Google introduced add-ons to Google Docs and Sheets last fall, making both apps all the more valuable to users. If you haven’t noticed the change, it’s probably because you haven’t paid attention to the snazzy yet subtle “Add-ons” tab (sandwiched between “Table” and “Help”) at the top of your Docs and Sheets:
To save you time, I’ve compiled this list of particularly handy add-ons for both Google Docs and Google Sheets.
HelloFax
We haven’t managed to kill off fax machines quite yet. But we have managed to bring them into the 21st century. With HelloFax, you can — believe it or not — actually send a fax directly from a Google Doc.
Data Everywhere
Even if your company has already gone Google, you may have some holdouts still using Excel. Rather than tearing out your hair when it comes to the great Microsoft vs. Google debate, you can meet in the middle with Data Everywhere. Data Everywhere allows users to link Excel spreadsheets to Google Sheets, pull Salesforce reports directly into Google Sheets, and more.
Save Emails and Attachments
It doesn’t have a cool name, and that may be because Save Emails and Attachments is a no-nonsense add-on. It allows you to automatically download emails and file attachments from Gmail to Google Drive. Basically, your email threads are converted into high-quality, printable PDFs, and the original file attachments are saved in their original form in Google Drive.
Lucidchart Diagrams
I love Lucidchart because it allows me to fake design skills I don’t actually possess and quickly make beautiful (shareable!) charts, graphs, and diagrams. Lucidchart Diagrams makes things that much simpler; you can now create and insert flowcharts, diagrams, and more directly into your Google Doc.
Mail Merge with Attachments
Though this one is a little complex for my needs, sales and field marketing teams may love Mail Merge with Attachments, an add-on that makes it possible to send mass emails that read personal. The gist: You can send personalized emails with attachments to multiple people (and the emails will read as if it were sent to each individual person). You’ll even be able to tell when people have read your email (which is, let’s face it, equal parts useful and invasive).
EasyBib Bibliography Creator
Want to easily cite your sources without leaving your Google Doc? EasyBib Bibliography Creator helps you create a bibliography by automatically citing books, articles, and websites just by entering the titles or URLs. Are you a fan of MLA, APA, Chicago style, etc.? Great, because EasyBib’s got ‘em all.
Mapping Sheets
Make Google Maps come to life for you and you alone with Mapping Sheets, an add-on that enables you to plot your own data onto a Google Map directly from a Google Sheet. It’s simple: In your Sheet, put the location names in one column, the addresses in another column, and Mapping Sheets will concoct you a personal Google Map — just like that.
Remove Duplicates
There are few things more detrimental or irksome to a quality spreadsheet than duplicate data. With Remove Duplicates, you can do a couple of useful things: Compare 2 different tables or columns (and remove any duplicates), and/or search for unique and duplicate rows within a single Sheet.
