Google Is Making It Easier to Use Microsoft Office Files in Workspace Apps

Google is making it easier for its Workspace apps to work with Microsoft Office. Users will now be able to open and edit Office attachments sent via Gmail directly in Docs, Sheets, or Slides, without having to save them on Drive first. Google says the new update will make it easier for users to reply to email threads featuring Office files. Besides that, Google is also making it easier to create and work with documents that require multiple page orientation in Docs.

Google's new Microsoft Office collaborative features have started rolling out for eligible users. Until now, users had to save a file to Drive before using Google's Office editing features. But they will now see an edit icon right on the attachment to directly open the file in Docs, Sheets, or Slides. The original file format will be preserved as well.

There will also be new options to reply after opening an Office file from Gmail, including Reply with this file and Open original message.

This feature will be available to users with Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus. It will also be available to users of G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, as well as non-profit customers. Google Workspace Essentials and Enterprise Essentials customers are not eligible for this update.

Announcing a second update that better integrates Google Workspace apps with Microsoft Office, Google said that it was important for files and documents to look consistent across applications. The new improvements will make it easier for users to create and share documents from Google Docs that have wide tables, charts, diagrams, and images. Users will be able to edit, import, and export Microsoft Word documents that contain portrait and landscape oriented pages. They will also be able to change the page orientation of documents in Google Docs to make more room for content, such as tables and images, that requires extra horizontal space.

The update has been rolled out for a few users right now. Google says that it will have a wider roll out from January 5, 2021 and will be available to users with personal Google Accounts, non-profit customers, and those with Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, G Suite Basic, Business, Education, and Enterprise for Education plans.

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