Migrating from Office to Google Docs

I recently had an organization reach out to me that was struggling with migrating their staff members from MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) to Google Docs (Docs, Sheets, Presentations).

Here are the quick tips and tricks for moving from MS Office to Google Docs.

1. Set Up with Google Drive for Desktop

  • Access Google Drive like a regular folder on your computer.
  • Use "My Drive" for personal files, and "Shared Drives" for team files.
  • Mirror your existing folder structure to ease the transition.

2. Import & Convert with Ease

  • Go to Drive settings and check: "Convert uploads to Google Docs editor format".
  • Test a few Word/Excel/PowerPoint files before converting everything.
  • Keep complex files in Office format if needed—Google Drive can edit them too!

3. Format Like a Pro in Google Docs

  • Use preset Styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) for clean structure.
  • Set your custom default style for consistency across teams.
  • Try Pageless View for newsletters, forms, or dynamic formatting.

4. Excel to Sheets: What You Need to Know

  • Most Excel formulas work! For missing functions, try INDEX/MATCH.
  • Use named ranges and data validation for dropdowns.
  • Add-ons like Power Tools and Supermetrics unlock more features.

5. Mail Merge with Ease

  • Use Autocrat or Yet Another Mail Merge (YAMM).
  • Create a Google Docs template, link it to a Sheet, and generate personalized files/emails.

6. Beautiful Presentations with Google Slides

  • Use the Explore button for smart formatting.
  • Import your .PPTX files and tweak.
  • Collaborate in real-time or comment on slides.

7. Work Together in Real Time

  • Edit documents with others live.
  • Use Suggesting Mode to propose changes.
  • Track every change with Version History.

8. Work Offline

  • Enable offline access via Google Drive settings and install the Google Docs Offline Chrome extension.
  • Great for travel or remote work with spotty internet.

9. Start Small, Then Scale

  • Pilot one department first and refine the rollout.
  • Share cheat sheets, templates, and best practices.

10. Use Built-In Templates & Tools

  • Access Docs, Sheets, and Slides templates or create your own.
  • Use the template gallery or pin templates in Shared Drives.

Learn, Build, Share – Welcome to Google Workspace!

Need help or ready to go deeper?