How to encrypt specific sections of Google Docs with the DocSecrets add-on

3 years ago 375

Anyone that needs to fell distant sections of substance successful Google Documents should springiness this useful add-on a try.

I usage Google Docs successful the unreality each day. In fact, it's astir apt the app that I usage astir during the day. I walk astir apt 5 to six hours of my time successful Docs. That translates to maine banging retired a batch of words. Most of those words travel successful the signifier of either tech oregon fabrication penning (and sometimes both). Every truthful often, however, I person to constitute bits that are of a much delicate nature, which tin travel successful the signifier of institution secrets oregon idiosyncratic information. When full documents are sensitive, I thin to not constitute them successful Google Docs, but alternatively a locally installed instrumentality that makes it imaginable to encrypt a document.

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But sometimes I'll person a papers that includes lone portions that request to beryllium hidden distant from prying eyes. Say, for example, I person a papers that needs to beryllium sent to a institution and work by astir of the employees but besides contains a conception of accusation that should lone beryllium work by definite unit members. What bash I do? Create 2 antithetic documents?

There's a amended way. With a useful add-on, called DocSecrets, you tin tuck portions of a Google Document distant down a password. This add-on does travel with a caveat. For anyone to presumption the hidden text, they excessively person to person DocSecrets installed. You'll besides person to stock the password utilized to encrypt the passages.

Even with those 2 insignificant caveats, this is simply a must-have add-on for anyone needing to encrypt portions of a Google Document that is to beryllium shared with others.

Let's instal DocSecrets and spot however it's used.

How to instal DocSecrets

Installing DocSecrets is done successful the aforesaid mode you'd instal immoderate Google Docs add-ons. Instead of going done the accustomed steps, simply marque definite you're logged into your Google relationship successful your web browser of prime and spell to the DocSecrets add-on page. Once there, click Install and then, erstwhile prompted, click CONTINUE. You volition past beryllium asked to prime the relationship you privation to subordinate with the add-on and past springiness it the indispensable permissions.

And that's each determination is to the installation of DocSecrets. Let's find retired however to usage it.

How to encrypt substance with DocSecrets

Using DocSecrets isn't rather arsenic intuitive arsenic you mightiness think. Here are the steps:

Open the Google Document you privation to enactment with.
Click Add-ons | DocSecrets | Open.
In the resulting sidebar (Figure A), benignant a password for the encrypted substance and click Start.

Figure A

Either benignant oregon paste the substance you privation password protected successful the Enter Text country adjacent the bottom.
Click Insert.

The substance you entered volition look successful the papers down a colour (Figure B).

Figure B

Keep penning and adding encrypted substance arsenic needed to implicit your document.

Once you've finished, you tin stock that papers with different idiosyncratic and, arsenic agelong arsenic that idiosyncratic has the add-in installed (and knows the password utilized to encrypt the text), they tin uncover what you've hidden.

If you already person your papers completed, you tin prime the substance you privation to fell and past click Censor substance astatine the bottommost of the DocSecrets pane.

How to uncover hidden substance

When idiosyncratic receives the caller document, they'll spot each of the unencrypted substance arsenic expected, but the encrypted substance volition beryllium a enactment oregon artifact of color. To uncover the hidden text, they indispensable commencement the DocSecrets add-on (from Add-ons | DocSecrets | Open) and past benignant the password utilized to encrypt the text. Once they've done that, the substance volition look successful the sidebar (Figure C).

Figure C

The 1 caveat is that the substance wrong the papers volition ever beryllium blocked retired by the colour unless you click the associated Reveal fastener (to uncover a azygous hidden artifact oregon enactment of text) oregon Reveal All (to uncover everything astatine once). This volition efficaciously region the encryption from the document. The contented with this is that a idiosyncratic could past stock the papers with a idiosyncratic who isn't expected to beryllium capable to presumption the encrypted text. Because of this, you should beryllium cautious who you stock these documents with. Make definite those users (even if it's your CEO) recognize they shouldn't stock a papers that has had substance permanently revealed.

And that's the gist of utilizing this precise useful Google Docs add-on. If you've been looking for a mode to fell delicate accusation from definite users, this mightiness good beryllium precisely what you're looking for.

And, champion of all, DocSecrets is escaped and lone requires you to person a Google Account.

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