How to Use Google Bard in Docs

This article explains how to use Google Bard in Docs, including generating text from scratch and adding or adjusting text in existing documents.

How Does Google Bard Work in Docs?

Google Bard is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot based on Google’s LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) technology, which works similarly to other generative AI models like ChatGPT. It’s integrated with various Google Workspace apps, including Google Docs, and can assist in multiple tasks in each of these apps. This integration allows you to enter prompts directly into Google Docs to brainstorm new ideas, help you write or rewrite new documents, or even proofread something you’ve already written.

Here’s how to start using Google Bard in Docs:

1. Navigate to Google Docs, and click + Blank to create a new document.

   You can also access Google Bard features in existing documents.

2. Click Help me write (pencil icon).

3. Type a prompt for the task you want Bard to perform, and click Create.

   Bard can write a rough draft of a specific document, brainstorm ideas, and perform other writing tasks. If you don’t enter a prompt immediately, it will cycle through random prompts to give you ideas.

4. Wait while Bard performs the writing task.

   This process can take a while if the Bard servers are overloaded.

5. If you aren’t happy with the results, click Recreate, and Bard will discard the generated text and perform the task again.

6. Once satisfied with the initial result, click Refine for additional options.

7. Click Formalize to rewrite the generated text using more formal language, Shorten if the text is too long, Elaborate if the text is too short, or Rephrase to rewrite the generated text using different words.

   Rephrase rewrites the existing text, whereas Recreate discards the generated text and starts over.

8. When satisfied with the results, click Insert to place the generated text in your document.

9. Now that the generated text has been inserted into your document, you can edit it manually. Start by highlighting and replacing any placeholder text, and then customize the details to fit your purposes.

   Google Bard will make up "facts" when it lacks information, so asking for a specific document, like a cover letter, will result in fictitious details, like an imaginary work history, that you’ll need to replace.

How to Use Google Bard in Docs With Existing Documents

Google Bard can create new documents for you, but you can also use Bard in a document you’ve already created or even adjust something that Bard created in the first place. This is accomplished by the Help Me Write button, which appears in the left margin of documents in Google Docs. You can use this button to add new content to a document or re-write portions.

Here’s how to use Google Bard in an existing Google Docs document:

1. Place your cursor where you want new text in your document, then click the Help Me Write button (pencil icon).

2. Type your prompt, then click Create.

3. Use the Recreate and Refine options to adjust the generated text, then click Insert when you’re happy with the results.

4. To adjust existing text, highlight a passage and click the Help Me Write button.

5. Click Formalize to rewrite the passage using formal language, Shorten, to sum up the passage in fewer words, Elaborate to expand on the ideas in the passage, Rephrase to rewrite the passage, or type a custom prompt like Sound more confident until you get the desired results.

6. If you’re satisfied with the results, click Replace to replace the old passage with the new passage.

   If you aren’t satisfied, you can use the Recreate and Refine options to adjust the passage further.

What Can Google Bard Do in Google Docs?

Google Bard functions as a writing assistant in Google Docs, able to create rough drafts, help you brainstorm, and write and rewrite various documents. The basic functions include drafting a document or snippet of text based on a prompt, rewriting text that you’ve already written, elaborating on existing passages, and summarizing existing passages of text that you feel are too complicated or long-winded.

In addition to those basic functions, Google Bard also accepts customized prompts that it applies to existing text. Some common uses for this function include rewriting text specifically, proofreading your text for grammar mistakes, checking for plagiarism, and analyzing style and other factors. Bard can also help with brainstorming, structuring your ideas, and providing feedback on things you’ve already written.