Everyone knows Google Docs has a lot of really cool features, but did you know that you can actually create checkable checklists in Google Docs? Well, you can, and in this article, that’s exactly what I’m going to show you how to do.
It can actually be done in both the Google Docs website and the Google Docs mobile app. So first of all I’m going to show you how to do it on the Google Docs website on a computer, but click here if you want to skip down to where I show you how to create a checklist in the Google Docs app.
Prefer to watch a video about how to create a checklist in Google Docs? Click here.
How To Make A Checklist In Google Docs
To create a checklist in your Google Document, the first thing you’ll need to do is put your cursor where you want the checklist to be.
(I’m using a blank document for this example, but if your document already has content in it, you’ll need to move the cursor up or down to make sure the checklist gets added in the right place.)
Then, you’ll need to find the bulleted list button in the menu across the top of the screen, and click on the little drop-down arrow next to it.
And then, in the menu that appears, click on “Checklist”.
Now, a single checkbox will appear in your Google Doc…
And you’ll be ready to start typing your list as though it’s a bullet point list. Just type the first item you want to add to the list…
Then, press the enter key on your keyboard, and a new checkbox will appear ready for you to type the next item you want to add to the list.
So now you just need to continue with this process until your list is completed.
How To Check Things Off The Checklist
Once your checklist is created, you’ll actually also be able to check things off the list. All you have to do is click on the checkbox next to the item you want to check off…
And then, a tick will appear in the checkbox, and the item on the list will be crossed out and the text will become a slightly lighter color.
How To Create A Checklist In The Google Docs App
To create a checklist in the Google Docs app, the process is actually fairly similar.
To get started, simply open your document in the app if you haven’t already. And remember you’ll need to tap the pencil icon in the bottom right hand corner before you can actually edit the document.
Now that you’re editing the document, just place the cursor in the location that you want to add the checklist to, and tap the bullet points icon found on the right side of the menu above the keyboard.
Now, you’ll see a bullet point appear in your document which is obviously not what you wanted, but don’t worry, just tap the checklist icon that is now showing in the menu above the keyboard and the bullet point will turn into a single checkbox.
Now, you’ll have a solitary checkbox in your document, and that means you’re ready to start typing your list as though it’s a bullet point list. All you have to do is type the first item you want to add to the list…
And then, press the enter button on your phone or tablet’s keyboard to create the next checkbox.
Now, you can just keep going like this adding more items to your list until it’s complete.
How To Check Things Off The Checklist
Now that your checklist is complete, you can check things off it if you want to. To do that, all you have to do is tap on the box next to the item you want to check off…
And then a tick will appear in the box, and the item will become crossed off and greyed out.
It’s as simple as that! Just keep in mind that you can only do this while in “editing mode”, so if you come back to your document later on to check things off the list, you’ll have to tap the pencil icon again.
And that’s all there is to it! Now you know how to create a checklist in Google Docs. It’s nothing fancy, but it can be quite a handy feature at times.