How to mention a user in a Google Doc to collaborate, schedule a calendar event, launch a video call, and more

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How to mention a user in a Google Doc to collaborate, schedule a calendar event, launch a video call, and more
When you mention someone in a Google Doc, you can share the file, launch a video call, and more with them.Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images
  • You can now tag users directly in the body of a Google document — a feature previously only available within Google Doc's comments tool.
  • To mention a user in a Google document, first type "@" anywhere on the page followed by the collaborator's name or email address.
  • You can confirm a user's mention in your Google Doc by selecting their correct contact info from the auto-populated list of Google contacts that appears.
  • This Google Docs feature is currently unavailable on the mobile app and can only be used when working in documents on a desktop device.
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A recent Google Docs feature, "mentioning," allows you to tag another user within a document's text. According to Google Workspace Updates, which outlines the new feature's capabilities, mentioning was previously only possible in comments.

While comments are useful for a hands-off flagging approach to issues and edits with collaborators, this new in-text tagging feature is especially helpful for shared documents. That's because it allows you to highlight a specific user as a point of contact for follow-up questions, select edits, or to establish further off-doc communications.

Once you mention someone in a Google Doc, you can hover over their name for a menu of G-suite-related actions. From here, the mention tool lets you add the user to your contacts, schedule a calendar event with them, or even launch into a video call.

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How to mention a user in a Google Doc to collaborate, schedule a calendar event, launch a video call, and more
This dialogue box will only appear when you hover over a mentioned user's name.Abbey White/Business Insider

If you're looking for a more dynamic way to work with collaborators in Google Docs, here's how to use the mention feature. Note that the feature is only available on the desktop version of Google Docs currently.

How to mention a user in a Google Doc on desktop

1. Open a new or previously saved Google document.

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2. Type "@," then start typing the name or email address of the person you want to tag.

How to mention a user in a Google Doc to collaborate, schedule a calendar event, launch a video call, and more
Type "@" to begin the tagging process.Abigail Abesamis Demarest/Business Insider

3. Click on the name of the person you want to tag.

How to mention a user in a Google Doc to collaborate, schedule a calendar event, launch a video call, and more
Begin typing the name of the person you want to tag.Abigail Abesamis Demarest/Business Insider

4. To share the Google Doc with the tagged individual (if they don't already have access), click the "Share" button in the popup prompt.

How to mention a user in a Google Doc to collaborate, schedule a calendar event, launch a video call, and more
Click on the person's name to tag them.Abigail Abesamis Demarest/Business Insider

5. To share the document with tagged individuals at a later time, click the "Dismiss" button on the prompt.

  • Note: When you're ready to share, click the "Share" button on the top right of the Google Docs screen to change the document's share settings.
How to mention a user in a Google Doc to collaborate, schedule a calendar event, launch a video call, and more
To share the Google Doc with the tagged person, click "Share" on the prompt box.Abigail Abesamis Demarest/Business Insider

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