Microsoft and Google offer lightweight yet capable word-processing software (OneNote and Google Docs). Consequently, files are stored as one type. With Microsoft Word being around for longer than Google Docs, Microsoft has had more time to bundle in features and build a stronger piece of software. One of the most useful aspects of Google Docs is its compatibility with Microsoft Word. To back them up for use on another computer, you must export the Sources.xml file to an external location such as a flash drive, CD, desktop (to be emailed), etc. With Office 365, Microsoft Word is now available in the cloud and can be accessed with any Internet browser, eliminating the need for software installation. 78% use Google Docs to write papers in a group collaboratively; just 13% use Word for group work. Google Apps creator Rajen Sheth agreed with this point last year, and admitted that there are still gaps in Docs compatibility with Word when I interviewed him at Google headquarters in Mountain View. Microsoft Word (as a subset of Office) is … Price: While Google Docs is free (and browser based), MS Word starts at $100. There's a manual way of converting Google Docs to Microsoft Word but if you're looking to automate your workflow, then Insync will definitely help. Create and edit polished presentations in your browser - no specific software is required. Microsoft Word is available as part of the, No software installation is required to use Google Docs, as it is available in the. Ollie stumbled upon writing online whilst participating in a mobile network forum back in 2011. Two-factor authentication can also be configured for stronger security. Otherwise, you’ll need to set up OneDrive backup with your Microsoft Office 2019 files. In this category, Google Docs easily wins because you just can’t beat free. For convenience, Google Docs lords it over Microsoft Word. Enjoy! What’s great about the sharing functionality in Google Docs is that you can easily control who can edit the document, who can view it, and who can comment on it. Whilst both word processors may look similar on the surface, they are actually different in many ways. Microsoft has collaboration too – simply click the Share button in the top right corner. A free Google account gives you access to Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. How to share files and folders in Google Drive. Store documents online and access them from any computer. It’s far easier to create unique text formatting rules in Microsoft Word than it is in Google Docs. For more details, see Work with Microsoft Office files. Main word processing products: Within the world of word processing software, here are the major players: MS Word, Google Docs, OpenOffice, Neo Office, Zoho, and IBM Lotus Symphony. On top of this, you can see and revise all of your changes from now till the time you first started your document by clicking the ‘all changes saved in Drive’ text at the top of the page. 1. Read Ollie's Full Bio. Make Google Docs look more like Microsoft Word. When attaching images, tables, or spreadsheets, you can’t be sure that the file will be formatted the same way if opened in a third party document processor. You’ll need to be an Office 365 subscriber to be able to open, edit, and automatically sync your files online with Microsoft Word. Firstly, with Google Docs being built into Drive, it becomes very easy to see which files you have shared and also easy to navigate to the files that have been shared with you. Many reviews suggest issues with the extension, claiming that the software doesn’t work or only works sometimes. Google Docs automatically saves documents in the cloud. Two of the most popular are Google Docs and Microsoft Word. Alternatively, you can send out individual emails, too. There are about 15 file types currently available, including Word document (.doc and .docx), PDF, RTF, plain text, HTML. Google Docs is one free way to edit Microsoft Word documents online. Get Google Docs as part of Google Workspace. Создавайте документы вместе с друзьями и коллегами – на компьютере, телефоне или планшете. Create and edit web-based documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. If you download and install Microsoft Word on your computer, updates are automatically applied through the, Google takes security very seriously and has implemented strong security in Google Docs. If you're looking for a word processing program, you have many options. We hate spam too, unsubscribe at any time. In fact, Microsoft Word only really comes ahead here if you can actually make use of more advanced functionality. Cost/Affordability. You must either pay monthly for an Office 365 subscription or pay one time for the full Microsoft Office 2019 package. You can, however, add offline functionality with the Google Docs offline Chrome extension. All you have to do is download the file and save it as a Word file.. Edit documents and read PDFs or e-books while traveling, before bedtime, or wherever you want. If you only need a word processor with the basic functionality, you should be happy with Google Docs. In fact, saves are made to your document every time you make a change, so you never even have to worry about pressing the save button. Word introduces a mobile PDF reader for your phone. In recent times, Microsoft Office vs Google Docs has been silently fighting a war for the title of the leading word processor. There are 7 file formats currently available, including Word document (.doc and .docx). Because of the cost of Office 365, you may find it harder to share Word files with other people because they may not want to pay the subscription fee. Microsoft Word doesn’t have this problem. Microsoft Word offers a larger variety of file formats that you can save your documents in. