How to Use Interactive Dates in Google Docs

Google Docs allows you to insert interactive dates into your documents. These dates can then be edited or formatted by any collaborator with access to the document. Using interactive dates can make scheduling and planning much easier.

Insert an Interactive Date

There are a few easy ways to add an interactive date in Google Docs:

Use the @ Symbol

• Type @ followed by date, today, tomorrow, or other date-related terms like Monday or December 25.
• A dropdown will appear allowing you to select a specific date.
• Hit enter and the date will be inserted.

Example:

@September 30

Insert from the Menu

• Go to Insert > Date.
• A calendar interface allows you to select any date.

Type the Date

• Manually type out a date like December 25, 2023.
• This will automatically format as an interactive date chip.

Edit an Interactive Date

Once inserted, hover over the date to reveal options:

• Click the date to display a calendar and pick a new date.
• Click the gear icon to access date format options.
• Click Book Meeting to create a Google Calendar event.

Collaborators with edit access can also change the date this way.

Format the Date

To customize the date format:

• Hover over the date and click the gear icon.
• Select from common date formats like December 25, 2023 or 12/25/2023.
• Create a custom format like MM/dd/yyyy.

Create a Calendar Event

Hover over a date and click Book Meeting:

• A Google Calendar event will open on that date.
• Enter event details and guests.
• Click Save to insert a calendar event chip into the doc.

Use Interactive Dates for:

• Scheduling meetings and deadlines
• Planning projects and events
• Tracking personal goals and tasks
• Building editorial calendars
• Organizing schedules and signups
• Streamlining document workflows

Tips

• Use different date formats to visually distinguish event types.
• Assign date colors to represent categories like milestones.
• Embed calendar events to connect docs with your schedule.
• Build templates using dates to manage repeating events.

Common Issues

Dates change when collaborators view the doc:

• Dates display in each user’s timezone by default.
• Change the locale setting to view all dates in one timezone.

Can’t find the date format I want:

• Use custom date formats if you can’t find one you like.
• Format codes like MMM d, yyyy allow endless customization.

Date doesn’t trigger options when hovered:

• Make sure date is not covered by other elements.
• Check that the user has edit access for the document.

Interactive dates help make Google Docs easier to use for planning, scheduling, and collaboration. With just a few clicks, you can insert dates that all collaborators can view, edit, and format as needed.