Google Drive is quite the tool, allowing you to create, edit, and share files and other documents from nearly any device in nearly any location. For Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, you can make them even better using add-ons. Here are some of the best Google add-ons to help you get the most out of these programs in 2022.
To download add-ons, open any file in one of those three programs, then search the toolbar at the top for Add-ons.
Speakd for Google Docs: Reads Your Text out Loud
Great for proofreading or making sure you’re writing in the correct tone, Speakd will read entire documents back to you, or you can highlight specific portions and just have it read back those parts. It also keeps track of how long it has been reading, in case you need to get a sense of the length of a speech.
Download the Speakd Add-on for Google Docs
Doc Builder for Google Docs: Reuse Text Snippets Quickly and Easily
If you find yourself reusing certain portions of text repeatedly, and you want a quicker way to find those snippets when creating documents, Doc Builder is the add-on you need. It creates a sidebar where you can quickly navigate through saved portions of text and insert them directly into your documents.
If you write many similar types of documents that use similar verbiage, like contracts or pitches, Doc Builder will save you a ton of time and help prevent costly mistakes when reusing portions of your documentation.
Download the Doc Builder Add-on for Google Docs
Text Cleaner for Google Docs: Easily Match Text From Different Applications
It can be extremely difficult in a bare-bones word processor like Google Docs to pull text from different sources and have it all match up. Copying and pasting can pull in different fonts, background colors, HTML codes, and other unwanted information that throws the organization and flow of your document completely out the window. Text Cleaner fixes all that by letting you choose what formatting elements you want to keep and which you want to eliminate. Using simple check boxes, you can clean up your entire document, or just specific highlighted portions.
Download the Text Cleaner Add-on for Google Docs
Slides Toolbox for Google Slides: Makes Repetitive Actions a Snap
Slides Toolbox helps cut down on lots of repetitive editing tasks you might do across your Google Slides presentations. It’s a huge time-saver once you learn where everything is, and is perfect for actions that have several small steps. Some useful things the Slides Toolbox contains are:
- Table of Contents: Automatically creates a Table of Contents slide that links to each other slide in your presentation.Export Slides: Save your entire presentation, or each individual slide, as a single image.Set Font Size, Casing, etc: Quickly and easily manipulate all the text in your presentation.Download Outline Text: Export all the text in your presentation to a single text file.
Download the Slides Toolbox Add-on for Google Slides
Insert Icons for Google Slides: A Quick Way to Add Illustrations to Presentations
You can also find this add-on for Docs and Sheets, but Slides is where Insert Icons will probably see most of its use. This add-on features almost 2000 different icons to choose from and allows you to add them to your presentation in nearly any color.
The icons are free and are imported into your presentation with a transparent background, meaning anything you’ve already created will still be visible. These versatile icons come from Font Awesome and Google Material Design and are contained in easy-to-search databases that will let you add style to your presentations quickly and hassle-free.
Download the Insert Icons Add-on for Google Slides
Pear Deck for Google Slides: Adds Interaction to Your Presentations
This add-on is a bit specialized, but it solves one of the biggest issues of Slides presentations: lack of interactivity. Pear Deck gives several options to add interactive slides to a presentation, including multiple-choice questions, slides where you drag elements to place them where they need to go, and data collection slides.
It’s a perfect way for teachers to give students something to do besides click through a presentation, and it can be used to easily collect data and add interactivity during meetings and work sessions.
Download the Pear Deck Add-on for Google Slides
Easy Accents for Google Slides: A Godsend for Those Who Write in Other Languages
If you don’t already know the keyboard shortcuts for adding accents into a Slides presentation, it can be tedious and time-consuming. If you frequently find yourself creating presentations with words from other languages, Easy Accents is a must-have.
There are a ton of available languages to choose from, and all accented letters will appear so you can easily choose and insert them into your presentation. No more trying to draw accented letters into Google’s “Add Special Character” box; just grab Easy Accents and never worry about it again.
Download the Easy Accents Add-on for Google Slides
Translate My Sheet for Google Sheets: Features Over 100 Languages
Use the power of Google’s massive algorithm to translate your sheet to more than 100 languages with Translate My Sheet. You can select certain ranges or convert the entire thing, and it’s simple and easy to use. This isn’t a complex or fancy app, but it does exactly what you need it to and it does it well.
Download the Translate My Sheet Add-on for Google Sheets
Table Styles for Google Sheets: Allows for Custom, Eye-Catching Data Tables
Creating tables can be one of the most finicky and frustrating aspects of working with Google Sheets, and Table Styles cuts back on the time and stress they can cause. There are several different styles for you to pick from, and you can also easily manipulate them to create your own templates.
Add custom colors and graphics, then save your custom table styles so you can always go back to them and reuse them in the future. Table Styles is intuitive and an absolute must for branding and business.
Download the Table Styles Add-on for Google Sheets
Crop Sheet for Google Sheets: Eliminates All the Data You Don’t Need
Spreadsheets can get a bit out of control, and there’s often a lot of information we either don’t need to show or don’t want others to see. That’s where Crop Sheet comes in. Simple and effective, Crop Sheet is an add-on that seems like it should be an option in the base program. You can either crop specific data on the sheet or a selection of cells.
Download the Crop Sheet Add-on for Google Sheets
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