How to Use Smart Chips in Google Docs and Sheets

Google smart chips are little bits of data that can enhance your Google experience by retrieving data from other apps and services. Updated frequently, they offer more information about other users, files, maps, and more to Google Docs and Sheets.

What Are Google Smart Chips

You can add "Smart Chips," which are short pieces of information that, when clicked on, show more information in Google Docs and Google Sheets. Smart Chips let you get more information and do things when you pick them or move your mouse over them.

Depending on the information you wish to incorporate, you can select from several different kinds of Smart Chips:

Types of Smart Chips

People

Gives you the option to add or modify a contact, send a message, make a video chat, view the person's email address, and more in Gmail. Google Contacts now has an option to open the detailed view in a separate tab in your browser.

Files

Highlights the file's owner, a small preview with the ability to open a larger one (if appropriate), the link to the file in the relevant Google app or Google Drive, and the option to share the file.

Events

Bring up the meeting's data from Google Calendar, including the time, date, and title. You can also find a copy link button and an option to attach the current document to the event. You can also press the Tab key to add meeting notes to the event.

Places

Shows a thumbnail view of the Place in Google Maps, the ability to access a larger version, the address type, and choices to copy the link or obtain instructions. You can only get the Places Smart Chip in Google Docs.

Dates

In addition to showing the date, it lets you choose the style of the date and schedule a meeting. You can type "@today" or "@tomorrow" or enter the complete date in the month, date, and year format. Choose the date format you like by clicking the gear button. The Dates Smart Chip is an extra perk. It's limited to Google Docs and requires the @ sign instead of the Insert menu.

Dropdown

Dropdown smart chips let you change the text in a document or spreadsheet by opening a list of choices. The users or viewers with access to the document or spreadsheet can select any option from the list. Create a dropdown menu where you can add the current state of a project: Not Started, Blocked, In Progress, or Completed.

Finance (in Google Sheets only)

Finance smart chip allows you to add the symbol of the stocks of a trading company in the form of a smart chip in the spreadsheet. The interesting part is when you move the cursor of your mouse over that smart chip, it will show you the company's current stock price. When you tap on that chip, a Google Finance page in a new browser tab opens up, giving you all the details about the stock and the company.

Stopwatch and Timer (in Google Docs only)

Stopwatch and Timer chips can be only used when you have a Workspace business or education account. Select Insert > Smart chips > Stopwatch or type @stopwatch and click Enter to embed a stopwatch chip, adding a six-digit number display to your page. On the left side of the screen, the icon allows you to start, pause, and reset the stopwatch timer.

Voting (in Google Docs only)

Inserting one or more voting smart chips based on emojis into your document allows users with Workspace business or school accounts to gather feedback from colleagues quickly. Choose Insert > Smart chips > Voting chip, or type @voting to insert a smart chip.

Why Should You Use Smart Chips

Using Smart Chips in Google Docs or Sheets has several benefits.

• Save space- Reduced to a single line of text, the Smart Chip takes up very little space. It opens when you tap on the smart chip and move the cursor.
• Reduce errors- Using the Smart Chip eliminates the need to enter addresses manually, phone numbers, event details, calendar items, and people.
• Help your readers- People reading your document can readily find further information from you. Their workload for manual research is reduced as a result.

Building blocks that work with smart chips

Google Docs has another interesting feature that work along with smart chips. These mini templates are building blocks that are specially designed so that workflow is easily coordinated. Building blocks also track projects and helps in drafting emails.

Draft Email

You can use the email draft template as a foundational element. With this tool, you can connect your document to Gmail, which makes it easier for your team to work together on emails. You can preview the email in Gmail after clicking on the email draft building block and typing in the recipient's information, the subject line, and the email message. After that, you can just hit the "Send" button in your Google Docs email.

Roadmap for Products

The product roadmap example is another great foundational tool. Perfect for project management, this template lets you keep tabs on various tasks, update their statuses, and add notes. Get project overviews up and running quickly with the help of the product roadmap-building component.

Track Review

The review tracker component is ideal for maintaining tabs on comments and edits. You can easily keep track of the progress of reviews, add notes, and work together with other team members using this template. Streamlining the review process with the review tracker building block makes sure that everything is noticed.

How to Insert Smart Chips in Google Docs

Step 1: Open Google Docs

Sign in to Google and open Docs from the workspace.

Step 2: Type "@"

To insert the smart chip, type the "@" icon.

Step 3: Select from the list of suggestions

The dropdown menu or input letters, numbers, or symbols to modify your suggestions.

When you want to add someone:

• Start typing their name or email address.
• If you want to add yourself, type @me.
• Put the file's name or relevant keywords into the smart chip input field to add it.

Step 4: Let other collaborators add their reviews.

You can add a smart chip that a collaborator can fill out by choosing "Placeholder chip." Next, choose the fields your coworker should fill on the smart chip based on specific criteria. Move your mouse over the chip to see more details.

Smart chips don't instantly give another user access to your document when you mention them. You must share the document with the collaborator to let them edit it.

How to add building blocks and dropdowns to organize projects

Google Docs allows you to build and personalize dropdown menus that show several alternatives. You can also add themes that help you keep track of projects, files, and more with building blocks.

How to Add Smart Chips in Google Sheets

In a smart chip, when you @mentioned a user, they don't immediately get to your document. You can grant access to another user by sharing your document.

Step 1: Open a spreadsheet

On your desktop, open Google Sheets from Google Workspace. Now open a spreadsheet and enter "@."

Step 2: Add people smart chip

Type in someone's name or email address.

Step 3: Add File smart chip

Type the name of the file or keywords that are connected.

Step 4: Add Event smart chip

Type the event name or keywords that are connected to it.

Step 5: Add Place the smart chip

Places, addresses, and locations can be entered.

Step 6: Add Finance smart chip

Enter the name of what you want to track in Google Finance, such as a currency, a mutual fund, or a stock.

Step 7: Add Rating smart chip

By typing "Rating" and clicking on the chip, you can choose from a range of ratings from 0 to 5 stars.

Step 8: View all the details of the chip

Place your mouse over the smart chip to see all of the information.

Remember-

• You can change the format of the chip by modifying things like Color, Size, and Style of font.
• Hit Format and then Clear formatting at the top to remove formatting.

If you're writing a business proposal, financial report, meeting notes, or spreadsheet, Google Smart Chips are great for tiny information to include. Consider these when writing your next paper, and stay tuned for future Smart Chip developments.