Collapsing content is a useful way to save space and reduce clutter on the page of your doc. Each viewer of your doc can then collapse and uncollapse content as needed, thus expanding only what they need at a given time. For instance, maybe you're creating a writeup and want to collapse the non-critical information to prevent information-overload, while still allowing readers to expand and explore that non-critical info if desired. This article will teach you how to do just that.

Enable collapsing

📣 Any doc maker with edit access to a page can enable collapsing for headings, tables, or lists. Collapsing is not currently supported for other content types.

Enable collapsing for headings and tables

To enable collapsing for a heading or table, simply hover over the three-dot menu icon to the left of your heading or table. From the list of options, choose Collapse content. Note: tables and views must have their title visible in order to be collapsed.

For headings, this action will collapse all text and headings of smaller size under the heading. For example, collapsing an H2 heading will collapse any text and any H3 headings under it. For the purposes of collapsing, table titles are considered an H2 heading and will be treated accordingly.
For tables and views, this action will collapse the table or view only.

Enable collapsing for lists

Collapsing a list is slightly more nuanced. The simplest way is to create a collapsible list when first getting started.

But if you've already created a bulleted or numbered list instead, you can still enable collapsing for the list. To do so, you must first add a level beneath the level you wish to collapse. Once the sub-level has been added, click the three-dot menu to the left of the top level, then select Collapse content.

📣 Note that enabling collapsing for a section will apply to all users of your doc. All users will see this functionality and will be able to collapse and expand content for themselves.

However, once collapsing has been enabled, expanding and collapsing the sections will only apply to the individual user and will not affect how other users see the content.

Collapse and expand content

Once collapsing is applied to content on the page, viewers can then collapse and uncollapse the content as needed.

To do so, simply click on the arrow icon that appears to the left of the content.

Note that expanding and collapsing content in this way only affects how you see the page and does not affect how others see it.

Disable collapsing

Perhaps collapsing has previously been enabled for a section but you now wish to disable this and leave the section permanently expanded. No problem - you can do so in just a few clicks. To disable collapsing on a heading, table, view, or list, follow the steps below:

Hover over the content and click on the three-dot menu that appears from the list
Select Disable collapsing from the list of options

That's all! The content will automatically expand and cannot be collapsed by any viewer (unless collapsing is re-enabled). Note that you must disable collapsing for each individual section of text or table that you want to stay expanded.

FAQs

What types of content can be collapsed?

Headings, lists, and tables (and views) can all be collapsed. Note that a table or view can only be collapsed if the title is not hidden.

Can I collapse or expand all of my content at once?

Yes! You can collapse or expand all collapsible content on a page at once. To do so, click on the three-dots menu icon to the left of a collapsible section, and select the Expand / collapse all option.

Note that this will expand or collapse the content for you but will not affect how other viewers see the content.

Are there keyboard shortcuts I can use to expand or collapse content?

You betcha! Here they are:

On Mac, use Cmd + . to expand or collapse the current section, and use Cmd + Opt + . to expand or collapse all sections.
On PC, use Ctrl + . to expand or collapse the current section, and use Ctrl + Alt + Shift + . to expand or collapse all sections.

What are some example use cases for collapsing content?

You can enable collapsing whenever it makes sense for you, your doc and/or your audience! Some use cases for this feature include the following scenarios:

Create an FAQ where each question is a Heading, and collapse them all. This allows readers to quickly skim for their question, and expand to see the answer.
Collapse items in a list or checklist to help focus collaborators' attention on top-level items
Collapse headings in a writeup, so readers start with a summary and can dive in to the sections most applicable to them.
Collapse headings for explanatory sections in write-ups, or for appendices.
Using a table simply as a lookup or to store data for other parts of your doc? Collapse it so it doesn't distract from the core content of your doc!

If I expand a collapsed heading, does that show the content within it to everyone else viewing a doc?

Nope! Once you enable collapsing, the affected content will be collapsed by default when other users load the doc. Expanding and collapsing that content will be personal to the viewer.

Can I use collapsing on mobile?

If you are viewing a doc, you can tap on a heading, table or view that is collapsed on mobile to expand it.

To edit a doc, click Edit from the toolbar. You cannot expand nor collapse content while in edit mode; all content will be expanded by default.