# How to use the Explore tool in Google Docs on Mac: status and steps > How to use the Explore tool in Google Docs on Mac: the Tools menu, the ⌘⌥⇧I shortcut, and what to use if Explore is gone. URL: https://www.lazur.app/how-to/use-the-explore-tool-in-google-docs Updated: 2026-11-07 In Google Docs on Mac, open Explore from Tools > Explore, or press ⌘⌥⇧I (Command, Option, Shift, I), if your Docs still shows it. Sources disagree on whether Explore still exists, so check the Tools menu first and use Ask Gemini if it is gone. ## Quick answer - Check Tools > Explore first. A 2021 guide lists that path, but it was not checked against today's Docs. - Try ⌘⌥⇧I with the document focused. Google's official shortcut table still lists it. - Expect a conflict. Secondary sources say Explore was removed in early 2024, and we could not open the official notice. - If Explore is missing, click Ask Gemini at the top right. It needs an eligible Workspace or Google AI plan. Applies to: Google Docs in a web browser on macOS. Time: 5 min. Difficulty: Easy. ## What you need - A Google account with access to the document - The document open in a web browser - Optional: an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan for Ask Gemini ## How to Open Explore in Google Docs on Mac in Google Docs on a Mac 1. **Open your document in your browser.** Open the Google Doc in your browser and click inside the body text. Keyboard shortcuts only work once the document has focus. Tip: If your cursor is in a comment box, the shortcut may not fire. Click back into the page text. 2. **Click Tools in the menu bar.** (Tools) Look at the menu bar across the top of the document and click Tools. A list of items drops down. Tip: The menu bar sits above the document, not inside the toolbar. 3. **Click Explore if it is listed.** (Tools > Explore) Shortcut: ⌘⌥⇧I. Click Explore. If the item is there, a side panel opens with suggestions for the topic you are writing about. The 2021 guide describes this path, so check it against your own menu. Tip: If Explore is not in the list, stop searching the menus and go to the Ask Gemini step. 4. **Try the shortcut as a test.** Shortcut: ⌘⌥⇧I. Press ⌘⌥⇧I with the document active. Google's official shortcut table still lists this combination for Open the Explore tool. If a panel opens, Explore still works on your account. Tip: If nothing happens, the shortcut and the menu item may both be gone. Move on to Ask Gemini. 5. **Try the right-click route.** Select a word or short phrase in your document. Right-click it and look for the Explore entry that shows your selected text. The 2021 How-To Geek guide describes this option. Tip: Keep the selection short so the suggestions stay on topic. 6. **Open Ask Gemini if Explore is missing.** (Ask Gemini) Click Ask Gemini at the top right of the document. A side panel opens. Select a suggested prompt, or type your own and press Enter. Tip: Ask Gemini needs an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan. Personal accounts reach it only through Workspace Experiments. 7. **Check your plan if Ask Gemini is missing.** If you do not see Ask Gemini, your account may lack an eligible plan. Ask whoever runs your Workspace, or check Google's Gemini help page for plan details. Tip: Confirm plan details on Google's help pages, not on a blog post. Explore was a panel in Google Docs. It sat on the side of the page and offered related topics, images, files from Google Drive, and Google search results while you wrote. Google announced Explore for Docs, Sheets and Slides on September 29, 2016. Google framed it as a way to save formatting time. Its status today is harder to pin down. The official shortcut list still includes it, while several secondary sources say it was taken out. This page starts with a check on your own screen, then gives steps for each case. ![Person using a laptop at a desk to write a document in Google Docs on Mac](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/use-the-explore-tool-in-google-docs/how-to-use-the-explore-tool-in-1-4d8872.jpg) ## Is Explore still in Google Docs on Mac? The sources conflict, and we could not settle it. Google's official keyboard shortcut page still lists ⌘⌥⇧I for Open the Explore tool. Alice Keeler's 2023 post says Google announced that Explore would no longer be available by January 30, 2024. A Chrmbook post dated March 18, 2024 says Google has officially removed Explore from Docs, Sheets and Slides. That post gives no removal date, names no replacement, and says Google gave no reason. Keeler's post also contradicts itself. It says Explore is officially gone, but it also says the Tools menu can still open it in the sidebar. Its suggested alternatives are the tool finder, the @ menu and add-ons. Read it as a warning that the change was not clean, not as proof either way. We also checked two official Google help pages. One covers suggested content, and the other covers Gemini in Sheets. Neither says Explore was discontinued. We could not open the official notice that the search results point to, so this page cannot confirm the removal. Treat Explore as possibly gone, and test it on your own account. Your Tools menu is the only source that shows what your account has today. ## Find Explore in the Tools menu Open the document in your browser. Look at the menu bar across the top of the