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Use this guide to diagnose and resolve common issues. Each section describes the symptom, likely cause, and step-by-step fix. If a problem persists after following these steps, contact Google Support.
For quick answers to common questions, see the FAQ page.

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Sign-in issues

Symptom: You enter your credentials and see an error such as “Couldn’t find your Google Account” or “Wrong password.”Likely causes:
  • Typing the email address or password incorrectly
  • Using an email address that isn’t linked to a Google account
  • A recent password change that you haven’t applied yet
1

Verify your email address

Confirm you’re entering the full address, including the domain (for example, you@yourcompany.com rather than just you).
2

Reset your password

Go to accounts.google.com/signin/recovery and follow the prompts to reset your password via recovery email or phone.
3

Check for a Google Workspace account

If your organization uses Google Workspace, you may have a separate work account. Contact your IT administrator to confirm the correct credentials.
4

Try an incognito window

Open an incognito or private browser window and attempt to sign in again. This rules out browser extension conflicts and cached credential issues.
Symptom: You can’t receive or enter your two-step verification (2SV) code, or the code is rejected.Likely causes:
  • The verification code expired before you entered it
  • The device receiving codes is offline or has incorrect time settings
  • You no longer have access to the phone number or authenticator app
1

Check device time settings

Two-step codes are time-sensitive. Make sure your phone’s date and time are set to automatic/network time.
2

Request a new code

Go back to the sign-in page and request a new code. Codes expire after a short window — use the new one immediately.
3

Use a backup code

If you saved backup codes when setting up 2SV, enter one of those instead. Go to myaccount.google.com/security to manage your backup codes.
4

Try an alternative second factor

If you set up multiple verification methods (for example, both a phone number and an authenticator app), click Try another way on the verification screen to switch methods.
5

Start account recovery

If you’ve lost access to all your second factors, go to accounts.google.com/signin/recovery to begin recovery.
Symptom: After signing in, you see a message that your account has been suspended or that certain features are unavailable.Likely causes:
  • Violation of Google’s Terms of Service
  • Suspicious activity detected by Google’s systems
  • An administrator has restricted your account (for Workspace accounts)
1

Read the suspension notice

The message displayed at sign-in usually explains the reason for the suspension. Follow any links provided to learn more.
2

Appeal the suspension

If you believe the suspension is an error, use the appeal form linked in the notice or go to support.google.com to contact support.
3

Contact your administrator

For Google Workspace accounts, your organization’s administrator can review and lift account restrictions. Contact your IT or admin team directly.
Do not attempt to create a new Google account to bypass a suspension. This can result in the new account being suspended as well.

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Loading & performance

Symptom: The page shows a blank screen, a loading spinner that never resolves, or loads significantly slower than usual.Likely causes:
  • Poor or unstable internet connection
  • Browser extensions interfering with page loading
  • Overloaded browser cache
1

Check your internet connection

Open another website to confirm your connection is working. If other sites also load slowly, the issue is with your network rather than the product.
2

Hard-reload the page

Press Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac) to bypass the browser cache and reload fresh assets.
3

Disable browser extensions

Open an incognito window (which disables extensions by default) and try loading the page again. If it works in incognito, a browser extension is the likely culprit. Disable extensions one at a time to identify which one is causing the problem.
4

Clear cache and cookies

In your browser settings, clear cached images and files, and cookies. See the Clearing cache and cookies section below for specific steps.
Symptom: Clicking on a document shows a loading screen for an unusually long time before the content appears.Likely causes:
  • The document is very large (many pages, embedded images, or complex formatting)
  • Slow internet connection
  • The document contains a large number of revision history entries
1

Check document size

Go to File → Document details to view the approximate word count, page count, and any embedded objects. Very large documents will naturally take longer to load.
2

Switch to a wired connection

If possible, connect your device directly to your router via Ethernet instead of using Wi-Fi. This improves stability and bandwidth.
3

Open in a different browser

Test in a second browser to rule out browser-specific performance issues. Google Chrome is the recommended browser for the best performance.
4

