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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.

Latest Tips

Group chats with external users in Google Chat

When you work with agencies or colleagues from other branches (hence using another Google Workspace domain) you often need to have group chats. If you want to create a group conversation in Google Chat for that purpose, you will realize that Google Chat doesn’t allow you to add users that are not in the same Google Workspace domain as yours. Same rule applies for spaces that have already been created. By default, Google Chat spaces only allow members within your domain. However, you can add external members to a space, only if you follow this procedure when you create it: 1. Click on the ‘+’ icon in your Google Chat and then “Create Space”. 2. Name your space and click the checkbox next to “Allow people outside your organization to join”. 3. Add members to the room using the text box. Now all collaborators (internal and external) can communicate with each other using Google Chat! Important note: This procedure cannot be implemented retroactively. If you need to add an external member to an existing space/room, you will need to delete the space and create it again following the procedure above.
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!
Disable the Automatic List Detection in Google Docs

As one of the most popular word processing applications, Google Docs includes a few list formatting options. One of them is automatic list detection and it activates every time you type in number 1 followed by a dot or space key. Automatic list detection can save you time when you’re adding a list to your document. However, if you aren't typing a list or don't like the formatting used by Google Docs when creating lists, you may wish to stop it. Fortunately, Google Docs has an option that prevents automatic list formation. Here’s how to turn off auto numbering in Word and Google Docs: Open any Google Doc. Click Tools from the top menu. Select Preferences. Uncheck the box next to Automatically detect lists. Click OK. Google Docs will no longer apply the list formatting to any text that appears to be a list. This change will apply to any future documents created or updated using the same Google account. What if you need to create a list? You can still apply the list formatting to text, even after you’ve disabled automatic list detection. Bulleted and numbered lists can be created using the intended buttons from the toolbar. Click these buttons and list formatting will kick-off. There’s no option to disable auto-indentation for Google Docs lists; you can use the ruler from the top of the document to change the indent of your list (make sure you select the list first, before moving the arrows). Now you know how to disable the automatic list detection feature in Google Docs.

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Group chats with external users in Google Chat

How to count characters in Google Sheets

Disable the Automatic List Detection in Google Docs