Tag Archives: Google Slides

More menu improvements in Google Docs and Slides

Based on usage data and your feedback, we’re making some changes to the menus and toolbars in Google Docs and Slides on the web. These are similar to some previous changes we made and will make it easier to find certain items. Among other things, these changes include:

To add a line or page break in Docs:

To add Alt text to a shape in Docs or Slides:
  • Before: Select shape > Format > Alt text. This option will be removed from the menu.
  • After: Right click on shape > Alt text. This is the new way to add alt text to a shape.
  • See Help Center for more details: Make your document or presentation accessible.

To change a shape in Slides:

  • Before: Select shape > Format > Change shape. This option will be removed from the menu.
  • After: Right click on shape > Change shape. This is the new way to change a shape.

The HTML view in Slides is being removed from the menu.

These changes will only affect the visual menu. All options will still be available via keyboard shortcuts and the search box in the Help menu.

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: Add, edit, or remove a link, bookmark, or page break
Help Center: Make your document or presentation accessible
Help Center: Keyboard shortcuts for Google Docs
G Suite Updates Blog: Improving the menus and toolbars in Google Docs and Slides


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Launch detail categories
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More menu improvements in Google Docs and Slides

Based on usage data and your feedback, we’re making some changes to the menus and toolbars in Google Docs and Slides on the web. These are similar to some previous changes we made and will make it easier to find certain items. Among other things, these changes include:

To add a line or page break in Docs:

To add Alt text to a shape in Docs or Slides:
  • Before: Select shape > Format > Alt text. This option will be removed from the menu.
  • After: Right click on shape > Alt text. This is the new way to add alt text to a shape.
  • See Help Center for more details: Make your document or presentation accessible.

To change a shape in Slides:

  • Before: Select shape > Format > Change shape. This option will be removed from the menu.
  • After: Right click on shape > Change shape. This is the new way to change a shape.

The HTML view in Slides is being removed from the menu.

These changes will only affect the visual menu. All options will still be available via keyboard shortcuts and the search box in the Help menu.

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: Add, edit, or remove a link, bookmark, or page break
Help Center: Make your document or presentation accessible
Help Center: Keyboard shortcuts for Google Docs
G Suite Updates Blog: Improving the menus and toolbars in Google Docs and Slides


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Launch detail categories
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Improved accessibility for Google Sheets, Slides, and Drawings

We want to make sure our products work well for everyone. That’s why, as part of our ongoing accessibility initiatives, we’re launching new features for Google Sheets, Slides, and Drawings. Specifically, we’re adding Braille support in Google Sheets, and screen magnifier support in Google Slides and Drawings.

Use Google Sheets with Braille displays

You can already use Braille displays to read and edit text in Docs, Slides and Drawings. Now we’re adding Braille support to Sheets as well. You’ll be able to use a Braille display to read and edit cell contents as well as navigate between cells in a sheet. At the moment, Braille support in Sheets will only be available on Chrome OS with the ChromeVox screen reader. We’re working to add support for other platforms and screen readers.

See our Help Center to find out how to use a Braille display with Sheets.

Use screen magnifiers with Google Slides and Drawings

We recently added screen magnifier support to Docs and Sheets. Now screen magnifiers will also work with Slides and Drawings.

You can use screen magnifiers with Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings on Mac and Chrome OS devices. See our Help Center to learn how to use screen magnifiers with Google Docs editors.

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: Accessibility for Docs editors 
Help Center: Use a Braille display to read & enter text


Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Improved accessibility for Google Sheets, Slides, and Drawings

We want to make sure our products work well for everyone. That’s why, as part of our ongoing accessibility initiatives, we’re launching new features for Google Sheets, Slides, and Drawings. Specifically, we’re adding Braille support in Google Sheets, and screen magnifier support in Google Slides and Drawings.

Use Google Sheets with Braille displays

You can already use Braille displays to read and edit text in Docs, Slides and Drawings. Now we’re adding Braille support to Sheets as well. You’ll be able to use a Braille display to read and edit cell contents as well as navigate between cells in a sheet. At the moment, Braille support in Sheets will only be available on Chrome OS with the ChromeVox screen reader. We’re working to add support for other platforms and screen readers.

See our Help Center to find out how to use a Braille display with Sheets.

Use screen magnifiers with Google Slides and Drawings

We recently added screen magnifier support to Docs and Sheets. Now screen magnifiers will also work with Slides and Drawings.

You can use screen magnifiers with Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings on Mac and Chrome OS devices. See our Help Center to learn how to use screen magnifiers with Google Docs editors.

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: Accessibility for Docs editors 
Help Center: Use a Braille display to read & enter text


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Launch detail categories
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Improving the menus and toolbars in Google Docs and Slides

We’re making some changes to the menus and toolbars in Google Docs and Slides on the web. These changes will make it easier to find certain items and increase consistency across Docs and Slides. Among other things, you’ll notice the following:
  • In Docs and Slides, “Lists” in the Format menu has been renamed “Bullets and numbering.”
  • In Docs and Slides, “Show spelling suggestions” has been renamed “Spelling” and moved from the View menu to the Tools menu.
  • In Docs, “Document outline” has been renamed “Show document outline” and moved from the Tools menu to the View menu.
  • In Slides, “Import slides” has been removed from the Insert menu.
See below for some examples of the revamped toolbars and menus.



