- Google is bringing Markdown to Google Docs over the next 15 days starting July 16, 2024.
- The update is expected to be highly useful for both technical and non-technical content writers, as they can convert Docs content from/to Markdown.
After almost 20 years since its inception by web writer John Gruber and input from data activist Aaron Swartz in 2004, Google is finally bringing Markdown to Google Docs. According to the company’s blog, the tool will be rolled out gradually over the next 15 days starting from July 16, and it will be available for all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users having personal Google Accounts.
What Is Markdown?
Markdown is a text-to-HTML conversion tool for web writers. It allows users to write using an easy-to-read, easy-to-write plain text format and then convert it to structurally valid HTML or XHTML. In essence, it is two things:
- A plain text formatting syntax
- A Perl-based software tool that converts the plain text formatting to HTML
The tool’s formatting syntax’s primary design goal is to make it more readable. The idea is that a Markdown-formatted document should be publishable in plain text without looking like it’s been marked up with formatting instructions or tags.
In early 2022, Google Docs could automatically detect Markdown if users enabled it, expanding the cursory support for unordered and numbered lists and checkboxes to the big items, such as bold, italics, headlines, strikethroughs, and links. Users could write in Markdown in Docs but could not paste or import/export between Markdown and Docs styling.
According to Google’s announcement, complete Markdown work can now be done in Docs. This means that when a file using Markdown formatting is imported or pasted, Google Docs can convert the text to its equivalent formatting. It can also export the text to Markdown as a file or from the copy menu.
The update is expected to be highly useful for technical content writers, as they can convert Docs content from/to Markdown. For example, developers can collaborate on documentation in Docs and export it as Markdown for other Markdown-supporting tools. That said, even non-technical writers who prefer the Markdown writing style will find this useful.
Getting Started
Getting started is easy as there is no admin control for the feature. The export and import options are ON by default. The “Paste from Markdown” and “Copy as Markdown” options are OFF by default. These two options can be enabled by going to Tools > Preferences > Enable Markdown in Docs.
Other Key Google Workspace Updates
Besides bringing Markdown in Docs, Google is expanding the interoperability between Google Meet and Zoom by making it possible to present content via a wired HDMI connection. This allows users to present HDMI content in their Zoom meetings from Google Meet hardware devices and present content in Google Meet meetings from supported Zoom Rooms. The rollout started on July 9 and is expected to take more than 15 days for the feature to be visible.
The company is also introducing a new OAuth scope for the Drive API: drive.meet.readonly, which grants an app access to read and download files from a user’s drive edited or created by Google Meet, including meeting notes, transcripts, recordings, and more. This authorization level ensures that Drive access is not broadly provisioned and users can access only the necessary files.