The Simple, Hidden Google Docs Hack That Has Actually Made My Life Better

The indignities of modern life are numerous. Wrangling the software we use every day is not chief among them, but a hassle is a hassle, and for years there was one that just bugged the crap out of me: creating a new Google Doc. 

Like any good Young Internet Professional, I spend a lot of time in Google Docs and Google Sheets (and occasionally, if I'm feeling special, Google Slides). My fingers are well trained to type "docs.go" and then smash the return button as soon as Chrome autofills the rest of the Google Docs link. 

Invariably, however, the link that autofills is not the link I actually want. It is a Google Docs link, sure. But it's usually the link to a doc I last worked on three weeks ago and that stopped being useful two weeks ago. It is not docs.google.com, that is — the place where I can actually create a new document. 

I don't really blame Google or Chrome for this. On a day-to-day basis, Chrome's URL autofill saves me a ton of time, as I zip between a roster of go-to websites for work. But every time I mistakenly opened a months-old Google Doc and had to navigate back to the home screen or click on the drop-down File menu to start a fresh doc, a little ball of resentment grew inside me.

But late last year, Google quietly launched a new way to create a clean doc, and it's everything I needed. Go ahead, type "docs.new" (the singular, "doc.new," works too) into your browser bar. Just like that…

It's a small thing. On a day-to-day basis, this will save you something on the order of seconds, rather than minutes. But it's bigger than that. Efficiency is great, but the feeling that you're not fighting the tech tools you use for your work or your life is a good feeling. 

Every time I whip open a clean Google Doc with docs.new, I feel a small sense of victory over a problem that used to annoy the hell out of me. It's the simplest trick, but it's so simple that it still kind of feels magical every time it works. And in a world filled with tiny indignities, I'll take it. 

Update: I should note, this works the same for Google Sheets, Slides and Forms (sheets.new, slides.new, etc.). Have fun!