Collaboration Services News and Updates

Google Updates Recap: October 2024

This month we have changes largely focused on Tables in Google Sheets, cover images in Google Docs, and improvements.

Google Docs

Customize your Google Docs with polished cover images

You can now insert a cover image into a Google Doc to give it a more polished look. You can do so in several ways:

• Click the new “Cover image” chip at the top of your Doc when starting a new Doc.
• Go to Insert > Cover image > Upload from computer or Choose from stock images. 
• Type “@” followed by Cover image > Upload from computer or Choose from stock images.

Note: Cover images can only be added to documents set to pageless mode, allowing the image to span the entire width of the document. To set up pageless mode, go to File > Page setup > Pageless or Format > Switch to Pageless format. 

For more information about using cover images in Google Docs, visit: https://support.google.com/docs?p=insert_cover_image.

Feature Availability: This feature is now available.

Google Drive & Docs Editors

View your most relevant Google Drive folders and files on a single page

Google Drive now shows a unified view of suggested files and folders on your Drive homepage.

Some changes include: 

• Combined file and folder suggestions: Drive’s homepage shows suggested files and folders, intelligently chosen based on recent activity, sharing patterns, and connected Google Calendar events. 
• Seamless navigation and organization: You can easily switch between viewing additional files or folders, or organize content directly from Home. 
• Enhanced search filters: Search chips allow you to quickly start a search by file type, people, modification date, and location modification date, location, and people.

Feature Availability: This feature is now available.

Google Sheets

Create, convert, and reference Tables in Google Sheets more easily

Several additional improvements have been added to Google Sheets, including: 

1. The option to insert a blank table from the pre-built Tables sidebar
   
2. Keyboard shortcuts to convert a range of data to a Table
   • Cmd+Opt+T for Mac 
   • Ctrl+Alt+T for Linux and Windows 
3. Suggestions to convert meaningful ranges of data to a Table
   
4. Use IMPORTRANGE with Tables
   • To import the table range, including header cells, you would input: =IMPORTRANGE(spreadsheet_url, “Table1[#ALL]”) 
   • To import the table range, excluding header cells, you would input: =IMPORTRANGE(spreadsheet_url, “Table1[#DATA]”)
5. View Google Form data linked to a sheet in a Table. Forms already linked to Sheets will need to have their data converted to Tables manually, but new connections will automatically be formatted as Tables.
   

For more information about using Tables in Google Sheets, visit: Use tables in Google Sheets – Google Docs Editors Help.

Feature Availability: 

1. Insert blank tables – This feature is now available.
2. Keyboard shortcuts – This feature is rolling out now.
3. Convert to table from suggestion – This feature is delayed.
4. Use IMPORTRANGE with Tables – This feature is rolling out now.
5. View data from Google Forms in Google Sheets as Tables – This feature is now available.

Categories Google Docs, Google Drive & Docs Editors, Google Feature Updates and Changes, Google Sheets, Google Workspace News