How to Use Google Docs to Edit Templates

Have you discovered the awesomeness of Google Docs yet?? It’s free with your Gmail account and fully compatible with Microsoft Word.

I must admit, I was a bit skeptical using a new word processor, but my experience with the platform has been excellent. I’m able to:

• switch seamlessly between Microsoft Word and Google Docs
• download my documents in PDF form (plus other formats)
• share my templates on a platform everyone has free access to

Win, win win.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, no worries. I’ll walk you through it step-by-step!

How to Save and Edit Templates in Google Docs:

Once you have picked out a template to edit (see a full list here), go ahead and sign in to your Gmail account in the upper righthand corner above the form.

Next, select File, then select Make a copy…

You will then be given the option to rename the file before saving it. Once you have your name, click OK to save the file in your Google Drive (Google Drive is the free storage that comes with your Gmail account).

You will now have your own copy of the form to edit and print saved in your Google account! Make your changes to the template as needed. Your changes will be saved automatically as you type.

Voila! You’ve taken a Google Doc template and made it into your own document in your Google Drive!

If you are not interested in using Google Docs or if you do not have a Gmail account…

No Gmail account? No problem. You can download RMR templates on to your computer from Google Docs with a variety of file formats to choose from.

Here’s How:

First, select File, then select Download as, and simply choose the type of file you would like to download (i.e. Microsoft Word, PDF, etc.).

After the download is complete, you can access the document in the Downloads folder on your computer and edit with your favorite software. 🙂

I hope this tutorial has helped you gain confidence in using Google Docs! It’s such a great free resource!

Now go ahead try it out!

Amy