Google Docs lets you suggest edits on a document when you’re collaborating with others. After you suggest an edit, the document’s owner can then accept or delete it. Here’s how it works.
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How to Suggest an Edit in Google Docs
When you’re viewing a document in Google Docs, you’re doing so in one of three states:
Editing: This view means you’re directly editing the document. Suggesting: This view means the edits you make show up as suggestions. Viewing: This state gives you a nice clean view for reading or printing.
If you look up at the top right of the document window, you’ll see your current state. If you see “Suggesting” then you’re good to go. If you see “Editing” or “Viewing” then click that button and then click the “Suggesting” option.
If you don’t see the option to suggest edits, you may need to ask the owner to give you the proper editing permissions to do so.
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To suggest an edit to the file, all you have to do is type your changes to the document. Any changes you make appear in a different color than the original text. Deleted words become crossed out. And a comment box appears to the right of the document that clarifies the suggestion. You can even reply to that comment with additional information explaining your suggestion.
When you suggest changes to a document, the owner receives an email about your suggestions and can choose to keep the edit or remove it from the file completely. They do this by clicking the check or “X” button on the comment.