page, and click Tools. A 2021 How-To Geek guide says Explore sits here, as Tools > Explore. That guide is several years old, and it was not checked against the current Docs interface. If the item is in the list, click it. If it is not, do not keep hunting through File, Edit or Extensions. None of our sources put Explore in those menus. When Explore opens, it appears as a side panel. Google's 2016 announcement listed three kinds of suggestions: related topics, images, and Drive documents, plus Google search results. Your panel may show fewer, or none. If it shows nothing, the topic may be too vague, so try a more specific word or phrase in your text. ## Use the keyboard shortcut on Mac Google's official keyboard shortcut table lists ⌘⌥⇧I for Open the Explore tool. Read it as Command, Option, Shift and I. The same table gives Ctrl+Alt+Shift+I for Windows and Chrome OS. The shortcut only works when the document has focus, so click into the page text before you press it. Mix-ups are easy here, because another shortcut uses the same three modifier keys. ⌘⌥⇧H opens version history, according to the same Google table. If you press it by accident, a history panel opens instead of Explore. Close that panel, then press ⌘⌥⇧I to test Explore. ## Search selected text with the right-click menu A 2021 How-To Geek guide describes a second route. Select a word or a short phrase, right-click it, and look for the Explore entry that shows your selected text. Keep the selection short, so the suggestions stay on topic. This route depends on the same feature, so the Tools menu test still applies. If the menu entry is missing, the feature is probably missing too. ## What Explore was for, and what it could not do Google's 2016 blog post said people save over 30% of the time they would have spent on formatting when they use Explore. That figure came from Google. It is a vendor claim, not an independent study, and our sources contain no test that checks it. Treat it as a marketing number, not a benchmark. Explore was built for research while you draft, not for final editing. Treat every suggestion as a lead, not as a fact. Open the source yourself and confirm it before you quote it or paste it into a document. That rule was true in 2016, and it is still the safe rule today. ## If Explore is gone, use Ask Gemini instead Google's Gemini help says to click the Ask Gemini button at the top right of the document. The side panel opens. Then select a suggested prompt, or type your own prompt and press Enter. The help pages we checked name this button as the current option. Gemini in Docs needs an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan. Personal account users can reach it only through Google Workspace Experiments, a trusted tester program. Google's Workspace page says Gemini is included for Workspace plan subscribers and supports 25+ languages. If your Docs shows no Ask Gemini button, check your plan before you assume something broke. ![Man at a cafe table working on a Mac laptop with a browser open](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/use-the-explore-tool-in-google-docs/how-to-use-the-explore-tool-in-2-0200e7.jpg) Google's help does not list a keyboard shortcut for the Gemini side panel, so click the button. The help pages also do not say that Gemini replaces every Explore feature. Expect different output. Ask for what you need in plain words, and check each answer against your own sources before you use it. ## Common mistakes with Explore on Mac - Looking for a star-shaped button at the bottom right. Keeler describes one, and says a later update removed it. - Pressing ⌘⌥⇧H by mistake. It opens version history, not Explore. - Trusting the 2021 menu path without checking your own Tools menu. - Searching Extensions for Explore. Keeler lists add-ons as an alternative, not as the old feature. - Pasting in an Explore suggestion without checking the source first. The last mistake matters most. A suggestion can look polished and still be wrong. Open the source, confirm the claim, and only then paste it into your document. The other mistakes cost you a few minutes. This one can put a false claim in front of a reader. ![Woman typing notes on a laptop while she reviews a Google Docs draft on Mac](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/use-the-explore-tool-in-google-docs/how-to-use-the-explore-tool-in-3-5bd17c.jpg) ## Other ways to find tools and inserts in Docs Keeler's 2023 post lists three alternatives. The first is the tool finder, the magnifying glass at the far left of the toolbar. The second is the @ menu. The third is add-ons. Those are her suggestions, not Google's, so test each one on your account before you rely on it. If you want to insert a smart chip from the @ menu, our [smart chip guide](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/insert-a-smart-chip-in-google-docs) walks through the browser steps. For reviewing edits from other people, see [how to accept or reject suggestions](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/accept-or-reject-suggestions-in-google-docs). ## What to do next Start with the Tools menu, then try the shortcut, then open Ask Gemini if neither works. Write down what you find, because the answer may change again. If you share the document, [add a comment](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/add-a-comment-in-google-docs) to