More ways to build and share Google Forms

Several new features have launched today in Google Forms, making them easier to build and share:

Find what you’re looking for

• Search the menus: Quickly access nearly all features in Forms without having to dig through menus. To use this feature, press Alt + / or look under the Help menu.

New ways to manage your questions

• Shuffle questions: Randomize the order of questions on quizzes or surveys
• Allow one response per person: Ensure that a person only responds to your form once
• Validate information for grid questions: Limit people to one response per column for grid-style questions using the new option under “advanced settings”  

Get the word out with shorter URLs

• Shorten URLs to your forms: Make it easier for people to get to your form

Release track:

Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in two weeks for all features except the “search the menus” feature, which will launch to both release tracks today

For more information:

Google Drive blog post

Shuffle questions

Limit users to one response per form

One response per column


Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Automated lists, backspace to undo autocorrections in Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings

In Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings, we will now automatically turn on bulleted or numbered list mode when we detect that a person wants to make a list based on what was typed as the first visible character in a paragraph.

For example, if an asterisk [*] or hyphen [-] is typed as the first visible character, followed by the space bar, it would be automatically be turned into a bulleted list without the person having to press a shortcut or toolbar/menu button. Typing ‘1)’ or ‘a.’ followed by the space bar would turn into a numbered list, as would other permutations like I., (A), etc.

The automated lists feature will be defaulted on, but users will be able to disable it in Tools -> Preferences.

Coupled with this launch, pressing the backspace button immediately after any autocorrection, including automated lists, will undo it. For example, if a person types ‘(c)’ and the autocorrect system converts it to the copyright symbol ‘©’, pressing backspace immediately after it will revert it back to ‘(c)’.

Release track:

Rapid release and Scheduled release

For more information:

Format bulleted and numbered lists

Spell-check and automatic corrections


Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Simplified sharing experience for Google Docs editors and Google Drive

We have launched a new simplified sharing experience for the Google Docs editors and Google Drive, making it easier for people to find and copy the link for a file or folder to share with others.

To give access to your content to others, click the blue “Share” button (or select a file/folder in Drive and click the person icon), and you’ll see a new “Get shareable link” button and grey icon in the upper right corner of the pop-up window. With one click on “Get shareable link,” you’ll see your file’s link appear and that the icon turns from grey to green, meaning that the file is ready to be shared with view-only access.

If you want anyone with the link to do more with your file, like leave comments and suggestions or make edits, just change “Can view” to “Can comment” or “Can edit” in the dropdown. And as always, if you only want certain people to be able to view, comment on, or edit your file, add their email addresses and we’ll send them a link that only they can access.

Release track:

Rapid release (gradual rollout), with Scheduled release coming two weeks after completion of rollout to Rapid

For more information:

Drive Blog Post

Help Center

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Improved publishing interface for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

We have launched a new publishing interface for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. The interface makes it easier for people to understand how document, spreadsheet and presentation content can be published as a webpage or embedded in their own website(s). In the new Google Sheets, the new interface also provides the ability to publish specific sheets and charts without publishing the entire document.

Release track:

Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in three weeks

For more information:

Help Center

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Custom themes in Google Forms

Applying themes to forms is a great way to personalize and tailor them to their intended audience. With this launch, people working with Google Forms will now be able to apply custom themes to their forms.

This includes adding custom images or logos to the header and page background, specifying the font details (type, size, color) and paragraph alignment for the form text, and choosing the color for the form and page backgrounds. We’ve also refreshed the overall Forms UI and added a brand new gallery of modern default themes.

In addition, if a form using a custom theme is shared within a domain, others can copy that theme in order to use it themselves. This helps to ensure a consistent look and feel across forms used in that domain.

Release track:

Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in three weeks

For more information:

Drive Blog Post

Help Center


Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Changes to legacy Google Drive URLs

As initially mentioned last month, in line with the new Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides home screens we announced in June, we’ll now start redirecting docs.google.com to point to the new Google Docs home screen instead of to Google Drive. You can always get to Google Drive by going to drive.google.com.

Those with docs.google.com bookmarked as a way to access Google Drive should update their links accordingly. We will be showing a notification to users in both Drive and Docs to remind them of this change.

Release track:

Rapid release (gradual rollout over the coming weeks), followed by rollout to Scheduled release domains two weeks after completion of rollout to Rapid release domains

For more information:

Help Center


Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Quickly find and insert special characters into Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings

We have launched a new version of the special character picker in Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings, making it easier for people to find characters and symbols—like arrows, shapes, or non-Latin characters—to insert into their content.

The new picker now supports keyword search as well as free form input, so editors can draw the symbol that they have in mind and the picker will return available characters that resemble the drawing.

To add special characters, click the Insert menu and select Special characters.

