- Switching Google Docs into Suggesting mode on a computer
- Suggesting changes in the Google Docs app on Android, iPhone and iPad
- Who can suggest edits in a Google Doc
- What the file owner sees after you suggest edits in Google Docs
- Accepting or rejecting suggested edits in your Google Doc
- Suggesting edits in Google Docs versus Word's tracked changes
- Using suggested edits in Google Docs to review business copy
- If you can't suggest edits in Google Docs
- Frequently asked questions
To suggest edits in Google Docs on a computer, click Editing at the top right and choose Suggesting, then type your changes. On the app, tap More and turn on Suggest changes. You'll only see the option if you have comment or edit access, so request access if it's missing.
If you've ever sent a client a draft and had it come back with whole paragraphs silently rewritten, you'll know why Suggesting mode exists. It lets someone propose a change without overwriting the original, so the owner of the file can see exactly what moved and decide whether to keep it.
I use it constantly with freelance writers, designers and clients reviewing copy. Below are the steps from Google's own Docs Editors Help for a computer, Android, iPhone and iPad, plus what the owner sees and what to do when the option won't appear.
Switching Google Docs into Suggesting mode on a computer
Google's help gives two routes on a computer. The quick one is in the margin, the other is the mode menu at the top right.
- Open the document in Google Docs in your browser.
- Select the words you want to change.
- Click Suggest edits in the right margin, if it appears there.
- If you don't see it, click Editing at the top right and choose Suggesting from the menu.
- Type your change. New text shows in colour and deleted text is struck through, so nothing is lost.
While you're in Suggesting, everything you type becomes a proposal. Switch back to Editing when you want to make direct changes again (only if you have edit access), or Viewing when you just want to read.
Suggesting changes in the Google Docs app on Android, iPhone and iPad
On a phone or tablet the setting is a toggle rather than a menu. According to Google's help, the steps on Android are these, and they're the same on iPhone and iPad:
- Open the document in the Google Docs app.
- Tap More (the menu icon).
- Turn on Suggest changes.
- Make your suggestion in the document.
- Tap Done when you've finished.
It's easy to forget the toggle is on. If your edits suddenly look coloured on screen, that's why: you're still proposing rather than editing.
Who can suggest edits in a Google Doc
Not everyone with the link can do this. Google's help says people can suggest edits when they have permission to comment on or edit the document. Someone with view-only access won't get the option.
If you're the reviewer and you can't suggest, Google says to click Request edit access. The owner then decides what level to give you. If you're the owner, sharing the file with comment access is a tidy middle ground: reviewers can propose wording but can't change anything directly.
| Access level | Can they suggest edits? | Can they change text directly? |
|---|---|---|
| Viewer | No (they can ask for access) | No |
| Commenter | Yes | No |
| Editor | Yes, after switching to Suggesting | Yes |
What the file owner sees after you suggest edits in Google Docs
Google's help says the file owner gets an email about suggestions and decides whether to keep them. Each suggestion also appears in the document itself, marked up so the owner can see the original and the proposed version side by side.
That's worth knowing before you go wild with changes on someone else's file. They'll be notified, and they'll be reading every proposal, so a short comment explaining why you suggested something tends to get a faster yes.
Accepting or rejecting suggested edits in your Google Doc
If you own the document or can edit it, you decide what stays. Google's help describes two ways.
- One at a time: open the document, choose a suggestion and click Accept or Reject.
- All at once: click Tools, then Review suggested edits, then pick Accept all or Reject all.
I'd only use Accept all on a document where you trust every reviewer and you've skimmed the changes first. On client copy, I go one by one, because a single accepted suggestion can change a claim or a name you didn't mean to touch.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Suggesting edits in Google Docs versus Word's tracked changes
If you work with people who live in Microsoft Office, here's the good news. Google's help says tracked changes in Microsoft Office become suggestions in Google Docs, and suggestions become tracked changes when you export to Office. So a client can mark up a Word file, send it to you, and you'll see their changes as suggestions in Docs, and the other way round.
Comments are a different thing from suggestions. A comment is a note in the margin with no change to the text. A suggestion is a proposed change to the text itself. When I'm giving feedback on a freelance draft, I use suggestions for small wording fixes and comments for bigger questions, which keeps the writer in charge of their own voice. If you're starting out as a writer, my guide to landing your first freelance content writing job has more on handling client feedback well.
Using suggested edits in Google Docs to review business copy
For small business owners, Suggesting mode is a simple way to get sign-off without losing control of a document. A few ways I see it used well:
- Website copy: a writer drafts, the owner suggests factual fixes, the writer accepts or pushes back.
- Proposals: a colleague suggests tightening before the file goes to a client.
- Policies and handbooks: a manager suggests changes so the team can see what moved.
- Sales pages: a reviewer flags claims that need checking before anything goes live.
If the copy is persuasive writing, it helps everyone to agree what good looks like first. My explainer on how copywriting works in practice is a decent shared starting point.
If you can't suggest edits in Google Docs
- No Suggesting option at all: you probably have view-only access. Click Request edit access.
- Your changes aren't showing as suggestions: check the mode menu at the top right says Suggesting, not Editing.
- On the app, nothing looks different: tap More and check Suggest changes is switched on.
- The owner says they never saw your changes: they get an email about suggestions, so ask them to check it and open the document.
- Menus look different from these steps: Google updates Docs often, so menus vary by app version.
Frequently asked questions
How do I suggest edits in Google Docs?
On a computer, select the text and click Suggest edits in the right margin, or click Editing at the top right and choose Suggesting. Then type your change and it shows as a suggestion.
How do I suggest edits on the Google Docs app?
Open the document, tap More, turn on Suggest changes, make your suggestion and tap Done. Google's help says the steps are the same on Android, iPhone and iPad.
Why can't I suggest edits in a Google Doc?
You need permission to comment on or edit the document. If you only have view access, click Request edit access and ask the owner.
Does the owner know when I suggest an edit?
Yes. Google's help says the file owner receives an email about suggestions and decides whether to keep them.
How do I accept all suggestions in Google Docs?
Click Tools, then Review suggested edits, then Accept all. You can also accept or reject each suggestion one at a time.
Do Google Docs suggestions show up in Word?
Yes. Google's help says suggestions become tracked changes when exported to Office, and tracked changes from Office become suggestions in Google Docs.
