In a world that has become dependent on continuous access to the Internet, its absence can be a significant problem. In such circumstances, the ability to work with online documents offline is a real boon, as it allows you to continue working on projects without interruption and without losing productivity. The feature comes in handy during blackouts or scheduled power outages, business trips, travel, or simply in places with limited network access.
Offline mode supports most modern services for working with online documents. This means that you can open, edit, and save documents even when you are not connected to the Internet. When access is restored, all changes are automatically synchronized with the cloud storage.
Which online documents support offline access, how to set it up, and what do you need to know about the specifics of such work?
How to prepare online documents for offline work
It's worth noting that you won't be able to work fully without the Internet if you need to synchronize documents. First, you need to activate offline access to documents on your disk when you have an Internet connection.
It is also important that you have enough space on your device, as documents will be stored on it if you do not have access to cloud services. Online documents are not only text files, but also spreadsheets, presentations, and other formats stored on remote servers and accessible via the Internet. There are several popular services for working with online documents.
Google Docs, Sheets, Presentations, Forms. This is a free suite of tools from Google that allows you to create, edit, and collaborate with colleagues on documents online.
The service has a built-in function of working without the Internet in the Google Chrome browser, which must be activated in advance:
- Open Google Drive in the Chrome browser.
- Go to settings in the upper right corner of the screen.
- In the General tab, turn on the Offline option.
4. Install the Google Docs Offline extension in your browser. Note that you can do this only if you have an active Internet connection. You can then save documents to your device for offline work.
After that, the documents you edited or opened will be available for work without the Internet. When the connection is restored, all changes are synchronized automatically. It's also not necessary to set up offline access to all documents from Google Drive, you can do it for a separate folder.
Microsoft 365 (OneDrive)
This is a paid software package from Microsoft that contains online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other tools. Documents can be stored in Microsoft's OneDrive cloud service. This allows users to work with their files from a variety of devices, including a PC, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
You can download a document saved in OneDrive to your device. You can work with synchronized files directly in File Explorer and open them even when you're not connected to the network.
How to work offline with Word documents in OneDrive:
- Open the desired document in the online version of Microsoft Word and download it to your device.
- Work in the desktop version of Word. Your document is automatically synced to OneDrive when you connect to the Internet.
- To ensure offline access, go to OneDrive on your computer and select the files or folders you want to save for offline use. Right-click and select the "Always save to this device" option.
Dropbox Paper
Dropbox for desktop lets you access your files even when you're not connected to the Internet. Just make the files you need available offline.
Store your files in a Dropbox folder on your computer, and they'll automatically sync with the versions in the cloud when you're online.
The service is paid, but there is a free Basic plan that offers 2 GB of storage for storing and sharing files.
Working with Google Drive offline: browser vs. desktop version
Let's take a closer look at the offline mode of working with online documents using Google Drive as an example. This service is currently the most popular because it offers 15 GB of free storage for storing mail, photos, presentations, documents, and other digital information.
It is important to understand that you can only work with the web version of Google Docs in the Google Chrome browser. Moreover, it has limited features.
If you're used to using a different browser, it's best to download the Disk for your computer from and set up access there without a network connection. To do this:
- Download and install the Desktop version of Google Drive on your computer.
2. Go through the standard installation process: Install - Add shortcuts to the desktop (or not).
3. Next, you need to log in to your Google account in the browser: simply select the desired account or enter your email and password.
4. The browser may also offer to enable an extension that was automatically installed. You need it to work with documents offline. Do it.
5. Minimize your browser and open the This PC folder on your computer. The disk will be created as a separate partition, and you can use it as a regular drive.
6. In the Google Drive explorer, open My Drive. You'll see your folders and documents labeled with a blue cloud, which means Online Only.
7. Right-click the folder and select Show advanced settings. Under Offline access, change the appropriate settings.
8. The folder is now marked with a green check mark. You can also grant access to individual files.
You may notice that Google Docs in folders cannot be set to Offline because they are not active. However, you can still work with them without access to the Internet - they open in a browser. At the top of the document title, you'll see a note that you're working offline. As you can see, modern technologies make workflows as comfortable as possible for users. Therefore, before planned trips or power outages, check the settings for accessing the necessary files offline and follow the instructions to avoid unpleasant surprises.