Google Drive, and the apps in it—Docs, Sheets, and Slides—are great for people looking for a simple Office suite. It’s free, makes collaboration easy, and pretty much anyone can use it. But if you’re used to something more traditional, like Microsoft Office, you may be hesitant to use it. Here’s how to make Google Drive work more like the desktop suites you’re used to.
The more features exist, the more confusing a program gets, and while software like Word is great, it’s also slow and hard to use if you just want to sit down and make something. More importantly, Google Drive actually makes certain tasks easier than a desktop office suite. Collaboration with large groups is significantly easier with Google Drive. Sharing documents doesn’t require special software just to open, and you can access all your documents from anywhere on just about any device with an internet connection. What it lacks in power features it makes up for usability.
Google Drive encompasses a ton of different services, but the three apps it has to rival office suites are Docs (word processing), Sheets (spreadsheets), and Slides (presentations). Let’s take a look at the more important features of Google’s suite and how it relates to most desktop office suites.