Updated Google Docs tables are designed for project management

Google has announced new dropdown and table tools for Google Docs, as he attempts to evolve his word processing software into a collaborative productivity tool. The search giant calls small, modular features like these “smart chips,” and they’re part of the “smart web” initiative it launched last year. The features will roll out this month to all Google Account tiers.

The drop-down tool lets you insert a small drop-down menu into a Google Doc, with a list of customizable options to choose from. Meanwhile, there are also new table template options that can be used to quickly add well-formatted tables to a document. This looks like a huge improvement over the current barebones table creation feature of Google Docs.

Between them, they can be used to quickly create a simple project management document like those offered by productivity tools like Notion, right in Google Docs. Docs is no longer designed around the idea that you type a document that you will eventually print. Instead, recent features see its documents serve more as collaboration tools for remote workers.

After years of remaining relatively unchanged, Google has been rapidly releasing new features for Docs in recent months. It announced new pageless formatting in February, Markdown support and the ability to seamlessly compose emails in March and emoji reactions in April. The new options are both available in the Insert menu, where you’ll find an option for “Drop-Down List” or “Table Templates” under the “Table” submenu.