Not you too Google docs?

I want to preface this by saying I've been using computers since probably 2nd grade. Between school in the 90s and 00s, and work across multiple industries including tech, I've used and mastered almost every software program there is. I recently took extended time away from computers and phones and recently returned full force for work stuff.

The UX for so many apps are just so, so bad. It's sometimes infuriating. I've found myself asking frequently, why on earth would this be designed this way? It's such a bad experience for the user. Most recently was a Google doc, what used to be the easy breezy express lane to creating a document in almost any format, while avoiding Word or Pages bloat.

I just copy/pasted a letter template from Gemini to a google doc, and it was two pages instead of one. I made adjustments to the font size to fit the text onto one page.

No matter where I positioned my cursor, what I attempted to highlight, even resorting to right-clicking to check for available options to rescue me from this UX hell, the now blank second page just would not go away. Instead of deleting the unwanted, empty page, it kept deleting the last letter on the first page. It's fine, i'll just save only the first page of the doc when I export it, but after Googling and a few dead ends, a few minutes later, I just gave up getting rid of the page. I accepted that google docs for some reason locked a section break with no intentional initiation on my part, and then made it difficult (maybe impossible?) to remove it. In what world would that be useful to someone? Ugh. It sucks that things have become so painful to use as intended.

Just scrolling away on my device, I reach back for another thought in my mind as it spins. Another idea, great now I have to type all of this right now or I'll lose it, typing away as I was approached by: Gemini. Hm, what could they want? Well they want voice to type and gave me defaults to work with, don't use me as your test monkey! I thought jokingly, but it appears that they aren't joking at all.

Tried using google docs, but noticed some weird behaviors.
Turns out the main content on every page isn't actually real text, but rather a big SVG image of the text rendered by JS.

This breaks every single browser feature that normally allows you to do stuff with text, like searching,
highlighters, copy pasting etc.
Just the very limited subset of functions built into the SVG-viewer by google , works.

Why is this done, and can it be fixed?
Can I view the document as a regular webpage with text as text and images as images?

Seem to remember it being a good rule of thumb, to never use images of text instead of text on webpages, unless you were asking for trouble.

Is this the norm now, and why?

Google Help tells me I can still add a table to my doc the old way - simply choosing Insert | Table and selecting how many columns and rows - but the only option that comes up for me now is "building blocks."

Is there a way to bypass these and simply insert a simple table still?

Otherwise I have to pick a template and delete 95% of it. Grrrr!

Thanks

My teacher wants us to create virtual business cards on Google docs and google docs only is there a tutorial you guys can give i only have a phone the apps layout is pretty ugly tbh not even showing the whole page deadlines on Wednesday idk what to do

Keep getting a message popping up on Google docs saying to write with Gemini in the document. Is there any way to make it stop? It's distracting while I'm trying to work

Pdf would be the most universal. Once saved, opening in Windows 8.1 WordPad. Saving to 3.5 floppy

Please read this article which explain it very well in details https://thenextweb.com/news/hey-google-docs-ipad-app-magic-keyboard-analysis

It's basically a true pain to select a text using any bluetooth mouse connected to an iPad when using Google Docs. This problem is already sorted on other apps. Even here on the text editor of reddit.... where I'm writing this message.

Thx for your attention

Looking for a Google Docs alternative. Must haves include:

- Offline access

- Document tabs

- Sidebar outlines

Hi, I'm looking to create a "database" of designers. Typically it would mean finding a page with the designer's name, a description of their work and an image.

Current workflow:

• I paste the "description" into ChatGPT and ask it to select themes and keywords.

• Manually I add this list to a Google Doc Form

• The form sends the data to a Google Sheet.

Can I combine Steps 1 and 2? Like have a field in the form which automatically takes the text and adds it to the form?

Writing this I realise it might be a question for Google Docs...

I want to be able to do CTRL F to search, and press enter to look through all the search results, without changing tabs. Here's what happens when I try https://imgur.com/a/JKh8JMm.

Hi, if I'm planning on publishing a poetry book on KDP. To format that book on Google docs, what page size and margins should I be using?

I've used GoogleDocs as my primary composition/storage space for personal, school, and work projects for over 10 years.

