--- title: "How to Redline in Google Docs" description: "Learn how to redline in Google Docs using Suggesting mode, add comments, and preserve tracked changes when moving between Docs and Word." canonical: "https://gc.ai/blog/how-to-redline-in-google-docs" last_updated: "2026-11-04" --- # How to Redline in Google Docs > Learn how to redline in Google Docs using Suggesting mode, add comments, and preserve tracked changes when moving between Docs and Word. **Published:** 2026-11-04 | **Updated:** 2026-11-04 | **Category:** Resources | **Author:** Caitlin Price --- When two parties negotiate a contract, they need to see proposed wording before deciding what to accept. A redline shows the additions and deletions under discussion. Comments explain why a change is proposed or ask the other party to clarify a provision. In Google Docs, the feature is called **Suggesting** mode, the equivalent of Microsoft Word's Track Changes. You can make proposed edits in a shared Google Doc or bring in a redlined Word document when another reviewer works in Word. ## Make Suggested Changes and Add Comments To propose a change without directly replacing the contract's current wording, open the Google Doc on a computer and follow these steps: 1. Open the contract in Google Docs. 2. At the top right, select **Editing → Suggesting**. 3. Select the words you want to change and type the replacement. Google Docs shows additions in color and marks deletions with a strikethrough. 4. Select the relevant wording and choose **Add comment** to explain a proposal or ask a question. 5. Leave suggestions pending for the other party, or, if you are reviewing them, use the checkmark to accept a suggestion or the X to reject it. You can also use **Tools → Review suggested edits** to review multiple suggestions. ### Example: A Contract Renewal Clause Suppose your company has approved a 30-day nonrenewal notice period, but the draft contract specifies 60 days. In Suggesting mode, replace **60** with **30** in this illustrative clause: > This Agreement renews for successive one-year terms unless either party gives written notice of nonrenewal at least 60 days before the current term ends. Google Docs will show 60 as deleted and 30 as inserted until the proposed change is accepted or rejected. A short comment can explain the request: > We propose a 30-day notice period to align with our approved renewal process. Can you confirm that email notice is permitted under the agreement? Check the related notice provision before agreeing to the change. Accepting a suggestion records a document edit; it does not substitute for any required business or legal approval. ## Share the Contract for Review Choose the sharing permission that matches what you want the recipient to do. Open **Share** and check who has access before sending the document: - Access - What the Recipient Can Do - - - If Suggesting mode is unavailable, ask the document owner to confirm you have Commenter or Editor access. Check permissions inherited from a shared folder as well: a file-level setting cannot reduce access someone has through its parent folder. Google's sharing guidance explains the roles. Comments in a shared document are visible to people with access, so keep internal fallback positions and approvals in a separate, appropriately restricted record. Share only the contract and discussion intended for the counterparty. ## Move Redlines Between Google Docs and Word Google Docs suggestions and Word tracked changes transfer between the two formats when you convert the document. After conversion, check the comments and the contract's formatting in the resulting file before sharing it. The two formats do not stay synchronized automatically. ### Bring a Redlined Word Document into Google Docs When the other party sends a marked-up Word document, convert it to a native Google Doc if you want to continue the review there: 1. Save the Word document as a **.docx** with tracked changes still pending. 2. In Google Drive, choose **New → File upload** and upload the .docx. 3. Open the uploaded file using Google Docs, then select **File → Save as Google Docs**. 4. Check the imported suggestions, comments, tables, and numbering before sharing the Google Doc. Saving as Google Docs creates a separate native Google Doc. If you open the .docx in Office editing mode instead, your edits remain in Word format. Keep the original .docx until the conversion has been checked. See Google's Office editing instructions for the difference. ### Download Google Docs Redlines for Word When a counterparty needs a Word document, export the current Google Doc with its suggestions still pending: 1. In Google Docs, select **File → Download → Microsoft Word (.docx)**. 2. Open the downloaded document in Word and choose **All Markup** to inspect tracked changes and relevant comments. 3. Check that the markup, contract clauses, tables, and numbering survived the export before sending the file. For different revisions of the same Google Doc, **Version history** lets someone with edit permission inspect earlier versions. If the other party returns a separate file, **Tools → Compare documents** can create a third document showing differences as suggestions; a .docx stored in Drive can be compared directly. Keep a single agreed working copy for each negotiation round. For detailed Word review steps, see [how to redline in Word](/blog/how-to-redline-in-word). ## Prepare a Contract Redline With GC AI for Word For agreements that start in Microsoft Word, [GC AI](/) is legal AI software for in-house teams that can help prepare tracked edits before the document moves into Google Docs. As of October 2026, more than 2,100 legal teams use GC AI, including teams at more than 300 public companies. GC AI customers include TIME, Gusto, and SKIMS. With [GC AI for Word](/features/word-integration), the legal team can propose revisions and counterparty comments inside Word. Provide the agreement, the party you represent, and your company's approved position. GC AI's [Playbooks](/features/playbooks) can check a clause against those standards, while [Files](/features/files) can help inspect a related order form or notice schedule when it matters. **Example GC AI for Word Prompt** > We represent the customer. Our approved position is 30 days' nonrenewal notice. Review the renewal clause and the related notice provision. Propose the smallest tracked edit that implements that position, add a brief explanation for the counterparty, and flag any conflicting terms. The lawyer should check the proposed revision against the contract, decide which edits to apply, and obtain approval for any departure from company instructions. Keep the Word tracked changes pending if the counterparty still needs to review them. You can then convert the .docx to Google Docs using the steps above. Watch GC AI for Word propose a redline directly inside Microsoft Word: ## Watch the GC AI for Word Demo In an episode of [CZ and Friends](/podcast), GC AI's podcast with legal and business leaders, [Rachel Harris](/podcast/rachel-harris), then general counsel and AI governance and privacy officer at Suzy, described using the Word integration to prepare proposed language and counterparty commentary: > "I was able to leverage AI directly in Word to apply red lines and generate commentary to the opposing party in real time in Word." She had waited for the Word integration before subscribing and requested approval from her CFO when it launched. To evaluate GC AI for Word, bring a contract you are permitted to share, your approved company position, and a clause that requires revision. Review the suggested tracked edit and counterparty comment before deciding whether they meet your instructions. [See GC AI in Action](/book-a-demo?cta=inline-demo) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Can I Redline a Contract in the Google Docs Mobile App? Yes. In the Google Docs app, open the contract, tap More, turn on Suggest changes, and make your edits. For contracts with lengthy tables or schedules, check the final markup on a computer. ### Does Suggesting Mode Prevent Other Editors From Changing the Text? No. Suggesting mode controls how your changes are recorded; another Editor can still edit directly. Give a reviewer Commenter access when you want proposed changes without direct edits. ### Can I Compare a Google Doc With a Word File Without Converting It? Yes. Upload the .docx to Drive, open the primary Google Doc, and select Tools → Compare documents → From Drive. Google creates a third document showing differences as suggestions, without requiring you to convert the Word file first. ### Can GC AI Redline Directly in Google Docs? The workflow described here uses Google's Suggesting mode for redlining in Google Docs and GC AI for Word for AI-assisted tracked revisions in Microsoft Word. GC AI for Word does not provide native Google Docs redlining. Review the .docx markup, convert it to Google Docs when needed, and inspect the imported suggestions.