Almost everyone uses Google Docs nowadays, but unless you’re using Google Docs add-ons, you’re probably not getting the most out of the tool.

What is a Google Docs Add-On?

A Google Docs add-on is a Chrome extension or app that can be added to your browser to provide extra functionality for basic Google Document tasks.

These add-ons will show up in the menu bar of your Google Docs document after you install the apps script. Google Doc add-ons help you make your writing process more efficient. They assist with blog post writing, text analysis, paragraph styles, personalized mass emails, spreadsheet data, and more.

That’s not to say that there aren’t useful features in Google Docs. Some of the most popular ones include:

• Google Keep: retains your chosen notes or websites and generates a document from them. This requires installing the Google Chrome extension first. (Tools → Keep Notebook.)
• Google Fonts: lets you choose different types of fonts or remove fonts from your default selections. (Click on the arrow to the right of the current font you’re using, located in the toolbar→ Select “More Fonts” → Choose the font you want to add or remove fonts from the dialog window that appears.)
• Voice Typing: records and transcribes words you speak into a written document. (Command + Shift + S or Tools → Voice Typing → Click on the microphone and start speaking.)
• Document Outline: creates a “table of contents” for your document by noting titles, headlines, and to see an overview of your document and jump to sections. (Tools → Document Outline.)

If these don’t serve your purposes, definitely look into Google Docs add-ons. Of course, it’s not always easy figuring out which extension you need, and they’re usually pretty specialized.

(Click here to skip to the list of the best Google Docs add-ons)

How to Install Google Docs Add-Ons

Here’s a step-by-step walkthrough of how to add an extension to your Google Doc.

Step 1: In your Google Doc, go to the “Add-ons” menu tab at the top of the document. Choose “Get add-ons.” A new pop-up window will emerge.

Step 2: Choose the extension you want. For this exercise, we’ll be using the “Google Translate” extension.

Step 3: If you hover over the “Translate” icon, an informational screen like the one below will describe the function of the add-on.

Step 4: Click on the “+ FREE” button to choose this add-on. If you want more information, choose the icon somewhere outside of the “+ FREE” button, and you’ll be taken to a page like the one below.

Step 5: Once you have reviewed the information on this screen regarding the add-on’s features and decide to install it, click the “+ FREE” button in the upper right-hand corner of the display box, which you can see below:

Step 6: Clicking the “+ FREE” button will take you to the following display screen, which enables you to choose which account you want to add the extension to. It shows you what Google Translate will be able to do to your Google Doc.

Step 7: Click “Allow.”

Step 8: This will take you back to your Google Doc. At the top of your document under the “Add-Ons” menu, a small dialog box will appear with instructions on how to open the “Translate” add-on. Follow the directions.

Step 9: This will take you back to your Google Doc. A window will appear in the right sidebar of the page, and you can make your translation selections from there.

Okay, now you know how to find and install a Google Doc add-on!
To remove one:

1. Go to Add ons
2. Clock “Manage Add-ons”
3. Click the “Manage” button next to the one you want to remove
4. Click “remove” from the dropdown menu.

Now that you know how to add and remove them, which ones should you install? Here are the 35 best add-ons for Google Docs available now.

The 35 Best Google Docs Add-Ons in 2020

Here are the top 35 best Google Docs Add-Ons:

1. Lucidchart Diagrams
2. Yob Graph Editor
3. Wolfram Alpha
4. MindMeister
5. Auto-Latex Equations
6. Flat Music Notation
7. VexTab Music Notation
8. Mail Merge Contacts
9. Preview Markdown
10. Gd2md-html
11. Supermetrics
12. HelloSign
13. Image Extractor
14. Wordable
15. Scrifter
16. Avery Label Merge
17. HelloFax
18. Styles
19. Code Blocks
20. Doc Tools
21. Text Cleaner
22. Table Formatter
23. EasyBib
24. Search and Navigate
25. Doc Builder
26. Footnote Style
27. Page Layout Tool
28. Copy Comments
29. Translate+
30. Link Chooser
31. DocSecrets
32. Speakd
33. Uberconference
34. MathType
35. Grammarly

1. Lucidchart Diagrams

Lucidchart Diagrams generate decision trees and flow charts in addition to graphics. Here’s a funny video showing it in action. It has a lot of good reviews and is simple to learn and use.

