Tag Archives: Google Slides

Material Design for Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Sites on Web

What’s changing

Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Sites will be getting a new look and feel on the web. While there are no functionality changes, users will notice some visual improvements, including:

  • Interface typography that uses Google’s custom-designed and highly-legible typefaces
  • Controls (like buttons, dialogs, and sidebars) that are updated and consistent
  • Iconography that is legible and crisp, with a fresh feel

The four products in this update join other G Suite products like Gmail and Calendar in sharing a common design language.

Before

After


Who’s impacted

End users

Why you’d use it

This style change is part of a new, consistent design approach from Google. You can expect to see similar changes across other G Suite applications in the future.

How to get started 


  • Admins: No action needed
  • End users: You’ll see the new look coming your way.


Availability

Rollout details

  • Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on January 15, 2019
  • Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on February 11, 2019


G Suite editions
Available to G Suite Basic, G Suite Business, G Suite Enterprise, G Suite for Education, G Suite Enterprise for Education, and G Suite for Nonprofits

On/off by default?
This feature will be ON by default.

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Share files more easily with non-Google accounts in Drive Beta

Soon, people without Google accounts will be able to view, comment, suggest edits to, and directly edit Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files.

Organizations often work on documents with external vendors, partners, contractors, and customers. When these partners don't have Google accounts, it is a significant barrier for collaboration.

We are introducing a beta for an easy pincode identity verification process that will enable G Suite users to invite non-G Suite users to collaborate on files as visitors, using PINs (Personal Identification Numbers). Below is an example of how it works:



File owners and admins are in full control of sharing 

File owners can view all the detailed activity on their files and see where it originated, and revoke access from the Drive sharing dialog at any time. Admins can manage all external sharing and audit usage. For more information on sharing settings, check out this Help Center article.

Apply to join Pincode Sharing in Drive Beta 

Pincode Sharing in Drive is launching initially in beta. If you're an admin, see more details, review the eligibility requirements, and apply to join the beta.

Launch Details 
Editions: 
Beta is available to all G Suite editions

Impact: 
Admins and end users

Action: 
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information 
Help Center: Set Drive users' sharing permission
Join the beta

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Now your Activity Dashboard is one click away in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings

We’ve made it easier for you to open the Activity dashboard directly from Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drawings. You’ll now see the Activity dashboard icon (a jagged arrow pointing upward) next to the comments button in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

Clicking on the icon opens the dashboard, where you can analyze time statistics and adjust privacy and document settings. This gives you instant access to the Activity dashboard information you’re seeking. Hovering over the icon enables you to view the information others can see about you in the Activity dashboard. To learn more about seeing the view history of your Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files, consult the Help Center.

Launch Details

Release track:
Launching to Rapid Release, with Scheduled Release coming in 2 weeks

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace: 
Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility)

Impact:All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information 
Help Center: See the view history of your Google Docs, Sheets & Slides

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Copy formatting to multiple objects in Google Slides

We’re making it easier to copy formatting from one object (like a block of text or a shape) to multiple others in Google Slides. Previously, you could use the paint format tool to copy formatting from one object to another, but you’d need to reclick it every time you wanted to apply it to a new object. Now, you can simply double-click the tool icon to enter “persistent” mode and apply that formatting to multiple objects in a slide. Just re-click the icon or tap Escape on your keyboard to stop.



Launch Details 
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid Release and Scheduled Release

Editions: 
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace: 
Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action: 
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Copy and paste text and images

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New interface for Activity dashboard in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

We’re updating the interface of Activity dashboard in the Google Docs editors. The options and settings available won’t change, but we hope the new interface makes it easier to find data and collaborate more effectively.

See the new Activity dashboard UI 
“View time” in the new Activity dashboard interface

“Viewer trend” in the new Activity dashboard interface


A comparison of the old and new Activity dashboard interfaces 

See our Help Center for more information on how to see the view history of your Google Docs, Sheets and Slides.

Launch Details 
Release track:
Launching to Rapid Release, with Scheduled Release coming in two weeks

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions 

Rollout pace: 
Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility)

Impact: 
All end users

Action: 
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information 
Help Center: See the view history of your Google Docs, Sheets & Slides 
G Suite Updates blog: Improve collaboration in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides with Activity dashboard


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Easily add images and charts from other files to Google Docs and Slides

The Explore feature in Google Docs and Slides makes it simple to search for Google Drive files related to whatever you’re currently working on. With this launch, G Suite Basic, Business, and Enterprise users can view images and charts in those files—right from within the Explore panel—and insert them quickly and easily into their document or presentation.



Visit the Help Center for more information on how to use Explore in Google Docs and Slides.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to Rapid Release, with Scheduled Release coming in two weeks

Editions:
Available to G Suite Basic, Business, and Enterprise editions only

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: See and use suggested content in a document
Help Center: See and use suggested layouts in a presentation


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Add automatic real-time captions when you present in Google Slides

You can now show automated closed captions in real-time when presenting in Google Slides. This feature uses your computer’s microphone to detect your spoken presentation, and then transcribes what you say as captions on the slides you’re presenting. We hope that this will make your presentations more effective in more environments to a wider audience.

Captions created automatically from your audio 

If you turn captions on, Google Slides will use the audio from your microphone to automatically create captions of what you say. These captions will display in real time at the bottom of your screen to all audience members watching the presentation. This will work for local presentations and for presentations over video conferencing software, where captions will show on the shared screen.

