[Libs-Or] Tech-Talk: Google Tabs - Use this New Feature to Boost Your Docs Organization

Tue May 27 14:16:56 PDT 2025

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Webinars for You

NOTE: Webinars begin at 3 pm ET / 2 pm CT / 1 pm MT / 12 Noon PT and are one hour long.

May 28: [GRAPHICS] Design That Captivates: Creating Effective Flyers, Web Pages, and Presentations Why Attend: You want polished-looking documents.

June 11: [GOOGLE] Google Tabs: Use this New Feature to Boost Your Docs Organization Why attend: You use Docs a lot and this feature rocks!

June 25: [WEB TOOL] From Job Seeker to Hired: Empower Your Patrons with Indeed Why attend: You want to learn tips for finding a new position.

July 9: [Google] Your Photo Mess, Solved: Smart Organizing with Google Photos Why attend: You want a system to organize your photos

View Webinars and Register Here<https://opiayfbab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001frQl0o1XJoa6x-G8zn1RW1px74hIXcZeuRF3A35BQn2E9cBG-lOy6zONcfACCQFrKC5ILjczmB6XPNzOHNWXGwig_8gXdA_p9SqGJuF4efR1dyEOgC2QAx5bWpdG-RYm5OLACW49WyBFZNXavqY1XjwaHuxqrNjpQiTm_xbv_Yw=&c=H8NlRPSLnYMw_fq7qCv6lDtcme6sXSyKD37CO0nAyTtZzLlyGOrazA==&ch=fhO-qRDSN2E7fAeDqFajyzsZv8Sxx2KsfeEbIBdDlt9FMCtlnJxmWg==>

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Google Tabs: Use this New Feature to Boost Your Docs Organization

Intermediate

[A Google Docs page titled Effective Team Communication with the Introduction section highlighted in the sidebar]

If you work in Google Docs, you may have seen a new feature in the left column as you set up your content.

Google started rolling out this helpful organizing option called Google Document Tabs in early 2025.

The Tabs feature lets you organize a single long Doc into labeled, collapsible sections - almost like having multiple mini documents in one file.

Instead of scrolling endlessly through a long document, Tabs can be particularly useful to break down long, structured documents into smaller, more digestible sections, automatically creating a Table of Contents.

For example, you can add Tabs:

·     When creating an employee manual or training guide
·     For recurring meeting notes and agendas
·     In long reports to break up sections
·     For multi-page contracts with several sections
·     In books to add chapters

Think of Tabs as similar to individual worksheets in a workbook that you see along the bottom when using Google Sheets. But instead of viewing these below in Docs, the tabs are on the left.

And, within each Tab, you can also create Subtabs to add even more structure to your document. For instance, a training manual could include subtabs for categories like Benefits, Dress Policy, Performance Reviews… And each section can contain subsections. You can even duplicate, reorder and add emojis to your tabs to quickly identify the different sections!

Let's look at how Tabs can be set up.

How to Create Google Docs Tabs

[Google Docs interface with a red arrow pointing to the menu icon on the left sidebar]

You can start a new Doc or open one that has been created from your Google Drive.

Turn on the Tabs Pane

In the Google Doc, if the left panel is not displayed yet, click the bulleted list icon at the top left corner. The left sidebar will open.

Add Tabs

[A Google Docs tab named Tab 1 is selected and the menu shows options]

Think of Tabs as main folders (or chapters) in a Doc. Each Tab will appear at the top level in the left sidebar.

·     Click in the "Tab 1" bar and then the three vertical dots and choose Rename.

·     Or click the + icon to add another Tab.

Everything you type while that Tab is selected lives inside it in your Doc. When you click on a different Tab, you get a fresh blank page.

Add content to your Doc as you would normally with formatting, images, tables, etc.

Add Subtabs

Subtabs are indented under a parent Tab, just like a subfolder. They help you group related content within your parent Tab. Each Tab or Subtab contains a separate "section" that can hold any amount of content. To add a Subtab:

[A menu shows many options in a Google document tab interface]
·     In the left panel, click the three vertical dots of the main Tab and choose Add Subtab.

·     You can also drag another Tab and drop it on top of a Tab to nest it as a new Subtab.

·     Nest Subtabs up to three levels deep.

