Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets have had an offline mode for many years. Enabling offline access for those tools takes just a minute (watch this video to learn how).Today, Google announced some forthcoming updates for the offline modes for Docs, Slides, and Sheets.

Over the next few weeks you will start to see a new way to enable offline access for your Docs, Slides, and Sheets. That new way is to right-click on a file name in your Google Drive and then select “available offline.” The updated offline mode will let you edit and comment on Docs, Slides, and Sheets. You can also create new Docs, Slides, and Sheets while offline. The updated offline mode will also provide you with an “offline preview” of your Docs, Slides, and Sheets before you commit to making it available offline. If you work on your Docs, Slides, or Sheets while offline, the changes will be automatically synchronized when you reconnect to the Internet.

Applications for Education
Offline access for Docs, Slides, and Sheets is excellent for students who have been issued Chromebooks by their schools, but don’t have a reliable Internet connection at home. It is important to note that administrators can make offline access the default setting for Chromebooks within their organizations.