Creating and sharing a document
Use this workflow to create a new document, write content, and give your teammates access.Open your project
From the left sidebar, select the project where you want to create the document. If you don’t have a project yet, click New project, give it a name, and open it.
Create the document
Click New document (or the + button) inside the project. Choose a document type — blank, or from a template — and give it a descriptive title.
Write your content
The document opens in edit mode. Use the toolbar to format text, insert images, add tables, or embed links. Your changes save automatically as you type.
Share with collaborators
Click Share in the top-right corner. Enter the email addresses of the people you want to invite and select their permission level: Viewer, Commenter, or Editor. Click Send.
Collaborating in real time with a team
Use this workflow when your team needs to work on the same document together, whether in a scheduled session or asynchronously.Invite all editors
Open Share and confirm that everyone who needs to edit has Editor access. Collaborators who only need to review should be set to Commenter so they don’t accidentally change content.
Open the document at the same time
Each collaborator opens the document. You’ll see their avatars appear at the top of the page as they join. Each person’s cursor is labeled with their name.
Divide sections or use comments to coordinate
To avoid working on the same paragraph at the same time, use the chat panel or leave a comment to signal which section you’re working on. For example: “I’m updating the intro — feel free to work on the conclusion.”
Use suggested edits for sensitive changes
If you’re making significant changes to someone else’s section, switch to Suggesting mode (from the pencil icon menu, top right). Your edits appear as suggestions, and the document owner can accept or reject each one.
If your team is editing together on a video call, you can present the document in Google Meet. All participants see your cursor and edits in real time alongside the video feed.
Organizing work with folders and labels
Use this workflow to keep your project tidy and make documents easy to find as your library grows.Create a folder structure
Inside your project, click New folder and name it by theme, phase, or team — for example, “Q2 Planning” or “Design Assets.” Create as many nested folders as you need.
Move existing documents into folders
Select one or more documents, right-click, and choose Move to folder. Pick the destination folder from the list.
Apply labels to documents
Open a document and click the label icon in the toolbar, or right-click the document in the project view and choose Add label. Type a label name or select an existing one. Apply multiple labels to the same document when it fits more than one category.
Filter by label
In the project view, open the Filter panel and select one or more labels. The document list narrows to show only matching documents. Save the filter as a view if you use it regularly.
Reviewing and approving content using comments
Use this workflow to gather structured feedback on a document before it’s finalized.Set reviewers to Commenter access
Open Share and make sure reviewers have Commenter (not Editor) access. This prevents accidental edits while allowing them to leave feedback on any part of the document.
Highlight the section to review
Select the text, image, or table cell you want feedback on. A comment icon appears in the right margin — click it to open the comment box.
Leave a comment or assign an action
Type your comment. To assign it as an action item, type @ followed by a teammate’s name and check the Assign to checkbox. The assignee receives a notification and the comment appears in their task list.
Respond to comments
Reviewers can reply directly in the comment thread. All replies are threaded, so the conversation stays attached to the relevant text.
Resolve comments when addressed
Once you’ve made the requested change, click Resolve on the comment thread. Resolved comments are hidden from the main view but remain accessible in the comments history panel.
Publishing or exporting finished work
Use this workflow once your document is finalized and you need to share it outside your workspace or deliver it in a specific format.Do a final review
Read through the document one last time. Check spelling and grammar with the built-in spell checker (Tools → Spelling and grammar). Confirm that all comment threads are resolved.
Name the final version
Open File → Version history → Name current version and give it a meaningful name, such as “Final — approved April 2026.” This makes it easy to return to the approved state if edits are made later.
Choose a sharing method
Decide how you want to publish:
- Share the live link — the recipient always sees the current version. Best for internal stakeholders who need to stay up to date.
- Export as a file — create a static snapshot in a specific format (see the next step).
Export to your required format
Go to File → Download and choose a format:
- PDF — best for external distribution or printing. Preserves formatting exactly.
- Microsoft Word (.docx) — for recipients who need an editable file in Word.
- Plain text (.txt) — for copying content into another system.
- EPUB — for long-form documents intended for e-readers.
Exported files are a snapshot of the document at the time of download. They do not stay in sync with future edits. If you need recipients to always see the latest version, share the live link instead.