[A Google Docs interface showing a new Tabs feature with text promoting improved document organization using tabs]

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Learn More about Tabs and See them in Action at the Upcoming Webinar:

Google Tabs: Use This New Feature to Boost Your Docs Organization

Wednesday, June 11 3 pm (ET) / 11 am (PT)

Add Headings within a Tab or Subtab

Now, to create a more dynamic document, you can use the Headings formatting (Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3) with each Tab or Subtab to break down the Tab further. Headings not only apply a visual style to text, but they populate the Outline or Table of Contents in the Tab pane for easy navigation.

Headings are useful for organizing text within a section, like subtopics, lists, or steps in a guide.

In the Tab pane, you will see each heading listed in a Tab or Subtab. You can click any item in the Tab panel to jump to that part of the document.

With Headings, you're still working in one continuous Tab in your Doc. Headings don't break content into separate mini-Docs ... the way Tabs do.

For example, in the image below, we created three Headings in the first Tab.

·     To do this, highlight the Heading and in the Heading formatting dropdown window choose from Heading 1, 2, 3 or 4.
·     The text highlighted will appear in the Tab panel.
·     You can see we used Heading 2 for Introduction and Learning Goals; Heading 3 for Common Communications Challenges; and Heading 4 for Warm-Up Exercise, defining a hierarchy of levels in the Tab and creating an instant Table of Contents.

When you use a Heading tag, it automatically adds it to the Tab panel giving you a linkable Table of Contents item. The arrows in the image below point from four different headings to where they display in the Tab hierarchy.

[Screenshot of a document with red arrows pointing to items in the Google Tab]

Other Tab Features

Now that you've set up Tabs, Subtabs and Headings, there are other options to explore.

·     Drag and drop Tabs in the Tab pane to reorder them. Indent or outdent to change the Tab's hierarchy.
·     Create a link to a specific tab - Hover a tab, click the vertical three-dot menu and choose Copy link. When you share it, collaborators land on that exact section of your Doc (which is handy for reviews).
·     Permissions & version history - Only editors can create, rename, or delete tabs. Viewers/commenters can still navigate and view them.

Once you've spent a few minutes adding and dragging tabs, you'll wonder how you managed big projects without them!

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Communications: Writing

Begin list items with a category word

Remember a time when you were creating a document ... such as a flyer or poster ... and you had a list of bulleted items.

The problem (or opportunity) was that each item had multiple sentences in it ... making it more difficult to scan the list quickly.

Here's an easy tip: Create a one or two word category heading for the beginning of the item. And, of course, you want to bold it, right?

Here is an example of different types of media being offered by a library ... but without the category heading:

·     A short welcome video plays in the lobby display. It introduces new visitors to library services and upcoming events.
·     Our monthly podcast features local authors and librarians. It’s a great way to extend community engagement beyond our walls.
·     The digital newsletter goes out biweekly to 3,000+ subscribers. It highlights programs, staff picks, and library news.
·     A colorful infographic near the checkout desk explains how to use our eBook platform. It simplifies the steps with icons and short phrases.
·     A Facebook reel showcased our teen cosplay contest and got over 1,200 views. It helped boost teen attendance at the next event.

Here is the example with the additional heading:

·     Video: A short welcome video plays in the lobby display. It introduces new visitors to library services and upcoming events.
·     Podcast: Our monthly podcast features local authors and librarians. It’s a great way to extend community engagement beyond our walls.
·     Newsletter: The digital newsletter goes out biweekly to 3,000+ subscribers. It highlights programs, staff picks, and library news.
·     Infographic: A colorful infographic near the checkout desk explains how to use our eBook platform. It simplifies the steps with icons and short phrases.
·     Social Media Post: A Facebook reel showcased our teen cosplay contest and got over 1,200 views. It helped boost teen attendance at the next event.

NOTE: Yes, in this case, it is OK to have the same word in two contiguous sentences. Why? Because it isn't two sentences ... the first is a category. It is perfectly alright to restate the category word in the first sentence. In fact, it's preferred.

This technique helps people quickly understand what they're looking at -especially when each point has a few sentences. It's easier to scan, more organized, and much more reader-friendly.

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Cheers,
Darci Hanning, MLIS (she/her/hers)
Public Library Consultant / CE Coordinator
Continuing Education Resources: https://slo.oregon.gov/conted/
State Library of Oregon | Library Support and Development Services
971-375-3491 | darci.hanning at slo.oregon.gov<mailto:darci.hanning at slo.oregon.gov> | www.oregon.gov/library<http://www.oregon.gov/library>

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