Google Docs will let users organize information into tabs

Google Docs will let users organize information into tabs

The tabs feature is rolling out now but may take a few weeks to appear. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Tabs are being added to Google Docs to make it easier to organize and find information in longer documents. The feature was originally announced in April, and is now gradually rolling out to all Google Workspace users and personal Google accounts, though it may take a few weeks to appear.

“You can now use tabs to draft and build content in a way that makes it possible for you to find what you’re looking for quickly and stay on task,” Google announced in its latest Workspace update. “Plus, readers can navigate through your document with ease and focus on sections that matter most to them.”

GIF: Google

The new tabs feature makes it easier to jump to specific sections within longer documents instead of creating separate files.

Tabs can be accessed on the Gdocs desktop web editor by selecting the bullet-point symbol located at the top-left corner of the document screen. The symbol, previously labeled as “show document outline” when hovered over, will now display “Show tabs & outlines” and give users the option to add and manage multiple tabs, including subtabs to create customizable categories. For example, Google suggests users could create a “budget” tab that includes subtabs for specific expenses like food and travel.

The feature supports adding up to three levels of nested subtabs, which can be created by either selecting “Add subtab” from the tab options menu or dragging one tab into another to automatically convert it into a subtab. Users can give each tab and subtab an individual label and emoji to quickly identify them. The tab navigation menu will open by default on documents containing two or more tabs, and users can share links to specific tabs by clicking on the three dot menu next to each tab.

Tab editing capabilities like renaming, duplicating, or deleting tabs are only available to users that have editor access to the document. Otherwise, tabs can be viewed and navigated in suggestion mode, but not adjusted.