Documents, tables and pages
Besides uploaded files, Drive holds three types you create and edit right in the browser. They live in the same folders, follow the same areas and the same access rules as everything else — the difference is that they open in an editor instead of downloading.
| Type | What it is | Editing together | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document | A text document, in the spirit of Word | Yes, with live cursors of the people editing next to you | Yes, on selected text |
| Spreadsheet | A spreadsheet, in the spirit of Excel | Yes, and you see who else is in the table | Only on a cell — no thread about the file as a whole |
| New page | A Markdown page | No — one person at a time | No, only a thread about the whole file |
Creating one
Right-click empty space in a folder and pick the type. You are asked for a name, then the file appears in the folder you are in, takes that folder's area and opens — there is nothing to save by hand: everything you type is saved as you type.
Editing together
Open the same document with a colleague and you both work in it at once. In a Document you see where the other person's cursor is and what they have selected, in their own colour with their name next to it; in a Spreadsheet you see who else is in the table. Changes flow both ways without reloading, and the document keeps up even if one of you is typing quickly.
A New page is the exception — it is meant for one person at a time.
🎬 GIF: two people typing in one document, with the second cursor visible
Comments
There are two kinds of discussion, and which ones you get depends on the type.
A thread about the file as a whole — open it from the menu of a Document or a New page. Everyone with access sees a new comment appear live, including a guest who came in through a link. A Spreadsheet has no such thread: discussion there lives on the cells.
A thread on the exact place — in a Document select the text, in a Spreadsheet select the cell, then pick Add comment: the thread hangs on that fragment. A New page cannot do this —
Inline comments aren't available for Markdown files — use the Comments tab.Commenting is a separate right: give a person the Commenter role and they may discuss without being able to change the text. See Sharing files and documents.
Version history
The History tab keeps the earlier states of the file. Pick a version to look at it, then Restore this version to bring it back. Restoring is safe: the current state is written into the history first, so an accidental restore is itself undoable.
Sharing them
Everything in Sharing files and documents applies here, and the sharing dialog opens from the Share button inside the open document. Two things are worth knowing:
- A person with the Editor role edits together with you, the same way a colleague does — including someone who came in through a link.
- A Commenter can only comment, and a Viewer only read; the link you hand out carries whichever of the three you chose.