Within the app, there is a built-in Lucidchart editor that makes it easy for the user to map out their ideas in a simple and engaging way.

2. Yob Graph Editor

Yob Graph Editor lets you put in formulas, equations, and graphs into Google Docs. You have some chart and graph ability in Google Docs under Insert → Chart or by importing from Google Spreadsheets; Yob expands upon that functionality.

It lets you not only write out equations but also graph them. You can decide the design and font of the graph, how close or far away you want the view, and how you want to label the axes and lines.

3. Wolfram|Alpha for Google Docs

Wolfram|Alpha for Google Docs is designed to pull up information on your desired topic. It’s like having the Google search query function directly in your document.

Once you enter what you want in the search bar and hit “Compute Selection,” it pulls up everything you’ll need regarding your question and puts in the correct answer into your text.

4. MindMeister

MindMeister takes outlines or data you’ve entered into a document and generates a mind map or a flowchart that can be put into your document. It works best with bullet-pointed lists, and should only be used once the list is fully complete, as editing images isn’t possible once it’s been generated. This add-on is good for brainstorming and creating a diagram in your document.

5. Auto-Latex Equations

Auto-Latex Equations is another feature that helps you simplify writing equations designed with LaTex typeset concepts in mind.

It bypasses the Google chart tools and equation editor. You enter the equation in the toolbar and it creates an image of your equation, rather than having it typed directly into your document. You can reverse-engineer this by hitting “De-render equation.”

6. Flat Music Notation

Flat Music Notation helps you write, transcribe, and listen to your music in the tool. Once you’re done writing it, you can listen to the music you’ve written and edited it accordingly before putting your composition into your document.

7.  VexTab Music Notation

VexTab Music Notation lets you to construct sheet music in your Google Doc. This one differs from Flat Music Notation because it acts as a “LaTex” typeset function mentioned above but for advanced music. It generates a sheet music image for your use.

8. Mail Merge Contacts

Mail Merge Contacts provides templates with blank spaces where you can generate brand-new emails and send them to your preferred email lists.

You’ll first need to create a template document with areas pointing out what needs to be filled in for each contact. From there, you have two options:

• Merge to letters: This lets you craft custom documents.
• Merge to emails: This lets you send personalized emails from your Gmail.

9. Preview Markdown

Preview Markdown changes text written in Markdown to be compatible with Google. Copy your Markdown text into the add-on toolbar and adjust as needed, then copy and paste the new formatting into your document.

10. Gd2md-html

Gd2md-html does the reverse of Preview Markdown and converts text from Google Docs into HTML or Markdown language. You type in your Google Doc as normal, then when you’re done open the add-on sidebar and hit either “HTML” or ”Markdown” and your text will be converted as needed.

11. Supermetrics

Supermetrics creates reports made from external databases (ex. Google Analytics, Excel, etc.) and places them in your Google Doc rather than importing CSVs or copy-pasting all day long. The first 100 searches are free, but anything after is $49/month. You can sign up here.

12. HelloSign

HelloSign is an extension that lets you include a signature in your Google Docs. You can create a new signature each time or save your own on file. You can request others’ signatures through the HelloSign app. It’s free to add your own signature or up to three others, but $15/month afterward.

13. Image Extractor

Image Extractor is an add-on that lets you download images located in your Google Document. Once you open the add-on, click on your desired image and hit “Download Image” to save it before exporting or moving your document.

14. Wordable

wordable.io exports blog posts directly from Google Docs and saves them as Drafts in WordPress. Easily transport text and finished documents to your site in just a few clicks. You can add your final edits and publish in the Drafts section.

15. Scrifter

Scrifter is an add-on that lets you put your document into a screenplay format. To do this, open the add-on menu once your document is fully written up in Google Docs and hit “Everything” or “Auto-Format Select.” You can also manually control this function as well.

16. Avery Label Merge

Avery Label Merge generates images from your Google Doc to create address labels, name badges, etc. This preferably requires the usage of Google Sheets as an original data location from which the add-on can draw information.

Follow these steps to create a label:

• Open the add-on.
• Choose paper size.
•  This will insert a rectangle in your document.
• From the sidebar, choose the Google Sheet where your data is located.
• Choose which column in your Google Sheet you want data pulled from.
• Format and insert the data into the label by clicking “Merge.”

