Google's cutting out a step in a common user workflow.
: Google has rolled this out to all platforms, including iOS and Android.
Google Docs could open Office files for a while now. First, double-clicking on a file stored in Drive would open the file as a preview rather than in an editor. You'd be given the choice to open it in an editor if you wanted to or download it, but most people opening Office files do actually want to work on them at that moment.
Likely as a result of user feedback, Google is changing the workflow. Instead, it'll open Office files including .docx, .doc, .ppt, .pptx, .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm automatically in their associated editor app, whether Docs, Sheets, or Slides. Users may still invoke the Preview by right-clicking and then pressing preview, but the default behavior for Docs is now the expected behavior when clicking on a file.
Or as the :
This change will take effect from October 27, and should roll out to all users by November 11th.
Google has made a few changes to its productivity suite of apps over the past few weeks. Superficially, it's to match its new design language. Substantially, it's also tying these products together, using . With this change, there's one less reason to have Office installed, which is probably what Google's Workspace team is going for.
Google it was rolling this feature out to iPhones and iPads. Now, users of those devices will be able to edit Office files with the Google Workspace suite. With Office compatibility already present on Android and the web, this upgrade is now available everywhere Google Docs is..
: Google has rolled this out to all platforms, including iOS and Android.
What you need to know
- Google Docs gets better for Office users with a simple change.
- The app will now automatically open compatible Office files in their respective editors.
- It's rolling out for all users between October 27th and November 11th.
Google Docs could open Office files for a while now. First, double-clicking on a file stored in Drive would open the file as a preview rather than in an editor. You'd be given the choice to open it in an editor if you wanted to or download it, but most people opening Office files do actually want to work on them at that moment.
Likely as a result of user feedback, Google is changing the workflow. Instead, it'll open Office files including .docx, .doc, .ppt, .pptx, .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm automatically in their associated editor app, whether Docs, Sheets, or Slides. Users may still invoke the Preview by right-clicking and then pressing preview, but the default behavior for Docs is now the expected behavior when clicking on a file.
Or as the :
This change will take effect from October 27, and should roll out to all users by November 11th.
Google has made a few changes to its productivity suite of apps over the past few weeks. Superficially, it's to match its new design language. Substantially, it's also tying these products together, using . With this change, there's one less reason to have Office installed, which is probably what Google's Workspace team is going for.
Update, November 24 (01:00 pm ET) — Now available to all
Google it was rolling this feature out to iPhones and iPads. Now, users of those devices will be able to edit Office files with the Google Workspace suite. With Office compatibility already present on Android and the web, this upgrade is now available everywhere Google Docs is..