Google Docs & Spreadsheets

Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

The Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides icons
An example of a document in Google Docs
Developer(s)	Google
Initial release	March 9, 2006; 11 years ago (2006-03-09)
Stable release(s)
Docs (Android) 1.7.273.03 / July 14, 2017; 5 months ago (2017-07-14) Sheets (Android) 1.7.273.05 / July 14, 2017; 5 months ago (2017-07-14) Slides (Android) 1.7.273.05 / July 14, 2017; 5 months ago (2017-07-14) Docs (iOS) 1.2017.26207 / July 12, 2017; 5 months ago (2017-07-12) Sheets (iOS) 1.2017.26207 / July 12, 2017; 5 months ago (2017-07-12) Slides (iOS) 1.2017.26211 / July 12, 2017; 5 months ago (2017-07-12)
Written in	JavaScript
Operating system	Web, Android, iOS
Available in	83 languages
Type	Collaborative software Word processor Spreadsheet Presentation program
Website	Google Docs Google Sheets Google Slides

Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides are a word processor, a spreadsheet and a presentation program respectively, all part of a free, web-based software office suite offered by Google within its Google Drive service. The three apps are available as web applications, and as mobile apps for Android and iOS. The apps are compatible with Microsoft Office file formats. The suite also consists of Google Forms (survey software), Google Drawings (diagramming software) and Google Fusion Tables (database manager; experimental).

The suite allows users to create and edit files online while collaborating with other users in real-time. Edits are tracked by user with a revision history presenting changes. An editor's position is highlighted with an editor-specific color and cursor. A permissions system regulates what users can do. Updates have introduced features using machine learning, including "Explore", offering search results based on the contents of a document, answers based on natural language questions in a spreadsheet, and dynamic design suggestions based on contents of a slideshow, and "Action items", allowing users to assign tasks to other users.

While Google Docs has been criticized for lacking the functionality of Microsoft Office, it has received praise for its simplicity, ease of collaboration and frequent product updates.

Google Docs originated from two separate products, Writely and XL2Web.

Writely was a web-based word processor created by the software company Upstartle and launched in August 2005. It began as an experiment by programmers Sam Schillace, Steve Newman and Claudia Carpenter, trying out the then-new Ajax technology and the "content editable" function in browsers. On March 9, 2006, Google announced that it had acquired Upstartle.