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages. When you use this functionality on Docs, sometimes you’ll come into small issues where line breaks are added, bullet points are removed, or formatting is lost. Before Office 365, Microsoft Word and the Office suite required a software installation on a computer. 12% use Google Docs to write papers alone; 80% use Microsoft Word instead. Help Desk Geek is part of the AK Internet Consulting publishing family. It’s accessible on any computer or mobile device, regardless of the operating system. However, at PaperStreet we have moved past Microsoft Word documents for our website projects. On the other hand, Google Docs is more limited when it comes to offline functionality. Docs is Google’s equivalent of Microsoft Word that’s used by several people for their word processing needs. Google Docs includes nearly all the features as Microsoft Word, including text formatting, line spacing and indentation. It is also possible to open PDF documents in MS Word, edit them and save them back as PDF documents, something that is alien to Google Docs. The. Open, and edit, and save Microsoft Word files with the Chrome extension or app. Microsoft Word wins in the formatting game without a doubt. Google Docs is always kept up-to-date with the latest features and bug fixes. Both MS Word and Google Docs offer support for collaboration. The battle of Word vs. Google Docs is usually over before it begins, with the spoils awarded to Microsoft’s venerable word processor and its huge feature set. We now require the use of Google Docs on all our projects. Google is making it easier for its Workspace apps to work with Microsoft Office. Ever wondered what the differences were between Google Docs and Microsoft Word? At any point, you can click to revert to an old version of the document or simply preview the old version to compare changes. Google provides online training guides and documentation for Google Docs to help users who struggle with the program or have questions. All of this functionality is available on Google Docs, and Google Docs also has a very powerful timeline feature that shows all of the past edits and who made the edits. You also get far more powerful templates, which could speed up your work, depending on what you use Word for. A preview of your file opens. In Microsoft Word’s online iteration, it is a condensed version leaving out some features but ultimately leaving out the ones that really matter. You can track changes from each author in Word and revise these changes before they go through to the final version, and comments can be added to documents, too. You can use any one of these word processing programs to … Its toolset for composing text and tracking changes were the gold standard (sorry Word Perfect). All three are capable of creating rich text documents with beautiful fonts, popular formatting options, images, tables, lists, graphs, illustrations, starting from a blank page or a predefined template. Microsoft Word, on the other hand, is not free. With Google Docs, saving is done to the cloud automatically. With Microsoft Word, whether from Office 2019 or Office 365, you can easily create new offline documents and then once you’re online, they can get uploaded to the cloud. It comes as … By default, Google Docs doesn’t really have offline functionality. If the Google Docs File is Open . At the top, click Open with Google Docs. The references you create are saved on the computer in which you created them. A good way to compare Microsoft Word vs Google Docs is by digging into the features of each word processing platform. While Google Docs is a web-based program, so it can be used on mobile phones easily and users can edit and share documents on the go too. Among the most popular and capable online document editors, I can name Google Docs, Zoho Writer and the online version of Microsoft Word. The alternative is to e-mail a copy of the Word file to other people to share it with them. If your budget is tight, then grab the following Google Docs proposal templates free of charge. It’s safe to say that Microsoft Word is easily the most advanced option when it comes to functionality. On top of th… Google is rolling out new features across Docs and other Workspace apps to increase interoperability with Word and the Microsoft Office suite. Because of this, Google Docs is even a great platform to create public documents that you can let the whole world view and download. You don’t lose any functionality when Microsoft Word goes offline, although co-authoring won’t be available. Collaboration. Sharing is as easy as clicking File > Share and creating a link. However, those who are new to Microsoft Word may find it less user-friendly, requiring more effort to locate common features and formatting options. However, it lacks some of the more advanced features that are available in Microsoft Word, like page borders, background color, watermarking, and comparing two versions of a document. Convert Word files to Google Docs and vice versa. Create, edit and share text documents. Does Google Docs or Microsoft Word Have Better Features? However, Google Docs wins in this category for a number of reasons. Hence, Google Docs is stronger on the web and mobile as compared to MS Word. The advanced features in Word include mostly focus on better table formatting and controls, more control over text styles, and better graphic and image implementation. I’d go as far as to say that Google really needs to work on their formatting because at present it has a number of issues. Along with a few other files type such as ODT, PDF, RTF, HTML, TXT, and EPUB. For the most part, this extension will then let you access and edit your files whilst offline, but the extension isn’t without its problems. For 90% of users, the word processing capabilities of Google Docs is more than enough. You’ll need to be an Office 365 subscriber to be able to open, edit, and automatically sync your files