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Format documents, organize writing, collaborate, and prepare readable files for sharing or printing.
Search this topicSelect the paragraphs, then choose Format > Line & paragraph spacing > Double. Select all the document text first if the setting should apply throughout. This controls line spacing within paragraphs. If gaps between paragraphs remain too large, review the separate space-before and space-after settings rather than adding or deleting blank lines at random.
Click the heading and choose Format > Line & paragraph spacing > Keep with next. It keeps that paragraph with the following one when pages reflow. Use Pages format; this control is unavailable in Pageless documents. Check print preview afterward instead of inserting repeated blank lines that can shift whenever the text changes.
Select the text and open Format > Text > Capitalization. Choose the case you need, then review names and abbreviations because automatic title case cannot know every preferred spelling. This changes the text itself, so undo promptly if the selection was too broad or included case-sensitive codes.
Select the relevant paragraphs, then open Format > Align & indent > Indentation options. Choose Hanging under Special indent, enter the required size, and apply it. The first line stays farther left while subsequent lines move inward. Use your required style's measurement; do not create the effect by typing spaces before each line.
Place the cursor where the list should begin and choose Checklist from the toolbar. Type an item and press Enter for the next checkbox. Under Format > Bullets & numbering, choose whether checked items receive strikethrough. Use one item per paragraph so checking a box corresponds to one clearly defined task.
Double-click the first number in the list you want to change. Open Format > Bullets & numbering > List options > Restart numbering and enter the new starting number. This changes list numbering without manually replacing each number. Use Continue previous numbering instead when two separated list sections should form one sequence.
Apply heading styles to your section titles first. Click where the contents list should go, then choose Insert > Page elements > Table of contents and select a style. The entries link to document headings. After adding or renaming sections, refresh the contents list; ordinary large or bold text may not provide the structure it needs.
Format one heading the way you want, then open Format > Paragraph styles, choose its heading level, and select Update heading to match. Other text using that same heading style updates too. Confirm that you selected the correct level, since changing Heading 2 should not be used to redesign unrelated body text.
Use a document in Pageless format with proper heading styles. Hover over a heading and click the arrow beside it to collapse or expand its section. This helps navigate a long document without deleting the text. It is a viewing convenience, not a way to hide sensitive content from people who can access the file.
Open File > Page setup, choose Pages or Pageless, and confirm. Pages supports print-oriented features such as page numbers and headers. Pageless creates a continuous scrolling document that adapts to the window width. Existing headers and similar elements may become hidden in Pageless rather than being removed, so review them when switching back.
Open View > Text width and choose a wider setting while the document is in Pageless format. This changes your reading width, not a printed page margin. Your selection does not force the same width on collaborators. If you need precise paper dimensions for printing, switch to Pages and use page setup instead.
Choose View > Show outline, then click a heading in the left panel to jump to that section. Apply actual heading styles to section titles so the structure is useful. The outline is a navigation panel beside the document; it is different from inserting a table of contents into the document's text.
Turn on View > Show non-printing characters. The blue markers reveal spaces, tabs and different kinds of breaks that affect layout. Inspect the area that behaves unexpectedly before deleting anything. These markers help diagnose formatting and do not become ordinary printed text; turn the view off again when you no longer need it.
Check that the text uses a heading style rather than merely large bold type; subtitles do not appear in the outline. If you previously removed the heading from the outline, select its text, right-click, and choose Add to document outline. Restoring the navigation entry does not require copying the section or rewriting its contents.
Click after the text that needs a note, then choose Insert > Page elements > Footnote and type the note. Docs manages the reference marker for you. In Pageless format, footnotes appear together at the document's end. A footnote is a note linked to text, not automatically a correctly formatted academic citation.
Use Pages format and open the header or footer. Select Different first page, then edit the first-page and later-page areas as needed. This is useful for a cover page without the regular running header. Check both areas before printing because changing one does not necessarily remove content from the other.
Create the needed section break, then open the new section's header and turn off Link to previous. Edit that section's header after unlinking it. Otherwise your change can affect the linked section too. Work in Pages format and check the section boundaries before making a large document-wide edit.
Place the cursor at the intended boundary and choose Insert > Break > Page break in Pages format. A real page break keeps the boundary clearer than a stack of blank paragraphs. If a particular heading should always start a page, select it and use Add page break before from the paragraph-spacing menu.
Click just below the page break and press Backspace or Delete carefully until the break is removed. Use non-printing characters to distinguish a break from empty paragraphs before changing anything. If the extra page remains, inspect paragraph-spacing and page-break-before settings rather than repeatedly deleting nearby text that you meant to keep.
Open the document in a supported current browser, choose Tools > Voice typing, and allow microphone access if requested. Click the microphone to start and click it again to stop. Speak clearly and review the transcript for names, punctuation and mistakes. This enters text into the document; it is not an audio recording feature.
Voice editing commands require English for both the account and document language. Check those settings and pause around each command so it is easier to recognize. Dictation language support is broader than command support, so successful speech transcription does not prove that editing commands are available in the same language.
Check microphone access in the browser and your computer's sound settings, then confirm the correct microphone works in another application. Move to a quieter place and check input volume. If the tool is unavailable on a work account, an administrator may have disabled it. Do not assume changing the document's font or language repairs a microphone problem.
Copy the Markdown text, then right-click in Google Docs and choose Paste from Markdown. Docs converts supported syntax into document formatting instead of leaving all the markup characters visible. Review headings, links and lists after conversion, especially with a complex source. This is different from ordinary paste or pasting text without formatting.
Choose File > Download > Markdown (.md). Open the downloaded file in the destination editor and check links, lists and headings. Markdown represents text structure rather than every aspect of a page layout, so complex document styling may not transfer exactly. Keep the original Google Doc if you still need its richer formatting.
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