Google Docs Icons and Symbols Meaning - Complete Guide

The Google Docs app is your go-to tool for creating and editing documents. However, as new features are added and changes are made to the UI, those little icons and symbols can be confusing. We will break down the meaning of all Google Docs icons and symbols so you can use the app to its full potential.

Table of Contents

Recent Folder Screen Icons Meaning

Alright, let’s dive into the icons you’ll first encounter in your Google Docs app. These buttons offer quick access to essential functions and information about your documents. Here’s a breakdown of what these icons mean:

More Options (Three Horizontal Lines) Icon: Opens a menu with more options like your Starred documents, files shared with me, Offline access, and more.
Profile (Photo/Initial) Icon: Takes you to options related to your Google account settings.
Folder Icon: Open and navigate your files within different folders.
List view/Grid View (Three vertical Lines with dots in box) Icon: Display between a more detailed list view and a visually oriented grid view with this icon.
Shared with me (Two People silhouette) Icon: Indicates files and folders shared with you by other collaborators.
File Options (three-dots) Icon: Selected file options like sharing, copying the link, etc.
Word File (W) Icon: File has been saved in the Microsoft Word (.doc) format.
Google Docs File (Horizontal lines) Icon: It is a Google Docs file.
Create New (Plus) Icon: Start a brand new blank document or choose from a variety of templates.
Available Online (Tick Inside Circle): The File is available offline.
Starred Document (Star in circle) Icon: The document has been starred and is available in your dedicated “Starred” section.

Inside the Document Icons Meaning

Once you’ve opened a document in the Google Docs app, you’ll find a new set of icons that provide quick access to essential editing and collaboration features. Here’s what they mean:

Go Back (Left Arrow) Icon: Navigate back to the previous screen.
Add people (People with plus) Icon: Add collaborators to your document by inviting people or groups using their email addresses.
Comments (Message box with lines) Icon: Open the comments section, where you can view existing comments, add new ones, and participate in discussions related to the document.
Document Options (Three Dots) Icon: Opens a menu with more options related to the current document, such as switching to a light theme, adjusting the print layout, and accessing other settings.
Edit (Pencil) Icon: Open the editing menu for making changes and adding content to your document.

Edit Tab Symbols Meaning

Once you tap the Edit (Pencil) icon, the bottom of your screen will transform into a set of formatting and editing tools. Here’s a breakdown of what these icons mean:

Done (Tick) Icon: Tap this checkmark once you have finished making your edits to save your changes and exit the editing mode.
Undo (Left Curved Arrow) Icon: Reverse your most recent action.
Redo (Right Curved Arrow) Icon: If you’ve used the undo function, tap this to restore the action you just undid.
Insert (Plus) Icon: Open an insert menu to add various elements to your document, such as links, comments, images, tables, and more.
Text Formatting (A with an Underline) Icon: Opens a range of text formatting options, allowing you to change fonts, sizes, styles, and more.
Add People (“@”) Icon: Mention and tag other people within your document using their email addresses.
Bold (“B”) Icon: Write/Change text in bold.
Italics (“I”) Icon: Write/Change text in Italics.
Underline (Line below “U”) Icon: Add an underline to selected text.
Text Color (“A” with a bar) Icon: Change the color of the text.
Highlight Color (Brush with a bar) Icon: Apply a highlight color to selected text.
Create List (Three lines with a Dot) Icon: Create a bulleted list or convert existing text into a bulleted list. It opens further options for different bullet styles.
Checklist (Lines with tick) Icon: Convert selected text into an interactive checklist, where you can tap to mark items as done.
Numbered List (Numbers with lines) Icon: Create a numbered list or convert existing text into a numbered list.
Move Left (Left arrow with lines) Icon: Move the selected list item or the entire list to the left.
Move Right (Right arrow with lines) Icon: Move the selected list item or the entire list to the right (indent).

Inside the Text Formatting Section

When you tap the Text Formatting (A with an Underline) icon, you’ll open up a menu with even more ways to style your text. Here’s what some of those icons mean:

Strikethrough (Line through “S”) Icon: Draw a line through selected text.
Superscript (X with number 2 above) Icon: Make the text appear slightly above the normal line of text.
Subscript (X with number 2 below) Icon: Make the text appear slightly below the normal line of text.
Increase (Up arrow) Icon: Increase the font size of your selected text.
Decrease (Down arrow) Icon: Decrease the font size of your selected text.

Paragraph Section Icons Meaning

When you switch to the Paragraph tab within the formatting options, you’ll find tools to control how your text is aligned and organized into lists. Here’s what those icons typically mean:

1. Text Alignment Icons: These four icons control the horizontal alignment of your text within the paragraph:

Left Alignment (Small lines on the left): Aligns all selected text to the left margin.
Center Alignment (Small lines in the center): Centers each line of the selected text between the left and right margins.
Right Alignment (Small lines on the right): Aligns all selected text to the right margin.
Justify Alignment (All equal lines): Distributes the spacing between words so that both the left and right edges of the paragraph are straight and even with the margins.

2. Numbered List Options (Right arrow in circle) Icon: Open a menu with various numbered list styles. You can choose from simple numbers, numbers with sub-letters (e.g., 1. a. i.), Roman numerals, and other structured numbering formats.

3. Bulleted List Options (Right arrow in circle) Icon: Open a menu with different bullet point symbols (e.g., circles, squares, dashes) that you can use to create an unordered list.

Inside Text and Highlight Color Icons

Okay, when you tap the Text Color (“A” with a bar) or the Highlight Color (Brush with a bar) icon, a color selection menu will appear. Here’s what the icons within that menu typically represent:

Selected Color (Pencil Frame): Displays the currently selected text color.
Color Palette (Row of Solid Colors): This horizontal row showcases a selection of basic, solid colors (red, orange, yellow, green, teal, blue, purple, magenta) that you can directly choose for your text.
More Shades (Grid of Gray Shades): This grid presents a variety of shades of gray, ranging from dark black to light gray. This allows you to select subtle variations in grayscale for your text.

Number in a Circle Icon Meaning

You might have seen this icon next to your Google Docs. Here’s what it means:

It indicates the total number of comments made by all collaborators within the current document.

Tap the Open comment history button (the message box icon with lines, which we covered earlier) to view the list of these comments and the corresponding discussions.

Inside the Add People Screen Icons Meaning

Close (Cross) Icon: Closes the Screen.
Options (Three Dot) Icon: Displays more Options like manage access and Skip sending notifications.
Restricted (Two People) Icon: The doc access is restricted. Only people added can open this link.
Public (Globe in Green Circle) Icon: Anyone on the internet with this link can view this doc.
Link (Paper Clip) Icon: Copy link of the doc in the clipboard.

That wraps up the meaning of the icons and symbols of the Google Docs app. For a similar breakdown of icons and symbols in other popular apps, be sure to check out our guides linked below.

Google Docs Icons and Symbols Meaning – Complete Guide