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How do I upload a PDF to Google Docs?

Published in Google Docs 3 mins read

To upload a PDF to Google Docs, you'll primarily upload it to Google Drive first. Then, you can either view it in Google Drive (which will open it in a PDF viewer) or convert it to a Google Docs document. Here's how:

Steps to Upload the PDF to Google Drive:

  1. Open Google Drive: Go to Google Drive in your web browser. You'll need to be logged into your Google account.

  2. Click "New": In the top left corner of the Google Drive interface, click the "+ New" button.

  3. Select "File upload": From the dropdown menu, choose "File upload".

  4. Browse and Choose: A file explorer window will appear. Navigate to the location of the PDF file on your computer, select the PDF, and click "Open".

What Happens Next?

The PDF will now upload to your Google Drive. You'll see a progress indicator in the bottom right corner of the screen. Once the upload is complete, the PDF file will be available in your Google Drive.

Viewing vs. Converting

  • Viewing: To simply view the PDF, double-click on it in Google Drive. It will open in a built-in PDF viewer within Google Drive. You cannot edit the PDF directly in this view.

  • Converting to Google Docs: If you want to edit the PDF's contents, you can convert it into a Google Docs document. Keep in mind that formatting might not be perfect after conversion, especially for complex PDFs.

    1. Right-click on the uploaded PDF file in Google Drive.
    2. Select "Open with" from the dropdown menu.
    3. Choose "Google Docs".

Google Docs will then attempt to convert the PDF into an editable document. After the conversion, you'll be able to edit the text and some of the formatting within the converted Google Docs document.

Important Considerations for Editing Converted PDFs

  • Formatting Loss: Be prepared to spend some time reformatting the document. Complex layouts, tables, and images might not translate perfectly.

  • Image Handling: Images in the PDF will be included in the converted Google Docs document, but you might need to adjust their size and placement.

  • OCR for Scanned Documents: If your PDF is a scanned document (i.e., an image of text), Google Docs will use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to convert the image into editable text. The accuracy of OCR depends on the quality of the scan. You might need to correct errors in the recognized text.

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