Writing a document

Make a text document, format it, add tables, pictures, equations and footnotes, and get back an earlier version.

Updated 18 October 2026

Why this exists

Lesson plans, letters and worksheets scattered across personal laptops are hard to find and easy to lose. Documents keeps them in one place your centre owns, saving as you type. Tutors and office staff get the tools they reach for, including typeset maths, comments, suggested changes and earlier versions, without leaving the app.

Documents is your centre's word processor. Use it for lesson plans, letters, worksheets and notes. Tutors, admins and marketing staff can open it.

Before you start

Open Workspace > Documents. If you do not see it, your role does not include Documents. Ask your centre's admin.

Make a document

Open Documents and choose + Document.
To start from a template instead, use File > New from template... once the document is open.
Give it a title. Everything you type saves as you go.

Format and add things

Use the toolbar for bold, lists, alignment and headings, or Format > Paragraph styles.
Type / on an empty line for a quick menu of headings, lists, tables, equations and answer spaces.
Insert adds a table, image, link, page break, footnote, equation or a horizontal line.
Type maths between dollar signs, such as $x^2 + 1$ , and it turns into typeset maths when you close it.
Drag the handle beside a paragraph to move it, or press Alt+Shift+Up or Down.
Select text to get a small bar with bold, italic, link and Comment.

Comments and suggestions

Add a comment from the selection bar or Insert > Comment.
Turn on Tools > Suggest changes (track changes) to mark your edits for someone else to accept or reject.

Earlier versions

File > Version history lists saved versions. Open one to look at it, or restore it. Restoring keeps the newer version in the history too.

Good to know

View > Dark page in dark mode is off by default, so the page looks like paper.
Insert a Word file here... adds a Word file into the document. Open a Word file (replaces this)... swaps the whole document for it.
If your centre has live editing switched on, two people can type in the same document at once. If you do not see the other person's cursor, it is not switched on for your centre yet.