@bradyjgavin
February 12, 2019, 3:00pm EDT

Google Docs is great, but because it typically requires an internet connection to use, getting things done when you’re offline can be challenging. If you’re using Google Chrome, an official extension named Google Docs Offline changes that.

Note: Using Google Docs offline requires Google’s official Chrome extension, so you can only use it in Google Chrome. It works for Docs, Sheets, and Slides, but not Forms.

How to Use Google Docs Offline

First, you’ll need to install the Chrome extension Google Docs Offline. After installing it, you’ll find a new setting in each of the main Google apps that lets you set things up for offline use. When you enable that setting in one app, it becomes automatically enabled in all supported Google apps, so you don’t need to go to each app to enable it.

We’ll be working with Google Docs in our example, but it works the same in Slides and Sheets. In the app, click on the hamburger icon in the top left corner, and then again on “Settings.”

In the Settings window, toggle the “Offline” switch to the on position and then click “OK.”

Doing this enables offline mode across all the Google Drive applications (Docs, Sheets, and Slides).

In an attempt to save space locally, Google Docs only saves recently accessed files locally for use offline. You have to manually enable it by clicking on the three dots icon to the side of a specific document, then toggle “Available Offline” to access your file from anywhere.

Any file that is available offline shows a grey check mark in the bottom left corner of your Docs, Slides, or Sheets homepage.

Now, when you open the file in offline mode, a lightning bolt icon appears at the top of the document, signifying you are opening the file while offline.

You can now create, open, and edit any files without connecting to the internet. The next time your computer connects to a network, all the changes you made are synced to Google’s servers.

Google Drive now lets you access and edit documents when not connected to the Internet. See how to set up and use this new and useful feature.

Google has now made its Drive service more than an online storage product and productivity suite. You can now edit documents you have stored on Google Drive (or Docs, if you haven’t moved over to the new interface) during those moments — while sitting on an airplane or in a cabin in the woods or in a Wi-Fi-free coffee shop — when you are not connected to the Internet. And when you open that same document when you are back online, the changes you made while offline are there. (For some reason, Google is putting this offline access under the old Docs banner.) Here’s how to start using Google Docs offline.

Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

To begin, Google Docs offline is available only in Google’s own Chrome browser. To enable offline access, go to your Google Drive page and click the gear icon in the upper-right corner and select Set up Google Docs offline. A window will pop up with a two-step setup process. Click the Enable offline Docs button and then for Step 2, you will need to install the Drive Web app for Chrome. Click the second blue button in the window and you will be taken to the Chrome Web store to install the Drive Web app.

Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

After installing the Web app, return to your Drive home page and you’ll see a notification pointing to the gear icon that informs you that some of your recent files are being synced and how to view them. To see which docs are available offline, click the gear icon and choose “view offline Docs.” It opens a new Google Docs offline tab in Chrome. Bookmark this page so you can access it in Chrome when you are without the Internet.

Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

Google Docs offline shows you only Documents and Spreadsheets; Presentations, Drawings, and Forms don’t make the jump. And you can edit Documents but can only view Spreadsheets. And despite there being a grayed-out red (pinked out?) New Document button, you cannot create new documents in offline mode. Given the presence of such a button, I’d wager that this feature is coming soon.

Related stories

• News.com: Google Docs goes offline
• Rafe: Google Docs works, sort of
• Getting started with Google Docs for iOS

I hope support for multiple accounts is coming soon, too. I have two Google accounts, and when I logged out of the first account with which I had set up Google Docs offline and logged in to my second account in Chrome, I was unable to get it working. I went through the same process, but it told me that both steps of enabling offline Docs and installed the Chrome Web app were complete, but it didn’t give me the link to open Docs offline. So, I am currently stuck using Google Docs offline with only one account, but I suspect this is a bug Google will soon work out.

Using Google Docs Offline

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Lesson 26: Using Google Docs Offline

Using Google Docs offline

Google Docs is a great tool for creating and sharing documents online. It also has a useful feature that allows you to edit documents while you’re offline. This can be helpful if you’re planning on using your laptop, tablet, or smartphone somewhere without Internet access. Any changes you make to your documents while offline will be stored and applied to your files the next time you connect to the Internet. There are two methods you can use to work offline, and both are covered in this lesson.

Watch the video below to learn how to view and edit documents while offline.

Before you set up the offline features, you will need to be connected to the Internet.

To use Google Docs offline on your computer:

1. For this method, you will need to use Google Chrome as your web browser. Go to drive.google.com , click the gear in the upper-right corner, then click Settings.

To use Google Docs offline on your mobile device:

You can also easily make your documents available offline using your mobile device. For this method, you will need to have the Google Docs app downloaded onto your mobile device. It’s available for both iOS and Android.

Open the Google Docs app, and locate the file you want to edit offline. Tap the More button.

Unavailable features while offline

While viewing and editing your documents without an Internet connection, there are a few functions and features that won’t be available.

• You won’t be able to see edits online users are making to your documents.
• You can’t share your documents with others until you reconnect to the Internet.
• The spell check feature, adding images, and any add-ons you may have installed will no longer be available.

G oogle Docs is one of the best free word processors out there in the market. The fact that it’s free to use and integrates better with your smartphone makes it a worthy choice for many users.

However, there is one feature that can be considered both its positive and negative aspect. Google Docs requires an internet connection to work and keep your data synced all the time. But there could be times when your internet connection goes down, or you might want to use Google Docs from remote locations.

Making the situation worse, if your internet gets disconnected while you’re editing a document, Docs won’t let you edit it further until the connection starts working again. That’s when you might think about ways to use Google Docs offline. Thankfully, you don’t need to search for long.