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Google's new Docs outline tool will make it easier to navigate your novel

Google's new Docs outline tool will make it easier to navigate your novel

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It automatically detects "logical divisions" within complex documents

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Google is updating Docs to make it easier to manage large, complex documents. The company is adding a new outline tool which collates headers from whatever you're working on (that unfinished novel, for example), allowing you to jump quickly from introduction to index with minimum fuss. The tool appears on the Docs web app as a sidebar on the left of the screen, and on the Android app as a scrollable list on the right. (There's no word on an iOS release.)

Even more handy, though: the new outline tool will also automatically create sections if you haven't. Google says the tool "intelligently [detect]s the logical divisions within your work," with users then able to "edit or remove these headers as necessary." Rollout will take place over the next couple of days, with the feature accessible via Tools > Document outline on the web, or by selecting "Document outline" from the overflow menu. Happy navigating.

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The new outline tool on the Docs app for Android. (Image credit: Google)