Google Docs rolling out new ‘document tabs’ organization system

After announcing in April, Google Docs is rolling out a “document tabs” feature for improved organization.

Available on the web editor, this organization system helps both writers and viewers. It somewhat builds on the existing “Show document outline” feature (for headings) in the top-left corner, which is now called “Show tabs & outlines.” It can:

• Visualize the document structure anytime.
• Use the tabs as sections of a document for easier navigation.

By default, a new document has “Tab 1” and you can “Add tab” from the left panel. Google equates it to having multiple sheets in a spreadsheet: “You can create and manage multiple tabs within a single document.” 

You can rearrange the order of tabs with drag-and-drop, while there’s support for up to three levels of subtabs. You can also duplicate tabs and rename them with emoji.

…a budget tab could include subtabs for travel expenses and agency fees, or a team makeup tab could include subtabs explaining each team’s roles and responsibilities. 

One nice ability is linking directly to tabs, while Google Docs will open the left panel by default for “documents containing 2 or more tabs and new documents.”

Example use cases include:

• A marketing manager can build a campaign brief using different, focused tabs for budget, goals, and creative ideas. 
• A sales leader creating pitch templates can now have dedicated tabs for each industry or territory. 
• A customer service representative can create tabs for each solution to address common customer service issues. 
• A project manager can create a tab for budget, roles and responsibilities, goals, and key dates so that their working team can stay on track. 
• A team manager can keep a record of routine documentation, such as recurring meeting notes, agendas, performance reviews, and quarterly planning updates.

Google Docs is rolling out document tabs over the coming weeks to “all Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts.”