Week 5: Increase your productivity

Want to get more out of Google apps at work or school? Sign up for a free Google Workspace trial

Now that you're a Google Workspace expert, explore these ways to...

• Improve productivity in your inbox
• Work faster in Docs editors
• Add extra features to Google Workspace

These instructions are for desktop only.

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Improve productivity in your inbox

Create a separate inbox for another account 

If you own several email accounts that you'd like to manage separately, you can create an inbox for each address. Follow steps at the Gmail Help Center to:

1. Send mail from a different address or alias.
2. Create another inbox for that address or alias. For the search criteria, enter to:[e-mail].

Mail sent to that address will go to your custom inbox.

Use Priority Inbox

Let Gmail sort and prioritize your email into categories, such as Important and unread.

1. On your computer, go to Gmail.
2. To configure your inbox, go to the top right, then click Settings .
3. In the "Inbox type" section, select Priority Inbox.
4. To customize priority inbox setting, click Customize. 
5. Choose the inbox sections you want to show  Save Changes.

Learn more at the Gmail Help Center

 

Learn more ways to organize and optimize your Gmail inbox. 

Work faster in Docs editors

Use dictation in Docs

1. Make sure that you have a working microphone built in to your device or connected externally.
2. In Chrome Browser, choose an option:
   • Create a new document.
   • Open an existing document.
3. Place your cursor where you want the text.
4. Click ToolsVoice typing.
5. Click Speak  and speak your text.

   Speak clearly and at a normal volume and pace, noting any punctuation, spacing, or formatting, such as comma, new paragraph, or bold. You can even say words for images, such as smiley face.

6. When you're finished, click Speak .

For a list of all voice commands, supported languages, and troubleshooting, see Type with your voice.

Learn more

Transfer ownership of Drive files and Calendar events

Transfer ownership of files and folders in Drive:

1. If you haven’t already, share the file or folder with the person you want to make the owner. See Get started with Drive.
2. In Drive, right-click the file or folder you want to transfer and select Share .
3. Click Advanced.
4. Next to the person’s name that you want to make the owner, click Edit  or View  and select Is owner.
5. Click Save changes.
6. If prompted, verify the transfer of ownership.
7. Click Done.

Transfer ownership of events in Calendar:

1. Single-click the event and at the top, click More Change owner.
2. Enter the email address of the new owner.
3. (Optional) To add a note for the new owner, enter a message.
4. Click Change Owner.

Learn more

Translate your documents

1. In Google Drive, open your Docs file.
2. At the top, click ToolsTranslate document.
3. In the dialog box, name your translated copy of the document and select a language.
4. Click Translate.

Learn more

Compare documents

1. Select FileVersion historySee version history.
2. Click a time stamp to see a previous version of the file.
3. (Optional) Do any of the following:
   • To make a previous version the active version, at the top, click Restore this version.
   • To name a previous version, click More Name this version.
   • To make a copy of a previous version, click More Make a copy.

Learn more

Add extra features to Google Workspace

Get add-ons for Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms

1. In Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Forms, open a document, spreadsheet, presentation, or form.
2. If you’re using Docs, Sheets, or Slides, at the top, click Add-onsGet add-ons.
3. If you’re using Forms, in the top-right corner, click MoreAdd-ons.
4. (Optional) To see a short description of an add-on, point to it. To see a full description, click the add-on.
5. Click the add-on you want to install and click Free.
6. If needed, review the access message and click Allow.

For more information, see Use add-ons & Apps Script.

Create a custom search engine in Chrome Browser

1. In Chrome Browser, open the website you want to create a search engine for.
2. In the website's search bar, enter a search.
    
   Example: Go to YouTube and search the word "test." Your browser will be redirected to a link: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=test.
3. At the top of your browser, copy the link.
4. Click More Settings Search engineManage search engines.
5. Scroll to Other search engines and click Add.
6. In the URL with %s in place of query field, paste your link and replace your search query with "%s."
    
   Example: For the Youtube search link, replace "test" with %s in the URL: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%s.
7. Name the search engine and create a keyword (a short string to indicate to Chrome Browser you're using this search engine from the browser).
8. Click Add.
9. (Optional) To make the new search engine your default search engine, click MoreMake default.

Learn more

Group and arrange tabs in Chrome Browser

Group your tabs

1. Open Chrome browser.
2. Click New tab .
3. Choose an option:
   • To add a tab to an existing group, drag the tab into the group.
   • To add a tab to a new group:
     1. Click New Tab right-click a tabselect Add Tab to New Group.
     2. Enter a name for your group.
     3. (Optional) You can also:
        • Select a color for the tab.
        • Add additional tabs to the group.
        • Remove the group.

Arrange tabs

• To change the order of your tabs—Drag a tab along the top of the browser window.
• To pin a tab to the left—Right-click the tab and select Pin. Pinned tabs are smaller and only show the site's icon.
• To unpin a tab—Right-click the tab and select Unpin.
• To move a tab to a different window—Right-click on the tab and point to Move Tab to New Window.

Learn more

Advanced search across products

Search your emails, chats, or spaces

1. Open Gmail.
2. At the top, in the search box, enter your search criteria.
3. Press Enter.
4. (Chat in Gmail enabled only) Choose where to search by clicking Mail, Messages, or Spaces:
   • Mail searches your email.
   • Messages searches existing messages in chats and spaces.
   • Spaces searches the names of spaces that you have joined and spaces that you can join. 

Learn more at the Gmail Help Center

Search in Calendar

1. Open Google Calendar and at the top, click Search and enter your search term.

   You'll see results as you type, including ones from other Google products you use, such as Gmail and Google Drive. Click on a result to see the details for that event.

2. To filter your results, to the right of the search box, click the Down arrow and choose an option:
   • Which calendars to search
   • What (information from the event, including its name)
   • Who (names of invitees, or event owners)
   • Where (location for your event)
   • Doesn't have (words not included in the event)
   • Date (choose a date range)
3. Click Search.

Search in Drive

1. On the right of the search box, click the Down arrow .
   Choose any option or combination of options to filter your results further.
   • Type—Search by file type.

     Note: For Sites, only draft (not published) sites that you have view or edit access to appear.

   • Owner—Search by file owner.
   • Location—Search by location (including items in the Trash or Starred). You can only search for folders that are in My Drive or in shared drives.
   • Date modified—See items that were recently modified by anyone (not just you).
   • Item name—Search for a term in the file name.
   • Has the words—Search for files that contain certain words.
   • Shared with—Search for someone that has access to the file.
   • Follow up—Search for files you own with suggestions, or files with action items assigned to you.
2. Click Search.