Permanent "Suggesting" mode in Google Docs

[dalkesm]

How do I turn on permanent "suggesting" mode in a GDoc?  I know it's possible, because someone just sent me a GDoc, and when I opened it, "suggesting" mode was already turned on and the "editing" option was greyed out.  I've never been able to figure out how to do it in my own GDocs.  Any ideas?

[icrew · Accepted solution]

If I recall correctly, if you invite someone to be a commenter, any changes they try to make show up as suggestions…

Is that what you’re looking for, perhaps?

Cheers,

Ian

[dalkesm]

Possibly!  I'll have to do a test with some of my cohorts.  Thanx and I'll let you know.

[dalkesm]

This worked!  Ty!  Now I have to figure out how to get "suggesting" mode to remain "permanently" on in documents for which I am the owner/author:(  This "commenter" mode doesn't work for me when I am the owner. 

[ajojose33333344]

@dalkesm You have this pencil icon from where you can choose it:

Basically, you can use it as and when you need it,automation while you are an owner may not be possible considering the fact that commenter is not a good option for an owner

[dalkesm]

Yeah I know that . . .

[brettpix]

Did you find a solution. 

I totally get what you are wanting. I have 3 editors to our club docs and collaborators. 

My issues the same as yours. We all want our notes to be suggestions as these are minutes of meeting and other colaborative things. 

[dalkesm]

I think what works is that when you "share" your Doc, you can place your collaborators in "commenter" mode. Here's a screenshot. I don't know why they don't call those two items the same thing. ie. why would they call it "suggesting" whilst in the GDoc, but when sharing it is called "commenter". It is very confusing.

[daveeie]

1. Open a Google Doc: Start by opening any Google Doc where you want to make this change.

2. Switch to Suggesting Mode:

   • In the upper-right corner of the document, you'll see a drop-down menu that usually displays "Editing" or "Viewing."
   • Click on this menu and select "Suggesting."

3. Make It the Default for New Docs: Unfortunately, Google Docs doesn’t offer a built-in feature to set "Suggesting" mode as the default for all new documents you create. You would need to manually switch to "Suggesting" mode for each document, or use a template document with "Suggesting" mode enabled.

4. Use Templates:

   • Create a template document and set it to "Suggesting" mode.
   • Save this document in a convenient location for future use.
   • Whenever you need a new document, make a copy of this template. The copied document will inherit the "Suggesting" mode setting from the template.

5. Set Up Google Workspace (if applicable): If you are using Google Workspace and have administrative control, you might be able to set up default settings for documents through organizational policies, but this typically doesn’t include defaulting to "Suggesting" mode.

Using these steps should help you manage your documents more effectively, but do keep in mind the limitation that you’ll need to switch to "Suggesting" mode manually for each new document unless you use a template and enjoy wrap of the day

[dalkesm]

By reading my previous posts you would see that this latest suggestion does not work. The point of setting up "permanent" suggesting is for the others with whom I share the Doc. I, myself, can remember to select "suggesting" mode when I enter my own document. The problem is not being able remind everyone else who enters the document to go into suggesting mode. So my solution is that when I share the document, I just place them in "commenter" mode. Then I don't have to chase everyone to remember to put themselves into suggesting mode.