How to use Google Drive to save anything as a PDF? How to Save a Google Doc as a PDF? How to Convert a Google Doc to PDF? Read till the end of this article for full simple actions.
Google docs have become a staple for any digital workspace. They have also made it relatively simple to download files in PDF format.
Though it’s known primarily as an office suite, Google Drive is also a powerful PDF tool. Drive’s native features enable you to save just about any content as a PDF file. Even better, the text of any PDF saved in your Drive account becomes searchable thanks to Google’s Optical Character Recognition technology.
This article explains how to use Google Docs to convert a document to a PDF file and save it to various places, like email and your Google Drive. The instructions in this article apply to the desktop version of Google Docs, which is accessed through a web browser.
1. How to Download a PDF Version of a Google Doc
Log into Google Docs and open the document you wish to convert to PDF.
Select File > Download > PDF Document (.pdf).
Check your computer’s download folder for the PDF you just created. You can access your downloaded PDF file here.
Note: If your browser is not set up to ask you where to save downloaded files, the file will automatically be placed in your Download folder. Otherwise, you will be prompted to choose a location and filename for the document, and then to press Save to save it.
2. How to Save a Google Doc as a PDF File
- Open your document.
- Click File > Download > PDF.
- The download should start within a few seconds.
- Double-check to make sure that the file looks right.
Saving a Google Doc as a PDF file with this three-click action.
3. How to Convert a Google Doc to a PDF, Using Smallpdf
- Open the Google Doc, click File> Download.
- Save the file as a .docx instead.
- Open our Word to PDF tool, drag the .docx in the toolbox.
- Convert and download your doc as a PDF.
We don’t directly support Google Doc files—but when it comes to Microsoft Office documents, Smallpdf is the most popular online Word to PDF converter. Think of it as a smart transition between tools, as you convert your document to your desired format (PDF).
As such, you can take advantage of our free tool to quickly save your Google Doc as a PDF.
If you decide to save the newly saved .docx file from Google Drive, you can also import the file directly from our tool page, by clicking the ‘Google Drive’ button (to access your Drive account).
3. How to export Digital documents in your google drive to Pdf
You may not realize it, but all those documents and spreadsheets in your Drive account are potential PDFs. And you don’t even need Adobe Acrobat to convert them.
Google Drive enables you to export any file to PDF. Just open the document and select File > Download as > PDF Document and you’re done. Save the new file to your local Google Drive folder so it syncs, and you’ll save yourself the trouble of having to upload it manually.
4. How to save Web pages as Pdf
How often do you come across some content on the web that you want to save for later? You could just take a screenshot, but a searchable PDF has a lot more utility.
You can save any webpage to Drive as a PDF using the Chrome browser. First, make sure you’re logged in to Chrome. When you’re on a page you want to save, click the printer icon in the lower-right corner of your browser window. Instead of clicking “print” in the dialog box that opens, select Change. Scroll down to the Google Cloud Print section, and click Save to Google Drive. You’ll have a PDF of the page with all the formatting intact.
5. How to save Paper documents into Pdf
All those receipts, business cards, and handwritten notes cluttering your desk? Turn them into PDFs using the Google Drive app for Android.
In the Drive app, press the plus sign in the lower-right corner to create a new document, then select the camera icon. Once you scan the document, Drive’s document scanner will automatically detect the edges of the paper and enhance the image to bring out the text. You can add multiple scans to a single PDF by tapping the plus symbol in the image editing menu. When you’re done, tap the checkmark and the file will be saved to your Drive account.
Once you have PDFs in your Drive folder, you can edit and manipulate them using a host of third-party add-ons.
Below are some other problems and the solutions one may face with pdf and google documents;
How to Save a PDF Version of a Google Doc to Google Drive
These instructions only work for Google Chrome.
With the Google Doc open, select File > Print.
In the Destination field, select Save to Google Drive, then select Save.
The PDF will be saved to your Google Drive. You can view or share it directly from this location.
How to Email a PDF Version of a Google Doc
Log into Google Docs, and open the document you wish to convert to PDF.
Select File > Email as attachment.
Enter the recipient’s email address. Use your email address if you’d like to have the converted document delivered to your inbox. Enter a subject header, and, if you’d like, a message.
Select Send. The recipient(s) will receive the PDF as an email attachment, which they can then download.
My PDF Doesn’t Look Right
Although you can easily convert files from Google Drive to PDF documents, the export may not be 100% accurate. For instance, errors are very common when you convert scanned content.
If this happens, you can convert a Google Doc to a .docx file, and then use our (Smallpdf) converter to try and convert it to a PDF instead.
Save PDF back to Google Doc
Google Drive also offers the option to convert PDF to Google Doc. All you have to do is drag and drop the PDF to your Drive, double-click on it, and pick the option to open as a Google Doc.
Google will use OCR to extract the content of your document into an editable Google Doc. If this fails, head back to our converter, save your PDF back to Word format (using the OCR option), and then try to export it to Google Doc again. If all else fails, copy and paste the content manually into your Google Doc instead!
What Are the Benefits of a PDF file?
PDF stands for Portable Document Format. The format was created by Adobe in the early 1990s as a way to share files without compromising a document’s formatting. Before then, sharing files between computers could be problematic, as it was common for fonts, text sizes, and other settings to get lost or altered.
PDF solves that problem. When someone opens a PDF file, it looks exactly how it did when it was saved. The formatting is locked into the document, preventing unwanted changes.
People also like PDF because it allows for visual elements like clip art, digital images, and photographs. Others prefer it because it looks more polished and professional. The format uses internal compression, which means it uses less space than other file types, making it ideal for emailing, printing, and uploading documents to the web.
In addition to preserving your formatting, PDFs remove unnecessary and distracting elements from digital documents, like margins and outlines. They also preserve document formatting when printed out.
When Should You Use PDF?
You should consider using the PDF format for any of the following documents:
- Legal forms, such as contracts, leases, and bills of sale.
- Invoices, resumes, cover letters, and online portfolios.
- Downloadable materials, such as ebooks, product manuals, or white papers
- School projects and research papers.
More Options for Saving PDFs From Google Docs
In addition to these methods for saving a Google Doc as a PDF, you can install third-party software, such as DriveConverter, which lets you download Google files into different formats, including PDF, JPG, and MP3.