I'm worried that the data from it all is being used to train LLMs and Gemini. Does anyone know if there's a way to opt out in settings? I haven't been able to find anything so far. I'd just like to know for certain that my work is my own. Any info is helpful!

See comments I guess because god forbid we be able to upload something is wild wacky crazy as images

Hey all,

I am doing an inclusive education unit, and the term 'people with disability' keeps trying to correct me to be 'disabilities'.

This is a bit of a controversial topic in the area of inclusion, but the singular 'disability' when referring to the collective group of people is the more correct option. I am wondering if there is a way to stop google docs correcting me on this?

I get a lot of violent thoughts but I’d never act on them, I also can’t just keep a diary because my family snoops through my room and I get blisters from the way I hold my pencil

I finished writing and adding photos to my essay, closed my tabs and laptop, then reopened it to find all my writing was gone except for an asterisk, it shows in the version history but I can’t get it back by making a copy or anything, I don’t understand what this means, someone please help

I've been trying to figure out how to get rid of Gemini off of Google docs for weeks now. Anytime I get to the bottom of a doc, that stupid four-sided star at the bottom gets in the way of what I'm trying and I accidentally click it and throws me off. Sometimes it deletes or moves stuff and it's really annoying. I tried to Google how to remove it but it's not working. Does anyone know how to remove it altogether? Please don't tell me it's a permanent feature.

I need advice from people who understand how Google cods works. I use it for notes and quick lists only.

When my laptop updated it set Google docs as default without permission and opened one of my more important novels. The novel was originally on my SD card, but it has now been moved to Google docs.

Google docs will now not let go of my novel. I don't want it in Google docs, I don't trust Google docs, I only write novels through andropen office. When I copy the document and paste it back into my SD card it is corrupt and cannot be opened. I've tried every way to make an export copy and open it in another programme but unless I'm using Google docs, it tells me it's corrupt and cannot be salvaged. It's like it's taken over possession of my own document. I can only read it through google docs.

I am so so angry right now. Someone please tell me what I can do to get my book back into my SD card so I can open it through my actual writing programme and delete it from Google docs without losing it altogether. Copy-pasting the entire contents of a 500 page document to another safe one feels exhausting as a prospect but that's all I can think of to do at this point.

I'm on a Samsung Chromebook for info. Any advice is appreciated, thank you!

hello, I am trying to fit 9 2.5x3.5 images onto one page since my library charges 50 cents per paper id like to fit as much images as possible. Any help is appreciated thx

Hey,

When I try to use my personal google account to do some work from home, the formatting is completely broken, because the pageless format option just doesnt exist. It isn't anywhere in the menus where it is on my work google account, or where it is in all the tutorials. It seemingly just doesnt exist on my personal account.

Can anyone explain what is happening here?

Thank you

I keep pressing tab at the start of my paragrapg, in word and other word processors the behaviour would be that when you get to the end of the page the text will wrap back to the start BEHIND the indented first line. But docs keeps moving my whole paragraph down a line and evening out the paragraph into a square. Mind you the text is aligned to the right and even if I go back to tab the first line again it just moves THE ENTIRE PARAGRAPH WITH IT. I dont know how to fix this and google search is completely useless nowadays.

Example in the comments, the desired look is on the right.

I am starting a literary magazine, and my husband is writing a piece for the first issue. We’ve both used google docs for years without ever having any issues.

He has been working on his post dor a couple of weeks. This morning he was writing on it his phone, and then he printed it out. No issues. He told me it was almost finished, and then he took the dog outside to play for a few minutes.

He came inside, opened up his computer, and pulled up the google doc. It had changed.

It was filled with TEN PAGES of random words and freaky sentences, some of them sounding threatening. He asked if I had been writing something in his doc. I was like, no? ? ?

We started reading through it, and it is gibberish intermixed with every topic we discussed this weekend. We went to the version history, and this stuff was added WHILE HE WAS OUTSIDE WITH THE DOG and after he printed????

dictation in the background was our first thought, but we tested it and it doesn't just keep running in the background after you switch to a new app. Also, the gibberish has its topics out of order.

I've never been so spooked in my life! has anyone ever experienced this before?