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Google Docs tip: Track changes with new “Suggested Edits” feature

I’ve been pretty satisfied with Google Docs as a free and effective Microsoft Word replacement, but one key Word feature has been missing in action: the ability to track changes made by others.

Word’s “track changes” feature color-codes any edits, additions or deletions made by a collaborator, giving the original writer the chance to review, accept or reject those changes—and, more importantly, keep track of who changed what.

Up until now, “track changes” didn’t exist in Google Docs, meaning the only way to edit someone else’s work without simply editing their original copy was to add a comment in the right margin—a clunky solution, to say the least.

Just select “Suggesting” from the pull-down menu to make your changes appear as “suggested edits.”

Well, good news: the new “Suggested Edits” feature in Google Docs mimics Word’s “track changes” feature in all the important ways, making for much easier—and less confusing—collaboration within a Google document.

Want to give it a try? Here’s how…

All in all, not bad, although eagle-eyed Word users may note that there’s no “Accept all suggested edits” option—meaning that all suggested edits much be accepted or rejected one at a time.

Got more Google Docs questions? Post ’em below!