online with Microsoft Word. You can easily perform this … Microsoft Office files are still very common, but if you’re more of a Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides user, you can still edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files in Google Drive–if you know how. Word also includes other more advanced features that are less commonly used, but can be quite useful, like page borders, background color, and watermarks to name a few. 8 Best Free Google Doc Proposal Templates. Users of previous versions find Microsoft Word easy to use. So, in summary, Google Docs and Microsoft Word are very close in this section but Google Docs come ahead just slightly thanks to its awesome auto-save feature. My name is Aseem Kishore and I am a full-time professional blogger. There is also a strong online community for Google Docs where users can get help from other users and professionals. Google Docs and Microsoft Word are neck and neck, but in many areas Microsoft Word comes out just ahead. All you need to do is apply some settings in the Insync app and it will automatically convert your Google Docs to Microsoft Word! Anyone with a web browser can view a document that is publicly shared, and anyone with a Google account can edit a document. There are also student discounts available. Once installed, you can turn on ‘offline’ mode from within the settings menu on Google Drive. Any changes you make are saved to the original Microsoft Office file. Since Google Docs files are stored in the cloud, documents can be accessed from any computer, as well as through the Android app or iOS app . You may also check their specific modules, like tools, plans, costs, conditions, etc. Slides for Google Docs are designed for better and more impressive documents. Once the Word file is uploaded, you can read it, make changes, and share it with others from your Google account. But sometimes the premium quality you're looking for isn't available. Multiple people can edit a document at the same time. Using the templates you can enhance your presentations with high-quality images, drawings and smooth transitions. In Drive, double-click a Word file. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('snhb-sidebar_3-0'); }); Welcome to Help Desk Geek- a blog full of help desk tips for IT Professionals and geeks. Both Microsoft Word and Google Docs offer some great cloud capabilities now. See edits as others type. You don’t have to worry about having the latest version of the app since Google updates it automatically in the background. Accessing Office 365 and Microsoft Word in the cloud requires a Microsoft account. Google Docs offers the option to download your Doc as a Microsoft Word document. Below is a chart to help illustrate the major advantages and disadvantages of each of these word processors. However, you can download the Office suite, including Microsoft Word, and install it on your computer if you prefer. Sharing a file with other people in Google Docs is very straightforward. Both Microsoft Word and Google Docs offer some great cloud capabilities now. We only send useful stuff! The difference is Microsoft Word doesn’t offer the same compatibility as Google Docs. But for some, Microsoft Word’s advanced features will be important. Since then, he has developed an incredible passion for writing about all sorts of tech from smartphones, PC hardware, software, and everything in between. With Google Docs, saving is done to the cloud automatically. I’ve found it’s useful to do the same for Heading One and Heading Two, which are Calibri 16 and 13, respectively. You can create a new Google Doc just by uploading a Word file. However, you can download a file as a different file type. Microsoft provides help and training documentation online at. When saving a document in Microsoft Word, you can choose between multiple file types to save the document. While most of you have been using Microsoft Word for years to draft everything from school assignments to resumes to essential work documents, Google Docs is a web-based platform that has significantly changed the way you edit and share docs in this era. The Final Verdict. The Docs Conversion Process. From there, you can save to OneDrive and then add the names of the people you want to share with. Copyright © 2008-2020 Help Desk Geek.com, LLC All Rights Reserved. Google Docs is available for free to everyone with a Google account. Sure, Microsoft Word might be the most popular word processing software out there, but if you’d rather leverage Google’s cloud-based productivity apps or if you already use G Suite for business, Google Docs could be the better option for you. If you need the extra functionality and formatting power of Word and don’t mind paying for it, we’d recommend it. All you have to do is enter the e-mail address of individuals with which you want to share a document. When I started, Microsoft Word was the de facto document for composing text. Otherwise, you’ll need to set up OneDrive backup with your Microsoft Office 2019 files. With Microsoft Word available in the cloud as part of Office 365, files can be shared with other users who also have an Office 365 subscription. In this article, I want to point out the major differences to help you decide which option is best for you. I cannot suggest Google Docs for offline usage when Microsoft Word has been built from the ground up from the very beginning to be an offline word processor. Exporting References Open Microsoft Word… As a part of Office 365, Microsoft Word is available in the cloud and is automatically updated by Microsoft. In order to use them within Microsoft Word, we will need to convert Google Docs to Microsoft Word’s DOCX format, then download it afterward. Subscribe to Help Desk Geek and get great guides, tips and tricks on a daily basis! 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