Break up very large documents

If a document regularly takes a long time to open, consider splitting it into multiple smaller documents and linking them together.
Symptom: Features are missing, the layout looks broken, or actions (such as formatting or inserting elements) don’t work as expected.Likely causes:
  • Using an unsupported or outdated browser
  • Browser settings blocking required scripts or cookies
Supported browsers:
  • Google Chrome (recommended, latest version)
  • Mozilla Firefox (latest version)
  • Microsoft Edge (latest version)
  • Apple Safari (latest version)
1

Update your browser

Make sure you’re running the latest version of your browser. Outdated versions may lack support for features the product relies on.
2

Enable JavaScript and cookies

The product requires JavaScript and first-party cookies to function. Check your browser settings to ensure neither is blocked for this site.
3

Try Google Chrome

If you continue to experience issues in another browser, switch to the latest version of Google Chrome for the most complete and tested experience.
Symptom: Pages load stale content, you’re unexpectedly signed out, or the interface behaves inconsistently.Clearing your browser cache and cookies resolves many loading and authentication issues.
1

Open browser settings

  • Chrome: Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+Delete (Mac).
  • Firefox: Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Clear Data.
  • Edge: Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete and select Clear now.
  • Safari: Go to Develop → Empty Caches, then Safari → Clear History.
2

Select the right items to clear

Choose Cached images and files and Cookies and other site data. Set the time range to All time to ensure a full reset.
3

Confirm and reload

Click Clear data (or the equivalent button in your browser). Then reload the page and sign back in.
Clearing cookies will sign you out of all websites, not just this product. Make sure you know your passwords before clearing cookies.

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Sync & offline issues

Symptom: Edits you make don’t appear to save, or other collaborators can’t see your latest changes.Likely causes:
  • Loss of internet connectivity during editing
  • A pending sync conflict the product is waiting to resolve
  • Offline mode is active and changes haven’t uploaded yet
1

Check the sync status indicator

Look for the sync status icon at the top of the editor (typically near the document title). It shows whether all changes have been saved. If it shows a warning or spinning indicator, the document is still attempting to sync.
2

Verify your internet connection

Open another tab and load a website to confirm you have a working connection. If not, reconnect and wait for the sync to complete automatically.
3

Reload the page

Once you have a stable connection, reload the page. Your locally cached changes will upload and the latest version will load.
4

Check version history

Go to File → Version history → See version history to confirm whether your most recent edits appear. If they do, the changes saved successfully.
Symptom: You can’t access files when you don’t have an internet connection, or offline mode isn’t available.Likely causes:
  • Offline access hasn’t been enabled in settings
  • The Google Docs Offline Chrome extension is not installed
  • You’re using a browser that doesn’t support offline mode
1

Install the Chrome extension

Offline mode requires the Google Docs Offline extension for Chrome. Install it from the Chrome Web Store.
2

Enable offline access in settings

In Google Drive, click the gear icon, go to Settings, and turn on Offline. This syncs your recent files to your device.
3

Pre-load files before going offline

Open the files you’ll need while you still have an internet connection. This caches them locally so they’re accessible offline.
4

Use Chrome

Offline mode is only supported in Google Chrome. If you’re using a different browser, switch to Chrome and repeat the steps above.
Symptom: After reconnecting to the internet, you see a warning about conflicting versions of a document, or changes you made offline weren’t applied.Likely causes:
  • Another collaborator edited the same sections of the document while you were offline
  • Your offline changes were made in a version that has since diverged significantly from the server version
1

Review the conflict notice

When you reconnect, the product will notify you of any conflicts. Read the message carefully — it will indicate which sections are affected.
2

Open version history

Go to File → Version history → See version history. Compare the offline version and the server version to understand which changes conflict.
3

Manually merge changes

Copy the content from the version you want to keep, then apply it to the current document manually. There is no automatic merge for conflicting edits.
If you close the conflict resolution dialog without resolving it, the server version typically takes precedence and your offline edits may be lost. Review conflicts before dismissing any warnings.

