other Zoom resources …
Overview
Google documents (including Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides) are powerful collaborative tools. They are also really useful used alongside a Zoom meeting.
They allow multiple people to share/view the same document. And, optionally, for them to edit it, all at the same time – and in real-time.
This is possible, because these documents are stored in the Cloud, and so available to anyone with the link to them.
Using Google Docs with Zoom
All you have to do is …
- Create your Google Doc or Google Sheet
- Set it up for “view” or “edit”
- Get the link to share it
- Copy the link into Zoom’s Chat
Excellent web site (with written instructions and videos) for how to use Google Drive and documents
And if you’re using an iPad … an 18 min video – Google Drive for iPad Tutorial 2020
Other things you can do with a Google account
- Create Google Docs (like Word), Google Sheets (like Excel), Google Slides (like Powerpoint)
- Create Google Forms that you can ask people to fill in
- Organise your Google files in Google folders
- Upload any file from your computer (Word, Excel, PDFs, pictures, videos etc.) to a Google folder
- Share any file (Google Doc, uploaded Word or video etc) with individual, named people or by sending people a link
- Share an entire folder with people
To do any of these things … you need to have a Google account. Most of us already do.
Getting started with a Google account
Go to https://www.google.co.uk/ or https://www.google.com/ and look in the top right hand corner. If you see the blue “Sign in” button, you are NOT signed in to Google. So, you may not have a Google account.
Try clicking on it and seeing if your browser remembers your email and password.
Which email address am I signed up with Google?
If you are signed into Google, hold your mouse over your picture (or letter) or click on it and you will see which email address you have registered with Google.
Sharing a computer with someone else?
If you are sharing a computer with someone else, and you have different Google accounts/emails, this will complicate things a little.
But there are ways to deal with this. If you are using Google Chrome you can set up what are called “Google Chrome profiles”. These allow either of you to quickly open Google with your account, without having to log them out and sign in yourself.
How to set these up and how they work is beyond the scope of this page, but you will find plenty of help online and with YouTuve videos. Google ‘google chrome profiles’.
Go to https://www.google.co.uk/ or https://www.google.com/ and look in the top right hand corner and click on “Sign in”
Then click on “Create account”
Then fill in the details.
Important: You can register for a Google account, without having to get a Google (gmail) email. See the option to click on below.
You will have to verify your email and also enter some personal details (phone number, birthday and gender)
Using Google Docs
You can share Google Documents with named people (their email addresses) OR by sharing a link with them. The latter is what you’ll usually need in a Zoom meeting.
You’ll see a “Share” button in your Google Document on the top right of your screen …
See these links below, for how to share a link to a Google Doc with people
Note: To share the link in a Zoom meeting simply paste it into the Chat
Sharing Google Documents (video only and starts at the “Sharing a Link” section)
Sharing Google documents (full video and help page)
A comprehensive written guide to all you’ll need about sharing Google Docs
You can access Google Drive by going to http://drive.google.com in your web browser.
You can also navigate to Google Drive from any Google page (such as Gmail or Google search) by selecting the grid icon near the top-right corner, then clicking Drive.