G Suite users can soon edit Microsoft Office docs without converting file type

Soon, G Suite users will be able edit Microsoft Word documents right within Google Docs. — AFP Relaxnews

Google announced a slew of G Suite updates on April 10 at the Google Cloud Next ‘19 conference in San Francisco and, among the changes and new features, users will soon gain the ability to edit, comment, and collaborate on Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files directly via Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

Google is using its annual Cloud Next conference to introduce users and professionals to a huge collection of new tools, features, and software that's coming to their cloud tech now and in the near future. On that list, the company announced that G Suite users will be able to edit the documents of Microsoft Office users without having to convert the file.

This new Office editing allows G Suite users to easily open Office files and bring the "benefits of G Suite's real time collaboration tools and intelligence features to Office files".

When a G Suite user is provided with a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint Office file, double-clicking it will open a preview. At the top of the preview, there will be an option to "Open in Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides" and, when open, you can collaborate in real-time with others on the file. When you're done editing, all changes will be saved to the original Office file.

G Suite now supports the following file types:

Word files: .doc, .docx, .dot
Excel files: .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm (macro enabled Excel files), .xlt
PowerPoint files: .ppt, .pptx, .pps, .pot

This Office editing feature begins rolling out on April 17. – AFP Relaxnews