Are you looking for an effective and easy way to convert your PDF files into Google Docs? In this article, we will guide you through a few steps on how to convert a PDF into an editable Google Document.
PDF files are a great format for sharing information, but you can only edit or modify a PDF file if you created it yourself. This is why teams prefer to convert PDFs into Google Docs, as it allows them to edit and collaborate simultaneously in Google Docs, saving a significant amount of time and effort. In this article, we will explore how to convert a PDF into a Google Document using four different methods.
We will use Google Drive, Adobe Acrobat, and MS Word to complete this conversion.
Converting PDF to Google Docs on Google Drive
If you don’t mind losing the original formatting, it’s very easy to convert a PDF to a Google Doc on Google Drive.
1. Log in to your Google Drive or go to drive.google.com.
2. Upload your PDF file by dragging and dropping it onto the main Drive page.
Or click on "New" in the top left corner of the main Drive page >> then click on "File upload" >> and upload your PDF file.
3. Once your PDF file is uploaded to Drive, right-click on the file >> then click on "Open with" >> and select "Google Docs".
4. The converted Google Document will appear on the main Drive page within a few minutes.
You have now successfully opened your PDF file in Google Docs.
As mentioned earlier, this method does not preserve the original formatting of the PDF file; lists, tables, or footnotes will not be converted.
Converting PDF to Google Docs using Adobe Acrobat
This method provides the best conversion from PDF to Google Doc by first converting the PDF to a Word document, and then converting the Word document to a Google Doc.
1. Go to Adobe Acrobat to convert PDF to Word online.
2. Upload your PDF file by dragging and dropping it into the converter.
Or click on "Select File" >> and choose your PDF file to upload.
3. Log in to Acrobat online to download the converted Word document.
4. Now, upload the Word document by dragging and dropping it onto the main Drive page.
Or click on "New" in the top left corner of the main Drive page >> click on "File upload" >> and upload the Word document.
5. Once the Word document is uploaded to Drive, right-click on the file >> then click on "Open with" >> and select "Google Docs".
6. The converted Google Document will appear on the main Drive page within a few minutes.
How to Convert PDF to Google Docs using MS Word?
Check out this method with MS Word if you want to maintain the original PDF formatting (to some extent), especially in the converted Excel file.
Here’s how to convert a PDF file to a Word document:
- Step 1: Open Microsoft Word on your desktop.
- Step 2: Go to "File" >> click on "Open" >> select your PDF file >> and click "OK" in the pop-up window that appears.
- Step 3: The converted file will open as a new Word document; now save it.
- Step 4: Go to "File" >> click on "Save As" >> and select Word Document.
- Step 5: Open Google Drive and upload the Word document by dragging and dropping it onto the main Drive page.
- Or click on "New" in the top left corner of the main Drive page >> click on "File upload" >> and upload the Word document.
- Step 6: Once the Word document is uploaded to Drive, right-click on the file >> click on "Open with" >> and select "Google Docs".
- Step 7: The converted Google Document will appear on the main Drive page within a few minutes.
How to Convert PDF to Google Docs using Free Online Tools
PDF2GO
PDF2GO is a free online tool where you can edit and convert PDF files directly in your browser.
- Open the PDF2GO website and click on "Choose File" to upload the desired PDF file.
- Locate your PDF file and select it, then click "Open".
- Click "Start" to begin the conversion to .docx format.
- Once converted, click "Download".
- Name your file and save it.
- Open Google Drive, click on "+ New", select "File upload", and upload the saved docx file.
- Right-click on the file in Google Drive, then select "Open with", and then "Google Docs".
LightPDF
LightPDF is perfect for personal use as you can perform PDF to Doc conversions without signing up, and it also offers a VIP service aimed more at professionals.
- Launch Light PDF
- On the homepage, choose "PDF to Word".
- Click "Choose File" to upload your PDF file.
- Wait for the conversion process to complete, then download your file.
- Once downloaded, upload the converted file to Google Drive and open it using Google Docs.
ilovePDF
iLovePDF is another free online tool that allows you to do many things with your PDF documents.
Here’s how to convert a PDF file to Google Docs in just a few clicks:
- Upload your file to the free PDF to Word converter.
- Choose between regular conversion or OCR and click "Convert to Word" to download the converted Word file.
- Name your file and save it.
- Go to Google Drive > New > File upload and upload your Word file.
- When the file is uploaded to Google Drive, right-click and select Open with > Google Docs.
Conclusion
Whether you are a student needing to update a study file, a professional editing a contract, or just someone looking to make changes to a PDF file, knowing how to convert a PDF to Google Docs is an essential skill.
We hope this guide has shown you how easy it is to convert and share your documents between PDF and Google Docs.
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