Release track:

Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in two weeks

For more information:

G+ Post

Help Center


Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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New Google Slides, Docs, and Sheets apps for iOS

The new Google Slides mobile app is now available on iOS, making it easier for people to quickly find, edit and create presentations on the go--online or offline. As with the Android version, the Slides iOS app includes support for editing PowerPoint files. Additionally, as announced for Android in June, the Google Docs and Sheets apps for iOS have been updated to allow for seamless editing of Word and Excel files. No need to worry about file compatibility or internet connections anymore with the new Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps on iOS--it all just works. Release track:

Rapid release and Scheduled release For more information:

Enterprise blog post

Get the Google Slides, Docs, and Sheets iOS apps


Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Copy and paste charts within Google Sheets

People using Google Sheets will now be able to copy and paste high-fidelity, fully functional charts inside the same spreadsheet and between spreadsheets. When copying inside the same spreadsheet, the original data is used, so updating any data updates the chart. When copying between spreadsheets, a copy of the data is used, so no data is linked and updating the original data does not affect the chart. Release track:

Rapid release and Scheduled release For more information:

Google+ Post

Help Center

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Chart trendlines now available in Google Sheets

People creating charts in Google Sheets will now have the ability to add trendlines--lines superimposed on charts revealing the overall direction of the data. Trendlines can be styled with different colors and line thicknesses, and can be displayed as an item in the legend. They are available for scatter plot, bar, column, and line charts. Release track:

Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in two weeks For more information:

Google+ Post

Help Center

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Table cell border styling in Google Docs

People working with tables in Google Docs will now be able add styling to the borders of individual cells or groups of cells within the table. New controls will allow the application of color, width, and line styles to cell borders in a selection.

When the cursor is in a table, the border styling toolbar will appear, allowing the editor to select border styles for a selection of cells or the individual cell containing the cursor.

Release track:

Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in two weeks

For more information:

https://support.google.com/docs/answer/3508928


Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Using Suggested Edits between Microsoft® Word and Google Docs

A few weeks ago we launched Suggested Edits in Google Docs--a way to make edits that can be accepted or rejected by the owner of the document.

We know that some of you work with people who still use Word, so starting today any tracked changes in a .docx file will be automatically carried over to Docs as Suggested Edits. Once you’ve imported your changes, you can begin immediately collaborating with your colleagues in real-time.

Release track:

Rapid release and Scheduled release

For more information:

Enterprise blog post

Help Center

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Sort and use filter views in Google Sheets without edit access

This feature will allow those with view only access to sort and use filter views in Google Sheets. Users will also now be able to link to specific filter views to share with others and change the range of the filter view without needing to delete and then re-create it.

Release track:

Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in two weeks

For more information:

G+ post

Help Center

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Changes to legacy Google Drive URLs

Currently, there are two urls one can use to reach Google Drive--docs.google.com and drive.google.com. In line with the new Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides home screens we announced recently, we’ll be redirecting docs.google.com to point to the new Google Docs home screen, where you can see a list of your most recent Google Docs files. Of course, you can always get to Google Drive by going to drive.google.com.

Those with docs.google.com bookmarked as a way to access Google Drive should update their links accordingly. We will be showing a notification to users in Drive to remind them of this change.

The launch of the new home screens for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides on the web to rapid release domains will be complete on July 18, and we’ll start the launch to scheduled release domains on July 22nd. The change to legacy Google Drive urls will come a couple of weeks later to rapid release domains, followed by scheduled release domains two weeks later.  

For more information:

More on the new home screens for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Reset image in Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings

This feature provides the ability to reset the properties and formatting of an image in Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings after edits have been made to it. This is useful for restarting an image editing attempt if unhappy with the first try.

Release track:

Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in two weeks

For more information:

https://plus.google.com/+GoogleDrive/posts/acCDweSyKrA

https://support.google.com/docs/answer/4600160

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Replace image in Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings

This feature provides the ability to replace an image in a document, presentation, or drawing with a different one without changing the general size, layout, and properties applied to the original image. This is useful for replacing images in templates.

Release track:

Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in two weeks

For more information:

https://plus.google.com/+GoogleDrive/posts/acCDweSyKrA

https://support.google.com/docs/answer/97447#replace

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Collaborator selection announcements in Google Docs, Slides, & Sheets (for visually impaired users)

To make collaboration accessible to visually impaired users, information about nearby collaborators is now announced. For example, if a collaborator initiates a selection in a region overlapping the region where another user is editing, this would be verbalized to the collaborator.

Release track:

Rapid release and Scheduled release

For more information:

https://support.google.com/docs/topic/6039805?hl=en&ref_topic=1382883

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Increased accessibility with Braille display support for Google Docs, Slides and Drawings

If you use a Braille display, you can now enable Braille support in Google Docs, Slides and Drawings to read and enter text. This option is currently available for Google Chrome and Internet Explorer.

Release track:

Rapid release and Scheduled release

For more information:

Learn how to enable Braille support

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Dedicated desktop home pages for Google Docs, Sheets & Slides

We know that often times you’d like an easier way to return to your most relevant and recently edited documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, no matter what device you’re using. So we created new home screens to help you do that with direct access points for Docs, Sheets & Slides. To access these home screens, use the following urls: http://google.com/docs http://google.com/sheets http://google.com/slides Release track: Rapid release (Note: this launch will be rolling out gradually over the coming weeks), with Scheduled release coming soon For more information: https://plus.google.com/+GoogleDrive/posts/PPEQLd8huvn

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Removal of Quickoffice from Google Play and App Store

With the integration of Quickoffice into the Google Docs, Sheets and Slides apps, the Quickoffice app will be unpublished from Google Play and the App Store in the coming weeks. Existing users with the app can continue to use it, but no features will be added and new users will not be able to install the app.

Release track:

Rapid release and Scheduled release

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