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Sharing & permissions

Symptom: When you try to add someone as a collaborator, you see an error or their email address is rejected.Likely causes:
  • Your organization’s sharing policy restricts sharing outside the domain
  • The recipient’s email address contains a typo
  • The recipient’s account has restrictions on receiving shared files
1

Double-check the email address

Verify the exact spelling of the recipient’s email address. A single character error prevents the invitation from being sent.
2

Check your organization's sharing settings

If you’re using a Google Workspace account, your administrator may have restricted sharing to users within your domain only. Contact your IT administrator to check or adjust these policies.
3

Use a shareable link instead

As an alternative, change the file’s link sharing setting to Anyone with the link and send the link directly to the recipient. Go to Share → Change to anyone with the link and set the appropriate permission level.
Symptom: You or a collaborator receive a “Permission denied” error when trying to view, edit, or comment on a file.Likely causes:
  • The file owner changed or removed the collaborator’s access
  • The collaborator is signed in with a different Google account than the one invited
  • The file is in a shared drive with a higher access restriction
1

Verify which account is signed in

Confirm you’re signed in with the Google account that was granted access. If you have multiple accounts, switch to the correct one and try again.
2

Request access

Open the sharing link. If you see a “Request access” button, click it to send the file owner a notification asking for access.
3

Contact the file owner

Ask the file owner to open the sharing settings and confirm your email address has been added with the correct permission level.
Symptom: A file that you previously had access to no longer appears in your Drive or returns a “You don’t have access” error.Likely causes:
  • The file owner revoked your access or deleted the file
  • The file was moved to a shared drive you’re not a member of
  • The file owner’s account was deleted or deactivated
1

Search your Drive

Use the search bar to search by the file’s title. If it doesn’t appear, you likely no longer have access.
2

Check your email for the original invitation

Find the original sharing notification in your email inbox. It may include the file owner’s contact details so you can reach out to them.
3

Contact the file owner

Ask the file owner to reshare the file with you. If the owner’s account has been deactivated, contact your organization’s IT administrator, who may be able to transfer ownership or restore your access.

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File issues

Symptom: Dragging a file to Drive or using File → Import results in an error or the upload fails silently.Likely causes:
  • The file exceeds the maximum size limit for that file type
  • The file format is not supported
  • Your storage quota is full
1

Check the file size

Compare the file size against the limits for its type. See the FAQ for a full table of size limits. If the file is too large, consider compressing it or removing embedded assets before uploading.
2

Check your storage quota

Go to one.google.com/storage to see your current usage. If your quota is full, delete unnecessary files and empty Trash before trying again.
3

Verify the file format

Confirm that the format is supported. Files in unsupported formats must be converted before they can be imported.
4

Try a different browser or connection

Upload failures can be caused by an unstable connection or a browser issue. Switch to a stable wired connection and try again in Google Chrome.
Symptom: A file opens but its content is missing, shows garbled characters, or displays an error indicating the file is corrupted.Likely causes:
  • The original file was corrupted before uploading
  • An interrupted upload left the file in an incomplete state
  • A conversion error occurred when importing a non-Google format
1

Check version history

Go to File → Version history → See version history. Look for an earlier version before the corruption occurred and restore it.
2

Re-upload the original file

If you have a local copy of the original file, delete the corrupted version and upload the local copy again. Ensure your internet connection is stable during the upload.
3

Try opening in a different format

Download the file and try opening it in the application it was created in (for example, Microsoft Word for a .docx file). If it opens correctly there, copy the content and paste it into a new Google Doc.
Before attempting any recovery steps, download a copy of the current (corrupted) file to your computer as a backup. Go to File → Download and choose a format. This protects you in case recovery steps make things worse.
Symptom: After importing a file into Google format, or after exporting and reopening it in another application, some formatting (fonts, tables, images, spacing) is missing or changed.Likely causes:
  • Not all formatting features are compatible between Google formats and Microsoft Office or other formats
  • Fonts used in the original file are not available in Google Docs
  • Complex layouts (text boxes, advanced table styles) may not convert precisely
1

Review formatting after import

After importing a file, scroll through the entire document to identify formatting differences. Manually reapply any critical formatting that was lost.
2

Use PDF for sharing if editing isn't required

If recipients only need to read the document rather than edit it, export as PDF. PDF preserves formatting reliably across all platforms.
3

Simplify formatting before export

Before exporting to a Microsoft Office format, simplify the document by converting text boxes to inline text and using standard fonts (such as Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri) that are available in both environments.
4

Test round-trip fidelity

After exporting, open the file in the target application immediately to verify the formatting before distributing it. This lets you catch and fix issues early.
Some formatting differences between Google and Microsoft Office formats are a known limitation of the file conversion process. For documents that require precise formatting fidelity, consider working natively in the format your recipients use.