Launch Details
Release track: 
Launching to Rapid Release, with Scheduled Release coming on January 4th, 2018

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


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Launch detail categories
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New categories and languages for templates in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

We know how valuable templates can be to a company—they save employees’ precious time, ensure that their work product looks professional, and increase brand consistency across their materials. That’s why we’ve spent the last several months working with partner experts to develop templates in four new categories:

1. Project Management in Sheets, in partnership with Smartsheet



2. Sales in Docs, in partnership with PandaDoc



3. Human Resources (HR) in Docs, in partnership with Zenefits



4. Freelancer Engagement in Docs, in partnership with Upwork



At the moment, these templates are only available in English and on the web.

While the new templates above are English only, our existing templates are now available in several additional languages, including Hindi (hi), German (de), Indonesian (in), Japanese (ja), Dutch (nl), and Chinese (zh-CN). These localized templates will be available in Docs, Sheets, and Slides on the web.

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

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Create a file from a template


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New languages now supported in Google Docs and Slides files, as well as Docs editors templates

No matter where you or your customers or colleagues are located, we want to make sure Google Docs and Slides work for you at work. That’s why we’re expanding the font catalogue in Docs and Slides to support 62 languages, including non-Latin scripts like Cyrillic and Devanagari (with more coming soon!).

To find these new fonts and others, simply click More fonts at the bottom of the Fonts menu. There you’ll also find suggested fonts, based on your document’s language.


In addition, we’re making Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms templates available in four new languages: European Spanish, Latin American Spanish, French, and Brazilian Portuguese. Stay tuned for additional languages, including Hindi, coming soon.

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

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Change how paragraphs & fonts look


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Copy comments and suggestions in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides make it easier than ever to collaborate on great content. Which is why it’s increasingly important not to lose a history of that collaboration when you duplicate a document, spreadsheet, or presentation. With that in mind, we’re making it possible to copy comments and suggestions any time you make a copy of a Docs, Sheets, or Slides file.

To copy your comments and suggestions, simply select “Make a copy” from the File menu and check the box for “Copy comments and suggestions” or “Copy comments.”


These comments and suggestions will then contain a note indicating that they were copied from the original document.


Check it out today, and collaborate—even on copies—with ease.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to Rapid Release, with Scheduled Release coming on November 29th, 2017

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Create, view, or save a file


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Insert images more easily in Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings

A picture is worth a thousand words... especially when you can add it to your document, presentation, or drawing quickly and easily. That’s why we’re making some improvements to the image insertion process in Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings.

Going forward, when you select Insert > Image or click the Image button in Docs, Slides, or Drawings on the web, you’ll see the following options:

  • Upload from computer
  • Search the web
  • Drive
  • Photos
  • By URL



If you select “Upload from computer,” you’ll be taken to your computer’s file manager, which many users are familiar with. If you select “Search the web,” “Drive,” or “Photos,” you’ll be taken to a menu on the righthand side of your screen that is easier to navigate and more intuitive to use. You can also drag and drop images directly from this menu into your document. If you select “By URL,” you’ll be given the option to input the specific URL for an image.

These options should make it easier to enhance your documents, presentations, and drawings with images.

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

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: Insert or delete images or videos


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Turning down the in-app passcode feature in Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides on iOS

In the past, we’ve heard feedback that customers want more security for the files on their iOS devices, which led us to enable an in-app passcode feature specifically for the Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides iOS apps. Over time, however, we’ve come to learn that it’s not just the content within Google Drive that’s valuable to you. Your contacts, calendars, and emails—it's important that all of this is secure as well.

As a result, we began putting particular emphasis on supporting mobile device management (MDM) on iOS. For example, recent launches give G Suite admins greater visibility and control over enterprise-deployed iOS devices. In fact, with MDM, admins can enforce a passcode on all iOS devices that access corporate data, and they can wipe account data on a device if it’s compromised.

Owing to this increased investment in security on iOS devices, we’re ending support for the in-app passcode feature in Google Drive, Docs, Sheets and Slides on iOS devices signed in with G Suite accounts. Support will end on December 4th, 2017, and we’ll remove the feature entirely no earlier than January 8th, 2018.

We highly recommend that administrators use MDM to deploy passcode requirements at the system level on all of their iOS devices by following these instructions. This will provide better security than the in-app passcode feature in two key ways:
  • These passcode policies protect all of the content on your managed devices, including photos, contacts, and other content besides Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides content.
  • These passcode policies give you more control over passcode type, strength, expiration, and failure cases. See this Help Center article for more details.

Beginning on December 4th, 2017, any user signed in with a G Suite account who has this feature will see a message asking them to either acknowledge and turn off the functionality, or to ignore the message temporarily. Beginning on January 8th, 2018, all new versions of the Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides iOS apps will no longer contain in-app passcode functionality.


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