When collaborating on files in Google Drive (Docs, Sheets, and Slides), it’s easy to lose sight of who’s working on specific parts of a project. With Google Drive, you can assign tasks to another collaborator on your team.
Fire up Google Drive and open a file you currently collaborate on with other people.
For this guide, we’ll use a Google Docs file, but the process is virtually the same for either a Sheets or Slides file.
Highlight some text, an image, cells, or slides, and then click the Add a Comment icon, located on the right of the page. Alternatively, press Ctrl+Alt+M (Windows/Chrome OS) or Cmd+Option+M (macOS) to insert a comment using the keyboard shortcut.
To add a comment to an image, it needs to be aligned “In line.” “Wrap Text” and “Break Text” disable the ability to add a comment.
Next, type a comment and include the collaborator’s email address—with “+” or “@” in front of it—that you want to assign the task to. A checkbox will appear. Click the box next to “Assign To” and then click the “Assign” button.
Tasks that are assigned will show to the right of the page in the comments section and specify who they’re assigned to. The collaborator will receive an email with a link to the document.
To reassign a task, click on the comment and then click on the “Reply” text field in the comment.
Type a comment while including the other collaborator’s email—with a “+” or “@” in front of it—and click the box next to “Reassign To” when the option appears. Click the “Reassign” button.
If you or the collaborator don’t receive an email notifying you of an assigned item, you can still check whether you have any waiting for you. Head to Google Drive and any file that has an awaiting task will have a number (of tasks) beside it.
The Ultimate Guide to Google Drive
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The power of collaboration is amazing. But sometimes, when you’re working with other people on projects, ownership can get muddled. It’s hard to know who’s responsible for what task.
Google recently introduced action items to G Suite, which really streamlines the process of assigning tasks within your team. Now, assigning tasks is easier than ever before.
You can assign action items in two ways:
Use natural language processing (Docs only)
As you’re typing in Google Docs, if you type an action item like “Todo: Taylor to finish presentation” or “AI: Scott to schedule follow up meeting,” Docs will detect it and suggest an action item.
You can then choose to assign the suggested action item or dismiss it.
For action items to be suggested, the text must:
- Mention someone’s name or email.
- Mention someone with access to the file.
For more details, click here.
Manually assign action items (Sheets, Docs, Slides)
In Sheets, Docs, or Slides, you can manually assign an action item through a comment. Just insert a comment and mention your teammate’s email account.
You’ll have the option to create an action item and assign it to them, which will send them a notification that there is a specific task that needs taking care of.
What happens when action items are assigned to someone?
This is what things look like from the other end:
Now you can see a badge, which lets you know that there is an action item assigned to your account that needs your attention. This is how you will know when action items have been assigned to you, and that your supervisors or team members are relying on you to take care of a certain task.
When collaborating on files in Google Drive (Docs, Sheets, and Slides), it’s easy to lose sight of who’s working on specific parts of a project. With Google Drive, you can assign tasks to another collaborator on your team.
Fire up Google Drive and open a file you currently collaborate on with other people.
For this guide, we’ll use a Google Docs file, but the process is virtually the same for either a Sheets or Slides file.
Highlight some text, an image, cells, or slides, and then click the Add a Comment icon, located on the right of the page. Alternatively, press Ctrl+Alt+M (Windows/Chrome OS) or Cmd+Option+M (macOS) to insert a comment using the keyboard shortcut.
To add a comment to an image, it needs to be aligned “In line.” “Wrap Text” and “Break Text” disable the ability to add a comment.
Next, type a comment and include the collaborator’s email address—with “+” or “@” in front of it—that you want to assign the task to. A checkbox will appear. Click the box next to “Assign To” and then click the “Assign” button.
Tasks that are assigned will show to the right of the page in the comments section and specify who they’re assigned to. The collaborator will receive an email with a link to the document.
To reassign a task, click on the comment and then click on the “Reply” text field in the comment.
Type a comment while including the other collaborator’s email—with a “+” or “@” in front of it—and click the box next to “Reassign To” when the option appears. Click the “Reassign” button.
If you or the collaborator don’t receive an email notifying you of an assigned item, you can still check whether you have any waiting for you. Head to Google Drive and any file that has an awaiting task will have a number (of tasks) beside it.
