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While perhaps the major selling factor of Google Docs is how these online documents allow people to collaborate together on a project from remote locations, the real beauty of a Google Doc is how it protects your work from being lost in the event of a computer crash or a human error.
Google Docs auto-save themselves almost constantly and are backed up to a remote location, so unless you intentionally delete a file, it will never be lost.
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If you're working on a report, term paper, or work project you can't afford to lose, consider shutting down Word or Pages and turning instead to a Google Doc. You can always copy and paste your work from Google to another program later, but you can never retrieve a document accidentally deleted off your computer.
That said, the chance to share a working document among a number of people is the selling point for most people. You can create a Google Doc and later share it with others for editing or additional content, or you can share the document right from the start and work together in real time, actually watching as your colleagues type, edit, revise, and work within the document.
Here's how to create a Google Doc on your computer or through the Google Docs mobile app.
Advertisement1. Go to Google.com, your Gmail page, or your Google Drive and log into your account.
2. Click the Google Apps icon, which is the square formed by nine smaller dark gray squares at the top right of the screen.
3. Scroll down to the second group of apps icons and find the blue with white stripes "Docs" icon and click it.
4. On the next page, choose the type of document you want to create, and note that most often, you will want to work with the first type, the "Blank" page with the multicolored plus symbol on it.
5. Click on the "Blank" doc and your new Google document opens up.
Once you've created a Google Doc, the first thing you should do is name it by typing a new title into the bar at the top left that will auto fill with the words "Untitled Document." Once that's done, next share it if others are expecting you to do so.
AdvertisementTo create a Google Doc on your mobile device, you first need to download the Google Docs app. The fastest way to find the app is to download it from Apple's App Store or the equivalent app marketplace on your device.
You can also find the app by signing into Google from your mobile web browser and then tapping the Google Apps icon at the top right of your screen. Swipe down and tap the "Docs" icon and you will be brought to a page with a "Download Google Docs" link front and center. Click it, and then get the app.
Once you have the Google Docs app on your phone:
1. Open the app to find all of your past documents presented to you.
2. To make a new Google Doc, hit the multicolored plus symbol at the bottom right of the screen.
3. Then tap "New document," or "Choose template."
4. Start typing.
To find past Docs, use the folder icon at the top right of the app's home screen if you know where they are stored, or search by name with the magnifying glass icon beside it.