The feature works in U.S. English on Chrome browsers. Captions are created from the presenter’s computer and its microphone, so captions may not work consistently if there are multiple presenters using different computers. You may want to let the audience know that captions are from Google Slides, not the video conferencing software, and that only the speaker's voice is captioned.

Helps improve accessibility and in environments where it’s hard to hear 

This feature can help make your presentation more effective for:

  • Audience members who are deaf or hard of hearing 
  • Non-native speakers and/or audience members who prefer written content 
  • In venues with poor audio or in noisy ambient environments 



To find out how to turn on and use automated captions in Slides, visit our Help Center.

Launch Details 
Release track:
Launching to Rapid Release, with Scheduled Release coming in two weeks

Editions: 
Available to all G Suite editions 

Rollout pace: 
Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility)

Impact: 
All end users

Action: 
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information 
Help Center: Present slides with captions 


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Use quick-access side panel to do more from Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Calendar, and more

We’re adding a quick-access side panel to the Docs editors and Google Calendar to help you quickly access other G Suite products without leaving what you’re working on. A similar side panel has been a popular feature of the new Gmail, and we hope that this integration will help you work more efficiently within and across G Suite.

You’ll be able to access three G Suite products from Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings:

  • Google Calendar: Quickly reference, create or edit invites. 
  • Google Keep: Easily take notes, create lists, and see your other content. 
  • Google Tasks: Manage your tasks and to-dos. 
You’ll also see the side panel in Google Calendar, where you’ll be able to use Keep and Tasks.


Launch Details 
Release track:
Launching to Rapid Release, with Scheduled Release coming in two weeks 

Editions: 
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace: 
Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility)

Impact: 
All end users

Action: 
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information 
Help Center: Use Google products side-by-side 
The Keyword: With new security and intelligent features, the new Gmail means business


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Docs Activity dashboard now available to all G Suite users

We’re making the Activity dashboard feature available to all G Suite users. Previously this feature was not fully available to G Suite Basic customers.

Extending Activity dashboard to G Suite Basic edition 

All G Suite admins and users will now have full access to Activity dashboards and associated controls. Previously admins and users in Basic domains could choose whether their viewing data appeared in dashboards, but they could not see dashboards for their own files. Now that these users can view dashboards for their files, there are new options and controls:


  • New admin controls available now: Admins in G Suite Basic domains can decide whether their users can use Activity dashboard. This new Admin console setting will be available for two weeks before the feature becomes available for users. By default this will be turned on, meaning that users will be able to view Activity dashboards for files that belong to their domain and that they have “Edit” access to. 
  • Existing admin and user controls will not change: Any existing privacy controls will remain the same when the change is enabled. For example, if an admin or user in a Basic domain has previously chosen to prevent their viewing data from appearing in Activity dashboards, this setting will not change. 
  • User features roll out starting September 4th: Depending on the admin action taken, this change will begin to roll out to users in Rapid Release G Suite Basic domains on September 4th and Scheduled Release G Suite Basic domains on September 18th. 


G Suite Enterprise, Enterprise for Education, Business, Education, and Nonprofit domains already have access to the feature. Nothing is changing for admins or users in these domains.

To learn more about how to change these settings for your organization, see our original launch announcement for Activity dashboard and our Activity dashboard Help Center article for admins. 

Activity dashboard enables efficient and effective communication 

Activity dashboard gives users useful metrics about how people are interacting with their Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files. They can use this to collaborate more efficiently and effectively. Since the initial launch of the Activity dashboard, we’ve made the feature more useful and more actionable. Users can now:

  • Email collaborators through Activity dashboard. Use knowledge about view histories to pick recipients and send custom follow-up emails. 
  • See viewers over time. Keep track of how many viewers have visited your file over time, adjusting the data range and focusing in on specific data points for more details. 
Activity dashboard gives users useful metrics about their files

Launch Details 
Release track: 
- Admin console settings are available today to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains.
- User-facing feature will begin to roll out to Rapid Release domains on September 4th and Scheduled Release domains on September 18th.

Editions: 
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace: 
- Admin settings: Available now.
- User-facing feature: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) 

Impact: 
Admins and end users

Action: 
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information 
Help Center (admins): Let users see who viewed files 
Help Center (users): See who has viewed Google Docs, Sheets & Slides


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Improved slide layouts with new size and position controls in Google Slides

We’re adding new controls to adjust the size and position of shapes, images, text boxes, and more in Google Slides. This builds on our launch from April, when we added guide and ruler features to give you more control over object positions and text alignment. Together these features provide precise control over slides and enable the design of more attractive and effective presentations. The new options allow users to:


  • Set exact size by numeric value or percentage scale 
  • Adjust object position on a slide 
  • Rotate by flipping horizontally or vertically, or setting a precise rotation angle 

Size & position controls in Slides
New object size and position controls in Google Slides 
You can access the new controls through:

  • Format menu > Format options 
  • Right click on object > Format options 
  • Select object > Format options in the toolbar 


See our Help Center for more information on how to arrange objects in Google Slides.


Launch Details

Release track:
Launching to Rapid Release, with Scheduled Release coming in two weeks

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace: 
Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility)

Impact: 
All end users

Action: 
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information 
Help Center: Insert and arrange text, shapes, diagrams, and lines


Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
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