Google is introducing document previews for Cloud Search that will let users preview search results before opening a file.
“We’re introducing document previews for Cloud Search, allowing users to preview search results before opening the file. With this capability, you can be more confident about the link you are clicking on by getting a sneak peek into the document and avoid clicking on non-relevant results,” Google said in a blog post.
Available for Google Cloud Search customers, document previews give users a snapshot of documents in the search results page without having to open the link.
“This feature is particularly useful when trying to distinguish between documents with similar titles — now, users can feel more confident they’re opening the most relevant results,” it said.
Previews will be available for most of the popular document formats such as Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, PDF, Microsoft Word documents, etc.
Users must note that they can only preview documents that they have access to.
Separately, the tech giant also announced an improved search experience in Google Chat earlier this week, making it easier for users to surface and navigate to relevant conversations and spaces.
With the update, users will be able to see suggestions based on their chat activity when they click into the search bar. They will also get intelligent suggestions for people, spaces and group messages when they begin typing in the search bar.
This update will be available only on Google Chat on the web (chat.google.com) for all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers as well as users with personal Google Accounts.
Search chips
It has also made search chips on Google Drive generally available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers.
Search chips make it easier for users to find relevant files faster on Drive. After a query is entered, users can use search chips to surface more relevant results based on file type, such as a Google Doc, PDF, or image, people, location, such as a shared drive or specific folder, when the document was last modified, file titles only, shared labels and tasks.
It has also made other improvements to the feature including spelling suggestions along with search chips, clearing search chips on their own, or together with the query and additional date options for the “Last modified” chip.
Published on
February 18, 2022