How To Create An Assignment In Google Classroom
by TeachThought Staff
Google Classroom is a simple digital filing system provided by Google that allows teachers to teach from the cloud by organizing classes, responding to writing, checking file access, and more. We’ve provided ways teachers can use Google Classroom in the past. Below, we provide Google’s own how-to instructions on creating assignments in Google Classroom for PC, Android, and iOS.
How To Create An Assignment In Google Classroom
Create an assignment
- Sign-in.
- Click the class.
- At the bottom, hover over Add click Create assignment .
- Enter the title and any instructions.
Change an assignment due date or time
By default, the assignment is due the next day. To change it:
- Next to Due Tomorrow, click the Down arrow .
- Click the date and select a date.
- (Optional) To set a due time, click Time and type a time.
- To create an assignment with no due date, click Due date and click Remove next to the date.
Add materials to an assignment
You can add attachments, such as Google Drive files, YouTube videos, or links to your assignment.
- To upload a file, click Attach, select the file, and click Upload.
- To attach a Drive item, such as a document or form:
- Click Drive .
- Select the item and click Add.
- To decide how students interact with an attachment, next to the attachment, click the Down arrow and choose an option:
- Students can view file—Students can read the file, but not change it.
- Students can edit file—Students can make changes to the file.
- Make a copy for each student—Students receive an individual copy of the file that they can change.
- To attach a YouTube video, click YouTube and choose an option:
- To search for a video to attach:
- Click Video search.
- Type keywords in the search bar.
- Click the video and click Add.
- To attach a video link:
- Click URL.
- Enter the URL and click Add.
- To search for a video to attach:
- To attach a link, click Link , enter the URL, and click Add.
- To delete an attachment, click Remove next to the attachment.
Post an assignment to multiple classes
- (Optional) At the bottom, next to the class name, click the Down arrow .
- Check the box next to the class you want to include.
How To Create An Assignment On Google Classroom On Android
- Tap Classroom the class.
- Tap Add Assignment.
- Enter the title and any instructions.
Change an assignment due date or time
By default, the assignment is due the next day, but you can change it.
- Tap Due date, select a different date, and tap Done.
- (Optional) Tap Time, select a time, and tap Done.
- Add materials to an assignment
You can add Drive files, links, images, or Youtube videos to your assignment.
- To upload a file, tap Attach, select the file, and tap Upload.
- To attach a Drive item, tap Drive , tap the item, and tap Select.
- To decide how students interact with an attachment, next to the attachment, tap Preview and choose an option:
- Students can edit file—Students can make changes to the file.
- Students can view file—Students can read the file, but not change it.
- Make a copy for each student—Students receive an individual copy of the file that they can change.
- Delete—Remove the attachment.
- To attach a link, tap Link , enter the URL, and tap Add.
- To attach a file, tap Upload .
- To attach a photo, tap Camera , take or select the photo, and tap OK.
- To attach a YouTube video, tap YouTube and choose an option:
- To search for a video to attach:
- Tap Video search.
- Type keywords in the search bar.
- Tap the video and tap Add.
- To attach a video link:
- Tap URL.
- Enter the URL and tap Add.
- To search for a video to attach:
- To delete an attachment, tap Preview next to the attachment name and select Delete.
Post an assignment to multiple classes
- Next to the class name, tap Add .
- Select any additional classes Done.
How To Create An Assignment On Google Classroom On iOS/iPad/iPhone
- Tap Classroom the class.
- Tap Add Assignment.
- Enter the title and any instructions.
Change an assignment due date or time
By default, the assignment is due the next day, but you can change it.
- Tap Due date, select a different date, and tap OK.
- (Optional) Tap Add time, select a time, and tap OK.
- (Optional) To create an assignment with no due date, at Due tomorrow, tap Remove .
Add materials to an assignment
You can add Drive files, links, images, or photos to your assignment.
- Tap Attach .
- To attach a Drive item, tap Drive and tap the item.
- To decide how students interact with an attachment, next to the attachment, tap Preview and choose an option:
- Students can edit file—Students can make changes to the file.
- Students can view file—Students can read the file, but not change it.
- Make a copy for each student—Students receive an individual copy of the file that they can change.
- Delete—Remove the attachment.
- To attach a link, tap Link , enter the URL, and tap Add.
- To attach a photo, tap Pick photo and choose your photo. Or, tap Use camera and take a photo.
- To delete an attachment, next to the attachment, tap Remove .
