How to Make PDFs Editable With Google Docs

Log into the Google Drive website., Upload the PDF file to Google Drive., Right-click on the uploaded file., Select "Open With" → "Google Docs.", Edit your new Google Doc file.

5 Steps 2 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Log into the Google Drive website.

    You can upload PDF files to your Google Drive account and have Drive attempt to make them editable.

    This process is very finicky, and many PDF files will not convert properly.

    Regardless, you won't actually be editing the original PDF file.

    Instead, Google Drive will create a separate Google Documents file that will contain the text it was able to extract from the original.You'll need to do this from the Google Drive website.

    It's not possible to convert files using the Google Drive app on your smartphone or tablet.
  2. Step 2: Upload the PDF file to Google Drive.

    There are a couple of different ways you can do this using the Google Drive website:
    Click and drag PDF files into the browser window to upload them to Drive immediately.

    Click the "NEW" button and select "File upload." You can then browse your computer for PDF files to upload. , Once the file has finished uploading, right-click it in the Drive window. , A new tab will open, and Google Docs will begin processing the file.

    This processing time can take a fair amount of time, especially for larger PDF files., Your new Google Doc will open with all of the text that Drive was able to extract from the PDF.

    You may notice some garbled characters and errors, especially if the original file used a hard-to-read font.

    In many cases, Drive will not be able to convert the PDF into editable text.
  3. Step 3: Right-click on the uploaded file.

  4. Step 4: Select "Open With" → "Google Docs."

  5. Step 5: Edit your new Google Doc file.

Detailed Guide

You can upload PDF files to your Google Drive account and have Drive attempt to make them editable.

This process is very finicky, and many PDF files will not convert properly.

Regardless, you won't actually be editing the original PDF file.

Instead, Google Drive will create a separate Google Documents file that will contain the text it was able to extract from the original.You'll need to do this from the Google Drive website.

It's not possible to convert files using the Google Drive app on your smartphone or tablet.

There are a couple of different ways you can do this using the Google Drive website:
Click and drag PDF files into the browser window to upload them to Drive immediately.

Click the "NEW" button and select "File upload." You can then browse your computer for PDF files to upload. , Once the file has finished uploading, right-click it in the Drive window. , A new tab will open, and Google Docs will begin processing the file.

This processing time can take a fair amount of time, especially for larger PDF files., Your new Google Doc will open with all of the text that Drive was able to extract from the PDF.

You may notice some garbled characters and errors, especially if the original file used a hard-to-read font.

In many cases, Drive will not be able to convert the PDF into editable text.

About the Author

D

Denise Mitchell

Denise Mitchell has dedicated 3 years to mastering education and learning. As a content creator, Denise focuses on providing actionable tips and step-by-step guides.

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