Why Is ProWritingAid Not Working in Google Docs?

If you are not able to use ProWritingAid with your Google Docs documents, it may be caused by different reasons. Below, you will find troubleshooting steps to fix these issues.

We recommend that you follow all these steps in order before contacting us.

Check that your browser is compatible

If you use Google Docs, we recommend that you use Google Chrome. To use ProWritingAid with Google Docs, you will need to install our Chrome extension.

ProWritingAid may work with Google Docs on Microsoft Edge or other Chromium-based browsers, but we cannot guarantee that the integration with Google Docs will work correctly.

At this moment, our Firefox extension is not compatible with Google Docs.

Check that your document is below 10,000 words

ProWritingAid works best in documents that contain fewer than 10,000 words. We cannot guarantee that everything will work smoothly on documents larger than that.

Splitting your work into separate documents will help ProWritingAid work faster and more effectively, and you will avoid becoming overwhelmed with suggestions.

Check that your document is in Pages format

Currently, our Chrome extension is not compatible with the Pageless mode offered by Google Docs.

So that you can use all of our features and reports on your Google Docs document, you will need to switch your document to Pages format. You can find how to do so in this article.

Check that Focus mode is turned off

Our Chrome extension includes a Focus mode, which allows you to write undistracted. When Focus mode is on, the ProWritingAid Menu icon will be replaced by a closed “eye” icon.

To turn off the Focus mode, click on the closed “eye.” This will activate the Chrome extension once again.

Check that ProWritingAid is enabled for Google Docs

You can disable ProWritingAid for specific websites temporarily or permanently. If you disable ProWritingAid temporarily, you can close Google Docs and reopen it, and you will be able to use ProWritingAid again.

However, if you disable ProWritingAid on a specific website permanently, you can reenable it by clicking on the ProWritingAid icon in Chrome’s top toolbar:

Then, check Enable ProWritingAid on docs.google.com.

Clear your browser’s cache and browsing data

Sometimes, you may need to clear your browser’s cache and browsing data (including cookies) in order to remove corrupted data that may be affecting our Chrome extension. To do so, in Chrome, follow the instructions you will find in this article.

Did you know… We have 25+ specialized writing reports to help you craft better stories. Learn more in our Reports section.