Gmail Allows Direct Editing Of Office Documents
While Google already allowed Gmail users to edit the Microsoft Office documents they received via email, it all relied on Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides and required importing data into Google Drive.
Needless to say, while it worked pretty well, it wasn’t necessarily the most convenient experience, and Google knows that very well.
So the search giant set out to polish the experience even further and today the company is implementing a big change for Gmail users. Specifically, you can now edit Microsoft Office documents right in the Gmail interface without leaving it, and Google says that you can also reply to the email with an updated file (after making the changes) while still retaining the Microsoft Office format.
This is because Gmail will allow users to reply to the original email and include the updated file (still in Office format) without having to download and then re-attach the updated file. This is great news, especially since working on documents is something a lot of people do, and with today’s update, the Gmail experience just got smoother in the end to the other.
“It provides a quick and convenient way to view, edit and collaborate on Office files sent by email directly in Docs, Sheets and Slides. Previously, users had to save a file to disk before they could use the editing features of G Suite Office. With this launch, they can open files faster and respond more easily to email discussion threads containing Office files,” says Google.
Deployment begins today
The Mountain View-based tech giant says new features are enabled by default, and rollout begins today. According to the company, the customers who benefit from this update are those who use Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus, as well as G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education and Nonprofits. .
However, customers who use Google Workspace Essentials and Enterprise Essentials will not receive today’s update.