flag the parts you want reviewed. That keeps your notes next to the text they describe. ## Shortcuts - Open the Explore tool (Mac): ⌘⌥⇧I - Open the Explore tool (Windows, Chrome OS): Ctrl+Alt+Shift+I - Open version history (not Explore): ⌘⌥⇧H - Open Ask Gemini: Click ## If it does not work - **Tools menu has no Explore item** Use the Ask Gemini button at the top right of the document. Secondary sources say Explore was removed in early 2024, so a missing item may be the change itself. - **The shortcut does nothing** Click into the body text, then press ⌘⌥⇧I again. If nothing opens, use the Tools menu or Ask Gemini instead. Another app may be catching the keys, so confirm with the menu. - **A history panel opened instead** You probably pressed ⌘⌥⇧H, which opens version history. Close that panel, then try ⌘⌥⇧I. - **No Ask Gemini button at the top right** Your account may lack an eligible plan. Personal accounts reach Gemini in Docs only through Workspace Experiments, a trusted tester program. Ask your admin, or check Google's Gemini help page. - **The Explore panel is empty or unhelpful** Select a clearer word or phrase and try again. We found no Mac-specific fix for Explore errors in the sources we checked, so do not expect a special setting. ## With Lazur Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac that lives in the notch. Hold ⌥ ⌘ and ask; it sees your screen, answers out loud, points at buttons and walks you through apps. Hold fn to dictate. Free for 3 days, then $18/month: https://www.lazur.app/download - “Where's the Explore tool in Google Docs?”: Lazur circles the Tools menu on your screen, reads what is in it, and circles Ask Gemini if Explore is not listed. (Points at it) ## FAQ ### Does Google Docs still have Explore on Mac? Sources disagree, and we could not settle it. Google's official shortcut table still lists ⌘⌥⇧I for Explore. Several secondary sources say Explore was removed in early 2024. Check the Tools menu on your own account, because that is the only test that shows what you have today. ### What is the Explore shortcut in Google Docs on Mac? It is ⌘⌥⇧I, which means Command, Option, Shift and I. Google lists it in its official keyboard shortcut table as Open the Explore tool. On Windows and Chrome OS, the same table lists Ctrl+Alt+Shift+I. ### Where is Explore in the Google Docs menus on Mac? A 2021 How-To Geek guide says Tools > Explore. That guide predates the current interface and was not checked against it, so your menu may differ. If you do not see the item, use Ask Gemini instead. ### What should I use instead of Explore in Google Docs? The Google help pages we checked point to Ask Gemini. Click the button at the top right of the document, pick a suggested prompt or type your own, and press Enter. Your account needs an eligible Workspace or Google AI plan. ### Why might Explore show on one account but not another? We did not find a source that explains the difference, so we cannot say why. Compare the Tools menu on a second account if you have one. Ask your Workspace admin about which features your plan includes. ### Is Ask Gemini the same thing as Explore? No, they are different. Google announced Explore in 2016 as a panel of suggested topics, images, Drive files and search results. Ask Gemini is a side panel that answers prompts, and Google describes it on its own help pages. ### Where can I see the full list of Google Docs shortcuts? Google's keyboard shortcut page is the official list. It is the source for the ⌘⌥⇧I and ⌘⌥⇧H entries on this page. Check any shortcut there before you rely on it. ## Sources 1. [Google Docs Editors Help: Keyboard shortcuts](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/179738?hl=en), Google, checked 2026-11-07 2. [Collaborate with Gemini in Google Docs - Google Docs Editors Help](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/14206696?hl=en), Google, checked 2026-11-07 3. [See and use suggested content in a document - Google Docs Editors Help](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/2481802?hl=en-GB&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop), Google, checked 2026-11-07 4. [Ask about your data & get suggested content - Google Sheets Help](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/6280499?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop), Google, checked 2026-11-07 5. [Gemini in Google Docs, Google Workspace](https://workspace.google.com/products/docs/ai), Google, checked 2026-11-07 6. [Explore in Docs, Sheets and Slides (Google blog)](https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/workspace/explore-docs-sheets-and-slides/), Google, checked 2026-11-07 7. [How to Use the Google Docs Explore Feature for Research](https://www.howtogeek.com/724982/how-to-use-the-google-docs-explore-feature-for-research/), How-To Geek, checked 2026-11-07 8. [Where Did the Explore Tool Go in Google Slides?](https://alicekeeler.com/2023/03/24/google-explore-what-happened-to-it/), Alice Keeler, checked 2026-11-07 9. [RIP: Google removes the explore tool from Docs, Sheets & Slides](https://www.chrmbook.com/rip-explore-tool/), Chrmbook, checked 2026-11-07 10. [How to open explore tool in Google Docs](https://www.8apps.co/guides/accelerator-keys/google-docs-shortcuts/how-to-open-explore-tool), 8apps, checked 2026-11-07