Google[4] Docs is a web-based application developed by Google that provides users with a platform to create, edit, and store documents online. The software originated from Writely, a standalone web-based word processor, before being acquired by Google in 2006. It supports real-time collaboration, allowing multiple users to view and edit documents simultaneously. Google Docs is compatible with various browsers such as Google Chrome[1], Firefox, Microsoft[2] Edge, and Safari, and can also be accessed through its dedicated mobile app[3] for Android and iOS[6] devices. Additionally, it facilitates offline editing on the Chrome browser and features automatic saving for uninterrupted work. Google Docs has been praised for its user-friendly interface and innovative features like the Explore function, but has faced criticism for being less powerful than desktop-based suites. Despite a few security[5] issues in the past, Google has promptly addressed them, making it a reliable tool for document management.
Google Docs is an online word processor included as part of the free, web-based Google Docs Editors suite offered by Google, which also includes Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Drawings, Google Forms, Google Sites and Google Keep. Google Docs is accessible via an internet browser as a web-based application and is also available as a mobile app on Android and iOS and as a desktop application on Google's ChromeOS.
Developer(s) | |
---|---|
Initial release | March 9, 2006 |
Written in | JavaScript, Java |
Operating system | Android, iOS, ChromeOS |
Platform | Web application |
Available in | 100 languages[citation needed] |
Type | |
Website | google |
Google Docs allows users to create and edit documents online while collaborating with other users in real time. Edits are tracked by the user making the edit, with a revision history presenting changes. An editor's position is highlighted with an editor-specific color and cursor, and a permissions system regulates what users can do. Updates have introduced features using machine learning, including "Explore", offering search results based on the contents of a document, and "Action items", allowing users to assign tasks to other users.
Google Docs supports opening and saving documents in the standard OpenDocument format as well as in Rich text format, plain Unicode text, zipped HTML, and Microsoft Word. Exporting to PDF and EPUB formats is implemented.