How To Create An Assignment In Google Classroom
Using Google Drive in the workplace can be extremely powerful and convenient. Outside of controlling a “real-time” operating budget, tracking labor hours, fuel usage, irrigation repair, equipment repair, and product inventory; Google Drive can also be utilized to setup a job board right in your shop. Yes, an external computer will be needed, but once this computer and monitor is setup, you can control this job board from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.
Just imagine that it is 9am and you are the farthest point from your shop. You didn’t have a chance to set second jobs for the staff or more importantly there needs to be a change to a few jobs. As long as you have a smart phone or tablet, you can pull up that “job board” file in Google Drive and change the information. This change will appear immediately on your shop computer, allowing employees to only have to check the shop computer for new jobs. Google does this through cloud collaboration. Here is a sample of a Google Drive Job Board using Google Spreadsheets, data validation, and conditional formatting:
Notice in the top right corner there is a note that there are 3 other viewers. Using Google Drive spreadsheets is convenient because you can allow other staff members access to edit the Job Board. All key members of the management can have full access to change jobs or add notes to individual jobs.
Google also archives the changes for you. So, if your morning jobs stay the same for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday you just revert to the archived copy, entering the new information for the Job Board in seconds. Also take note of the multiple sheets at the bottom. These sheets allow you to create job boards for multiple occasions such as: morning jobs, second jobs, the weekend jobs, and maybe even important events that you would like to plan for ahead of time. Whatever sheet you click on is viewable by the staff in the shop.
Another convenience and power about Google Drive is that the files can be embedded. You could embed the job board file into your blog. You could choose to password protect this page so that only staff can access the job board from a smart phone or make the page public so members can stay up to date on what is being done on a day to day basis. Here is a sample:
This embedded file on your blog will update automatically every five minutes. Using Google Drive to create your job board is sure to increase efficiency and productivity in your work place. It is also sure to lower your stress level and allow your core team to be just a bit more organized.
Are you looking to create your own Google Drive Job Board? We can help! Check out our Tech 911
Want to use Google Drive? Setup a Google Account HERE
Unlock the power of Google’s note taking tool with contextual reminders, voice commands, and more.
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Google Keep gets overshadowed by Evernote and Microsoft Onenote, but it can be a powerful part of you productivity arsenal, particularly if you’re invested in Google’s ecosystem. Like the rest of Google’s apps, Keep is lean, fast, easy to use, and it syncs across devices. Its growing list of capabilities make a convincing argument for it as the go-to note-taker for Android users.
Here are five ways to start using Keep to manage your life.
Convert any note to a to-do list
You can set a note to remind you at a certain time or in a particular location.
Nothing’s as satisfying as checking items off a to-do list. Like Evernote, Google Keep offer an easy way to turn any unformatted note into a checklist.
Open a note, tap the three dots in the upper right corner of the note and select Show checkboxes. Keep will add a checkbox at the beginning of each line item. To remove them, follow the same steps but select Hide checkboxes. You can also select Show checkboxes when you create a new note, and Keep will include a checkbox as you add each task.
Take a “note to self”
When an idea or inspiration strikes, you must waste no time capturing it. In those moments, leverage Google Now’s voice actions to get it into Keep.
On an Android phone, trigger your mic, say “OK Google—note to self” and dictate the content of the note. The first time you use the “note to self” feature, Google Now will ask which app you want to use to complete the action. Select Google Keep and it will save your dictated note.
Use time- and location-based reminders
You can set a note to remind you at a certain time or in a particular location.
If you’re using Google Keep to create action-item notes and lists, you should take advantage of its reminder features. Keep offers two types of reminders—time-based and location-based.
Time-based reminders essentially schedule your note for a certain time of day. Say you’re creating a note around a business card so you’ll remember to follow up with this new contact when you get into the office the following morning. At the bottom of the note, click the reminder icon—it looks like a finger with a piece of string tied around it. In the window that opens, select Pick date & time. Enter the date and time you want to be reminded of, and click Save. You can create one-time or recurring reminders; in this case leave it to the default, “Does not repeat.”
Location-based reminders use your GPS to alert you when you’re in the appropriate place to execute your note. The most obvious example would be to set a shopping list to nudge you when you’re in the grocery store. To set a location-based reminder, click the reminder icon on the note and select Pick place. Enter a location in the search field as you would in any map app, choose the appropriate one from the results, and click Save.
