Google Docs gets add-ons — here’s how to access them

Google Docs is the free online alternative to Microsoft Office â€" though Office also now has a free online version as well. Although many individuals and businesses use it, it has been knocked a bit for being less capable than the rival. One problem has been the lack of plug-ins, but that has now changed, as Google has rolled out the feature. Here’s how to access the new add-ons.

First, I need to point out that this is just rolling out, so it’s possible that you may not see the feature right away. With that said, head to the Google Docs page and open a new or existing file.

Scan the top menu and you’ll find a new item appropriately named “Add-ons”. It’s hard to miss, as Google has red “new” written just above the option.

Click on this new menu item and a simple and short drop-down appears. Two simple options appear â€" “Get add-ons” and “Manage add-ons”. The latter is greyed out unless you have already added one or more.

“Get add-ons” will open a box that displays all of the available plug-ins, and there are already quite a few, despite that this feature was only added a few days ago.

You can look at all of them, that’s the default view, or use the drop-down menu at the top left to narrow things down to a particular category, such as business, education and more. It’s all quite simple to use and manage, so keep an eye out for the update.