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G Suite Tips is provided by the team at Overdrive. We’re passionate about Google Workspace and everything Google, so we’re delighted to share the latest insights, tips and tricks with you.

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How to count characters in Google Sheets

When you’re using Google Sheets for work or school, you may have to deal with text data. Unlike Google Docs, the spreadsheet app from Google doesn’t have a built-in character counter. However, there’s a dedicated Google Sheets function to count characters. Counting characters in Google Sheets is easier than you may think. The LEN function can be used in many situations to count characters in a spreadsheet. Count all characters in a cell Type in the LEN function and make a reference to the cell you want to count. This method is used to count all characters, including letters, numbers, spaces, punctuation marks, etc. Example: =LEN(A2) Count characters and ignore spaces The LEN function counts all characters, including spaces. If you want the count to ignore spaces and punctuation marks, you can add the SUBSTITUTE function to the syntax; the main purpose of this function is to replace one character with another, so we’re using it in order to replace spaces and other punctuation marks with nothing. Example: =LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A3, " ", "")) Count all characters in a column The LEN function doesn’t work with a range of cells, but you can add the SUMPRODUCT function to sum up the characters in a range. Example: =SUMPRODUCT(LEN(A2:A9)) Remember that the LEN function counts all characters, including spaces. If you want removed spaces and punctuation marks, simply use the SUMPRODUCT function to add up the results from the counting column. Example: =SUMPRODUCT(B2:B9) If you still have questions about counting characters in Google Sheets, ask our community of Google Workspace power users!
How to Avoid Getting Removed from Google Meet Calls

Google Meet is used by many organizations on a daily basis for quick calls or virtual meetings. Google Calendar meetings automatically receive a Meet link which guests can use to join the virtual meeting room. Google is working to make the app more efficient and constantly introduce new features. The “leave empty calls” feature can remove you from a meeting when you're the only person in it. Let's say you enter a team meeting and no one arrives within five minutes: a pop-up message will appear, asking if you're still there and if you'd prefer to wait or hang up. You will be instantly thrown out if you do not answer within two minutes. Although this feature can prevent people from leaving meeting tabs open and accidentally broadcasting their video and audio feeds, some of us find it irritating. With this feature enabled, you will be kicked out of the meeting if your colleagues are a few minutes late. This option is enabled by default, but you can switch it off via Google Meet settings. Disable the “Leave empty calls” feature to prevent Google Meet from kicking you out of meetings and keep a regular meeting pinned as tabs. Open any Google Meet room and click on the three dots from the right corner of your camera feed. 2. Click on Settings. 3. Navigate to the General settings tab and switch off the “Leave empty calls” toggle. Your new settings are automatically saved, so you can just close the settings window. On mobile devices, open the Google Meet apps and select the account you want to switch off the feature for. Go to Settings and tap on the “Leave Empty Calls” option. What do you think about this feature? Visit our Google Workspace community forum and share your thoughts with other Google Meet users.
How to send emails directly from Google Docs

Google Workspace users (business users) can draft up and send emails right from a Google Docs document, without having to open Gmail. Google Docs is one of the most popular apps for document creation, editing, and sharing. Google has made it incredibly easy to share documents across platforms and collaborate on them in real-time. Moreover, Google Docs constantly expands to include new features, like the one we’re discussing today. This email feature included with Google Docs is perfect for those who like multitasking. It's a great way to speed up your productivity and keep track of the emails linked to a certain document. How to send emails from Google Docs 1. Open any Google Doc and click anywhere you want to start drafting an email. 2. Type in the at sign @ and click on Email draft from the drop-down. If you can’t see the email draft button, you can navigate to the Menu bar > Insert > Building blocks > Email draft. 3. Fill in the email template that appears, including the To, Subject and Message fields. 4. Once you’re ready to send the email, click the blue M icon. A pop-up window will open where you can preview your email before sending it; click Send. If your browser has disabled pop-up windows by default, you will be notified to enable them, at least for the Google Docs website. The email template will stay in the document even after you’ve sent the message; it’s up to you to keep it for the record or delete it. You will also find the emails sent from Docs in the Sent folder in Gmail. Keep in mind that replies won’t appear in the document, so you need to check Gmail for responses. This feature is available to all Google Workspace customers, including legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers. Personal Google accounts (@gmail.com) can’t use this feature. Are you going to make use of this feature? Let us know your thoughts on the Google Workspace community forum .

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How to count characters in Google Sheets

How to Avoid Getting Removed from Google Meet Calls

How to send emails directly from Google Docs