Google Docs Tips and Tricks: Settings

Google Docs

Google Docs is Google's online free document program that requires a Google account to use. Because the program is online, your saved documents do not take up any space on your computer. You can find more information on Google's help page, How to Use Google Docs.

Save & Download

Google Docs are saved automatically to your Google Drive account. If you want to work on your paper in a different program later on, want to send it to the Library's Web Print, or be able to upload it to Blackboard, click on the File tab, choose Download As, and choose the appropriate file type.

To learn how to submit your document to Shake Library's Web Print, watch our video Web Print at Shake Library.

Naming Your Document

To give your paper a file name, click on the words Untitled document located at the top of the page, and type in the name of your paper.

Font & Paragraph Settings

To edit your text, use the font and paragraph settings tool menu at the top of the page. When selecting your options, remember this:

• Font names are written in the style of that particular font, so you know what it looks like.
• Most professors require you to use font size 12.
• If you want the title of your paper to be centered, select Center align from the text alignment feature.
• The body of your text is typically aligned left.
• Most professors require the text of your paper to be double-spaced, so use the Change line spacing feature to select 2.0.

Check out the image below for a breakdown of the formatting tools from Google Workspace Learning Center's Google Docs cheat sheet.

Google Workspace Learning Center. Edit text. 2025. Google Docs Cheat Sheet, Google, https://storage.googleapis.com/support-kms-prod/OFj3kqCsnxjg0jnGe2sUvJRBuFdEzYV6D39h. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

Hanging Indents

Both MLA's Work Cited and APA's References require citations to be listed with hanging indents.To set hanging indents

• Select and highlight the text you wish to have a hanging indent.
• Click on the Format menu at the top of the page.
• Then click Align & indent.
• Select Indentation options.
  
  
   
• Click on the Special indent dropdown menu.
• Select Hanging.
• Type 0.5 in the box next to Hanging.
• Click Apply.