Google Docs: working on your documents offline

Google Docs, Google’s free-to-use word processor, is the leader in cloud-based, collaborative word processing. Users can create and edit documents alone or in collaboration with others irrespective of location and free of charge. These documents are stored in the cloud and can be accessed at any time from anywhere.

But what if there is no internet connection available? This is a common problem for people who travel a lot by train or plane and wish to use their time productively. In this case, the solution is simple: you can use Google Docs offline if you prepare. In this guide, we will show you how to set up Google Docs in a matter of minutes so that you can edit and save your documents even if you do not have an active internet connection.

For a long time, Google Docs was only available through the official Google Docs website and thus required an active internet connection. Today, you can edit documents offline and automatically synchronize them later once an internet connection is available again. To use Google Docs offline, the following requirements must be met:

• Have access to a stable internet connection (from time to time for synchronization)
• Use Google Chrome
• Deactivate incognito mode
• Have adequate storage space on your local hard drive

If you meet the requirements listed above, you can set up Google Docs for offline use at any time. We have outlined the steps required to do so in the following sections.

Google Docs will now automatically save all new and recently opened documents locally to your hard drive. You no longer need a consistent internet connection. Any file available offline will now have a gray checkmark in the lower left-hand corner. Now, whenever you open a document in offline mode, you will see a lightning bolt icon on the document.