Grab text from images
Google Keep can convert scanned images like business cards and receipts into editable text.
Google Keep lets you capture and convert images into editable text, so that items like business cards and receipts can be easily added to your notes and made searchable.
To do this, open any note with an image, click the three dots in the action bar to see the expanded menu and select Grab image text. Keep reads and saves the text. While OCR in a note-taking app isn’t unique, Keep’s is better than most, reproducing scanned text with minimal errors.
Create a Google Doc from a note
Keep notes can easily be converted to Google Docs so you can expand them into fleshed-out documents. On Android, select the note you want to copy over, tap the More icon, and select Copy to Google Doc. To copy multiple notes, touch one note and hold it until it darkens, then select all the other notes. Follow the rest of the steps to export them to Google Docs. When your new document is ready, you’ll receive a prompt to open it.
Michael Ansaldo is a veteran consumer and small-business technology journalist. He contributes regularly to TechHive and writes the Max Productivity column for PCWorld.
Stay organized and on schedule with Google Tasks
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What to Know
- Open Google Calendar, click the Tasks icon, Add a task, enter a description, and choose a date to add it to the calendar.
- Get it on your desktop through Gmail and Google Calendar or on mobile with the free app from Google Play or the App Store.
This article explains how to add a task to Google Calendar on the web, Android, and iOS versions of Google Tasks, Gmail, and Google Calendar and manage task lists.
How to Add a Task From Calendar on a Computer
When working on your desktop, it’s easy to access Google Tasks from Google Calendar. Create task lists and add new tasks as needed.
Open Google Calendar, preferably with the Chrome browser, and log in if prompted.
Click the Tasks icon in the right panel.
If you don’t see the Tasks icon but do see Reminders, select the menu to the right of Reminders and choose Switch to Tasks.
Select Add a task.
Enter a description of the task.
Work With Your To-Do List
Managing Google Tasks is straightforward. Choose a date in the properties of the task to add the task to your Google Calendar. To reorder the tasks in the list, drag a task up or down the list. When a task is complete, put a check in the circle to the left of the task to categorize it into a Completed section.
To edit a Google Task, select Edit details (the pencil icon) to add a description, add a date and time, add subtasks, or move the task to a different task list.
Make Multiple Task Lists
To keep track of different tasks, such as work tasks and home tasks, or tasks within separate projects, create multiple task lists in Google Calendar to organize them. Select the arrow next to the list name at the top of the Tasks window, and then choose Create new list. Switch between your different Google Tasks lists from this menu.
Move Tasks to Another List
If you change your mind about where a task belongs, move the task from one list to another. To move a task into another list, highlight the task and press Shift+Enter, or click the pencil icon next to its name. Select the list name, and from the drop-down menu, choose the list to which you want to move this task.
Add Google Tasks From Your Android or iOS Device
Completing tasks while on the go is critical. Google created an app for Google Tasks, so the tool is accessible on iOS and Android devices. Google Tasks syncs with existing to-do lists automatically if you’re signed in to a Google account.
Adding tasks on a mobile device works similar to adding tasks through Google Calendar. Tap the plus-sign button to create a task. Tap the task to add subtasks or add a due date or description. Arrange the tasks by tapping and dragging.
Using Google Drive in the workplace can be extremely powerful and convenient. Outside of controlling a “real-time” operating budget, tracking labor hours, fuel usage, irrigation repair, equipment repair, and product inventory; Google Drive can also be utilized to setup a job board right in your shop. Yes, an external computer will be needed, but once this computer and monitor is setup, you can control this job board from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.
Just imagine that it is 9am and you are the farthest point from your shop. You didn’t have a chance to set second jobs for the staff or more importantly there needs to be a change to a few jobs. As long as you have a smart phone or tablet, you can pull up that “job board” file in Google Drive and change the information. This change will appear immediately on your shop computer, allowing employees to only have to check the shop computer for new jobs. Google does this through cloud collaboration. Here is a sample of a Google Drive Job Board using Google Spreadsheets, data validation, and conditional formatting:
Notice in the top right corner there is a note that there are 3 other viewers. Using Google Drive spreadsheets is convenient because you can allow other staff members access to edit the Job Board. All key members of the management can have full access to change jobs or add notes to individual jobs.
