If you just want to change one of the last few edits you have made, you can use the "Undo" button just as you would with any other word processing program. Click on the undo arrow from the Google docs toolbar, or click "Edit" and "Undo" to reverse the last few changes you have made.
Before you can move or format text, you'll need to select it. To do this, click and drag your mouse over the text, then release the mouse. A highlighted box will appear over the selected text.
You may find that sometimes it's easier to copy and paste text that repeats often in your document. Other times, there may be text you want to move from one area of the document to another, in which case you'll need to cut and paste or drag and drop the text.
To copy and paste, you can use keyboard shortcuts: PC: Ctrl + x for Cut; Ctrl + c for Copy; and Ctrl + v for Paste.
To create and design quality documents, you need to know how to format text. In addition to making your document more appealing, formatted text can draw a reader's attention to specific parts of the document and help communicate your message.
Learn more here: How to Format Text in a Google Doc
A margin is the area between the main content of a page and the page edges. The margin helps to define where a line of text begins and ends. When a page is justified the text is spread out to be flush with the left and right margins.
How to Set Document Margins in Google Docs:
Click File.
Select Page setup.
Change the margins.
Click OK. Click Set as default if you want future documents to have these margins.
Indenting and tabs are great ways to draw attention to important areas of your document. There are several ways you can indent text in Google Docs. However, it's important to use these tools appropriately and indent correctly each time. This can save time and make the editing process go smoothly.
To indent using the Indent shortcut buttons:
Select the text you want to indent.
Click the Increase indent shortcut button to increase the indent by increments of a half-inch.
All lines of the paragraph will indent.
Click the Decrease indent shortcut button to decrease the indent by increments of a half-inch.
Page breaks allow you to have more control over the layout of your document. You might use a page break if you're writing a paper that has a title page or a bibliography to ensure it starts on a new page.
Here's how to add and remove page breaks from your Google Docs documents:
Click Insert after you've placed your cursor where you want to insert a page break.
Select Break.
Click Page break.
Click backspace to remove a page break if you didn't mean to place it there.
You can add page numbers to the whole document, to specific sections of your document, or starting from a specific page.
The Step-by-Step Process:
Open a Google Doc.
In the top left, click Insert. Page number.
Then, click either: Page number: Choose where you want the page numbers to go
A header is the top margin of each page, and a footer is the bottom margin of each page. Headers and footers are useful for including material that you want to appear on every page of a document such as your name, the title of the document, or page numbers.
How to Add headers & Footers:
On your computer, open a document in Google Docs.
In the top left, click Insert. Header & page number.
Choose Header or Footer.
Enter text for the header or footer.
Page orientation is the way in which a rectangular page is oriented for normal viewing. The two most common types of orientation are portrait and landscape.
How do I change the page orientation?
Open the “File” menu and then click “Page Setup” to open the Page Setup window. At the top of this window, in the “Orientation” section, you can switch your document between portrait and landscape. Make your choice and then click “OK” to apply your selection.