If you spend a lot of time working with Microsoft Office documents but you use Gmail, things are about to get a lot easier for you.
Google is adding the ability to edit Office files directly in Gmail, similar to how the email platform works with Google’s own Docs and Sheets files.
As reported by The Verge, the change allows users to open and edit an Office file using the Google Docs editor just by clicking on it in Gmail. However, the new functionality doesn’t convert the file to a Google Doc and preserves the original file format.
Further, Gmail allows users to respond to the original email and include the updated Office file. The whole process works without requiring users to download and re-attach the file.
Ultimately, the whole process is more streamlined than before and should make it much easier for anyone who frequently collaborates on Office files through Gmail.
Additionally, Google launched a new ‘Macro Converter‘ add-on for its Workspace software suite (previously G Suite). The add-on can help organizations easily import Excel macros to Google Sheets.
Finally, Google is working on bringing better document orientation and image support to Docs, according to The Verge. The changes will enable documents with both horizontal and vertical pages, images placed behind text and watermarks. It’s worth noting that the image features won’t arrive until next year.
All in all, these are welcome changes for Gmail and the broader Workspace software suite. Given one of the driving goals behind Workspace was to turn the platform into a universal place to get work done, making it easy to open, edit and send Office files without leaving the platform is a step in the right direction.
Source: The Verge
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