Google also archives the changes for you. So, if your morning jobs stay the same for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday you just revert to the archived copy, entering the new information for the Job Board in seconds. Also take note of the multiple sheets at the bottom. These sheets allow you to create job boards for multiple occasions such as: morning jobs, second jobs, the weekend jobs, and maybe even important events that you would like to plan for ahead of time. Whatever sheet you click on is viewable by the staff in the shop.
Another convenience and power about Google Drive is that the files can be embedded. You could embed the job board file into your blog. You could choose to password protect this page so that only staff can access the job board from a smart phone or make the page public so members can stay up to date on what is being done on a day to day basis. Here is a sample:
This embedded file on your blog will update automatically every five minutes. Using Google Drive to create your job board is sure to increase efficiency and productivity in your work place. It is also sure to lower your stress level and allow your core team to be just a bit more organized.
Are you looking to create your own Google Drive Job Board? We can help! Check out our Tech 911
Want to use Google Drive? Setup a Google Account HERE
Unlock the power of Google’s note taking tool with contextual reminders, voice commands, and more.
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Picked by PCWorld’s Editors
Top Deals On Great Products
Picked by Techconnect’s Editors
Google Keep gets overshadowed by Evernote and Microsoft Onenote, but it can be a powerful part of you productivity arsenal, particularly if you’re invested in Google’s ecosystem. Like the rest of Google’s apps, Keep is lean, fast, easy to use, and it syncs across devices. Its growing list of capabilities make a convincing argument for it as the go-to note-taker for Android users.
Here are five ways to start using Keep to manage your life.
Convert any note to a to-do list
You can set a note to remind you at a certain time or in a particular location.
Nothing’s as satisfying as checking items off a to-do list. Like Evernote, Google Keep offer an easy way to turn any unformatted note into a checklist.
Open a note, tap the three dots in the upper right corner of the note and select Show checkboxes. Keep will add a checkbox at the beginning of each line item. To remove them, follow the same steps but select Hide checkboxes. You can also select Show checkboxes when you create a new note, and Keep will include a checkbox as you add each task.
Take a “note to self”
When an idea or inspiration strikes, you must waste no time capturing it. In those moments, leverage Google Now’s voice actions to get it into Keep.
On an Android phone, trigger your mic, say “OK Google—note to self” and dictate the content of the note. The first time you use the “note to self” feature, Google Now will ask which app you want to use to complete the action. Select Google Keep and it will save your dictated note.
Use time- and location-based reminders
You can set a note to remind you at a certain time or in a particular location.
If you’re using Google Keep to create action-item notes and lists, you should take advantage of its reminder features. Keep offers two types of reminders—time-based and location-based.
Time-based reminders essentially schedule your note for a certain time of day. Say you’re creating a note around a business card so you’ll remember to follow up with this new contact when you get into the office the following morning. At the bottom of the note, click the reminder icon—it looks like a finger with a piece of string tied around it. In the window that opens, select Pick date & time. Enter the date and time you want to be reminded of, and click Save. You can create one-time or recurring reminders; in this case leave it to the default, “Does not repeat.”
Location-based reminders use your GPS to alert you when you’re in the appropriate place to execute your note. The most obvious example would be to set a shopping list to nudge you when you’re in the grocery store. To set a location-based reminder, click the reminder icon on the note and select Pick place. Enter a location in the search field as you would in any map app, choose the appropriate one from the results, and click Save.
Grab text from images
Google Keep can convert scanned images like business cards and receipts into editable text.
Google Keep lets you capture and convert images into editable text, so that items like business cards and receipts can be easily added to your notes and made searchable.
To do this, open any note with an image, click the three dots in the action bar to see the expanded menu and select Grab image text. Keep reads and saves the text. While OCR in a note-taking app isn’t unique, Keep’s is better than most, reproducing scanned text with minimal errors.
Create a Google Doc from a note
Keep notes can easily be converted to Google Docs so you can expand them into fleshed-out documents. On Android, select the note you want to copy over, tap the More icon, and select Copy to Google Doc. To copy multiple notes, touch one note and hold it until it darkens, then select all the other notes. Follow the rest of the steps to export them to Google Docs. When your new document is ready, you’ll receive a prompt to open it.
Michael Ansaldo is a veteran consumer and small-business technology journalist. He contributes regularly to TechHive and writes the Max Productivity column for PCWorld.