17. HelloFax

HelloFax lets you fax your document directly to the recipient without printing it out. Open the Google app add-on and enter the recipient’s details and hit “Send.” The first 10 are free. Any others after that cost $9.99/month to send or receive faxes.

18. Styles

Styles lets you choose a document format and design outside of those provided by Google Docs. Click on your chosen design and hit “Apply style” from the add-on’s toolbar.

19. Code Blocks

Code Blocks creates code that you can add to your document. Highlight your desired section of code and from the add-on toolbar choose to design how the code looks (language, font, background, etc).

20. Doc Tools

Doc Tools customizes the lists in your document and formats them as you need, with sorting, highlighting, and styling options.

21. Text Cleaner

Text Cleaner removes tricky or unnecessary text formatting from your Google Doc like line breaks, paragraph markers, etc. This can be a huge problem when copy-pasting a Google Doc to WordPress, so this is especially useful if you’re still managing to copy the “nbsp” and other markups over.

22. Table Formatter

Table Formatter creates a table within your Google Doc from options offered in a right-hand sidebar. This is a significant improvement upon Google Doc’s Insert → Table option where you choose how many cells you need. You can choose your own style from “Custom templates” or alternate design within the table as needed.

23. EasyBib

EasyBib is especially useful for academics and professionals as it adds citations to your document. Just look up the source material in the directory and choose if you need APA, MLA, or another citation style. It will generate a Works Cited page at the end of your document. This is a great addition to Google Docs that isn’t found in Microsoft Word or another word processor.

24. Search and Navigate

Search and Navigate lets you find or bookmark certain keywords within your document, which is especially useful if it’s extensive. You can search by word, heading, image, or chapter. It shows clips of results, so if there’s more than one entry for that result, you can make sure the one you’re jumping to is right.

25. Doc Builder

Doc Builder creates documents from snippets and clips from around the web to create a new Google Doc of the accumulated information.

26. Footnote Style

Footnote Style lets you craft the way footnotes in your document will look. It should be noted that normal formatting like bold, italic, and underlined words are not cleared out.

27. Page Layout Tool

Page Layout Tool lets you set your desired margins and page sizes outside of the custom Google Docs 8.5 inch x 11 inch sheet. This lets you pack as much information as possible onto one page.

28. Copy Comments

Copy Comments copies your entire document – with comments, comment details, and edits included.

29. Translate+

Translate+ lets you translate text from one language to another in your Google Doc. (For example, from Japanese to Spanish or Spanish to Japanese). Right now, it only supports, but it only supports German, Spanish, French, Japanese, and English.

30. Link Chooser

Link Chooser inserts a link to other Google Drive files directly into your document rather than you searching for the link yourself. Once you choose the document via the toolbar, it inserts the document title as an outbound link to that document.

31. DocSecrets

DocSecrets encrypts your document so that anyone accessing can only see the information you want them to see. (You can filter this by user.) Anyone without the correct password or without the Google add-on will only see censor bars as opposed to sensitive information. It’s not foolproof but should suffice for intra-company documents.

32. Speakd

Speakd reads your document aloud to you and lets you generate reading-time estimates. This is sort of the reverse function of Voice Typing, which listens to your voice and records the words you say.

33. UberConference

UberConference lets you host or join a conference call directly from your Google Doc while editing. This can streamline many app processes and limit it to just Google Docs while you speak with the people you want to talk about your project with.

34. MathType

MathType enables users to type and write math equations with ease. Users will no longer struggle to add complicated problems or equations to their document. Simply download the app, and you’ll be able to draw and type a math equation that will natively be added to your Google doc.

35. Grammarly

Grammarly is an add-on that checks your grammar within the Google Doc. It goes beyond the standard spell check that is already in the document and goes through readability, sentence structure, active and passive voice, and other grammatical errors.

Conclusion

Those are the top 35 Google Docs add-ons on the market worth investing in. Download the extensions that achieve what you’re looking to accomplish and position yourself for Google Docs efficiency and success.

Of course, if you have any other questions, you can always look at this guide to using Google Docs.

I saved three hours uploading this article from Google Docs to WordPress using Wordable.

Kevin Kessler

Kevin J. Kessler is a published author of five fantasy novels, a professional wrestler, and a puppeteer (not all at the same time). Kevin is a content writer at Codeless.

https://getcodeless.com