It’s not obvious, but there are hidden shortcuts that make the change between editing and suggesting mode as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4. Suggesting mode, on the other hand, marks everything you do so other people know exactly what you did. Pieces of text you remove will appear with a line through them, while the text you add will be underlined. The platform assigns different colors to different users—so you know who did what—and every change is accompanied by its own sidebar comment detailing what was there, and how it is now different. The only downside to suggesting mode is that when a file has to undergo major surgery, it can look a bit messy. That’s why it’s easier to make small adjustments like typos and missing commas directly using editing mode. That’s where these handy shortcuts come in. To go back to editing mode, hit the same combination but replace the X with a Z. This is Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Z on Windows and Shift + Option + Command + Z on MacOS. If this shortcut seems too complicated, we assure you it is not. On a PC, try hitting the first three keys with your pinky (Ctrl), ring finger (Shift), and thumb (Alt). It’s similar on a Mac computer. Try hitting the first three keys with your ring finger (Shift), middle finger (Option), and index (Command). On both operating systems, you’ll have to hit the final key (whether X or Z) with your right hand. With practice, you’ll naturally switch between the modes without even thinking about it. Happy editing.
