Google Docs provides a function we thought it already had: non-printing characters

Google is including a function to Google Docs that permits you to see non-printing characters similar to areas, tabs, and numerous forms of breaks, the corporate introduced in a blog post on Monday. The choice, which shall be accessible within the View menu, may help make modifying a doc simpler by exhibiting you precisely how its formatted relatively than making you rely purely on what you may see to inform whether or not one thing is a tab or a bunch of areas. It may also be extra useful when troubleshooting tousled formatting.

Prior to now, folks have had to rely on third-party add-ons for Google Docs to see the non-printing characters. Whereas it’s not a function that many individuals can have a lot use for (extra on that in a second), there was undoubtedly demand for it. A request on Google’s IssueTracker obtained over 80 votes from folks saying they have been impacted by the shortcoming to see the characters. Some additionally left impassioned feedback: “My staff agrees that this can be a main subject with google docs,” wrote one person in 2019, whereas somebody requested “How has this not been made accessible but??” lower than per week in the past.

On the opposite facet of the coin, I, and several other of my colleagues, have been shocked to listen to that the app didn’t have this function till now. Apparently, none of us had ever come throughout the necessity for it or thought to verify for it — and sure, that does appear a bit odd looking back, provided that we’re all writers, however I suppose we simply assumed it was there.

I used to be additionally shocked that Google Docs didn’t have it provided that I keep in mind studying about non-printing characters in an elementary faculty pc class; Microsoft Phrase has been capable of present them for pretty much the entire time I’ve been alive. (One in every of my co-workers recalled that his dad and mom had the function on when he was rising up, which made him assume that was simply how digital paperwork labored.)

Nonetheless, the addition is best late than by no means, and I’m positive there are some Google Docs customers which might be very excited by this announcement. In keeping with the weblog put up, the function shall be accessible to all enterprise, academic, and private accounts, and needs to be absolutely rolled out by February seventh.