Take Google Docs Offline to Access Your Files Anywhere

    You don’t have to be tethered to Wi-Fi to access your Google Docs.?
    Idrees Abbas via Getty Images
    

    

    The cold of winter is mostly behind us, so we’ll get more daylight, nice gentle breezes and plenty of walks with our friends soon. If you use Google Docs, you might think that being tethered to Wi-Fi means you can’t enjoy the warm weather. However, you can access Google Docs offline, letting you move your desk to a park, coffee shop or anywhere else you might want to work.
    
    Here’s how to access Google Docs offline.?
    How to use Google Docs offline on desktop
    You can make individual files or all your files available offline. Choosing individual files is helpful if you have a limited amount of storage on your computer, or you only need access to one or two files.
    Here’s how to access individual Google Docs offline on desktop.
    1. Open Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
    2. Go to Google.com and sign into your Google account.
    3. Click the dot grid in the top right corner of Google and click Docs.
    4. Under Recent documents, click the three stacked dots next to the file you want to make available offline.
    5. Click Available offline.
    If space is no issue, you can make all your files available offline with a few clicks. Here’s how to access all your Google Docs offline on desktop.
    1. Open Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
    2. Go to Google.com and sign into your Google account.
    3. Click the dot grid in the top right corner of Google and click Drive.
    4. Click the gear icon in the top right corner.
    5. Click Settings.
    6. Click the box next to Create, open and edit your recent Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides…
    To access your documents, you need to download the Chrome Docs Offline extension and go to docs.google.com. Your computer might load the Google Docs page slowly, but it will open.?
    
    You should see this icon next to files in Google Docs that are available offline.
    Screenshot by Zach McAuliffe/CNET
    Once it opens, files that are available offline will display a small icon next to them that looks like a checkmark inside a circle. If you hover over this icon it will say Available offline. When you click the offline document, you can start writing or editing. The document will automatically update the next time your computer connects to the internet.?
    How to use Google Docs offline on mobile
    You can also access Google Docs offline on your iPhone or Android device. Here’s how to make these documents available offline on your mobile device.
    1. Download the Google Docs app in either the Apple App Store or the Google Play store.?
    2. Open the app.
    3. Tap the three dots (…) next to the document you want to access offline.
    4. Tap Make available offline.
    Now you can access and edit your documents on your mobile device through the Google Docs app without Wi-Fi or your mobile data. Any documents you’ve changed will automatically update the next time your phone connects to Wi-Fi.
    For more Google tips, check out how to clear out your Google Drive and Gmail, nine Google Drive features you may have missed and six Google features to be more efficient.