How to Open a Pdf in Google Docs

PDFs are widely used for sharing and presenting information. However, there are times when you may need to edit a PDF, and this is where Google Docs comes into play. Google Docs, a free web-based word processor offered by Google, allows users to not only create and edit documents but also convert and work with PDFs seamlessly. This capability is particularly useful for collaboration, as Google Docs supports real-time editing and sharing with multiple users.

So in this article, we will walk through the uses of opening PDFs in Google Docs, and the steps for opening the PDF files in Google Docs.

Steps to Open PDF with Google Docs

Here, we will open the PDF file in Google Docs Service. So follow the below steps to open the pdf file in Google Docs in simple steps:

Step 1: Navigate to Google Drive

Initially, we need to navigate to the Google Drive service. The URL for navigation is added below. After navigating to Google Drive, we need to sign in to our Google Account, with proper credentials.

Step 2: Upload the PDF File

After successfully sign-in to our account, we need to upload the PDF file to our Google Drive account by dragging and dropping the file into the Drive or clicking on the "+ New Button > "File Upload" in Google Drive.

Step 3: Wait for the Upload

Once, we have uploaded the file from our local storage to Google Drive, it will be shown on the screen. We need to wait for a couple of minutes to complete the upload. Time varies depending on the size of the file and the active internet connection speed.

Step 4: Open the Context Menu

Once the upload gets done, we need to right-click on the newly uploaded file, after clicking on the file, the context menu will get opened.

Step 5: Select "Open with Google Docs"

Now, click on the option "Open with" from the context menu.

Step 6: Convert the PDF to Google Docs Format

From the options list, select the option "Google Docs". This will convert the PDF file into a Google Docs editable format or a Word document format.

Step 7: Wait for the Conversion

After clicking on Google Docs, it will take some amount of time to convert the PDF file into an editable format. Once the conversion gets completed, the converted file will open in a new tab or window which will be in Google Docs.

Result: We have opened the PDF file in Google Docs successfully with simple steps.

How to open PDF in Google Docs on Mobile (iOS and Android)

To open PDF in Google Docs on Mobile:

• Step 1: Firstly, install the Google Docs App on the mobile device using Google Play Store in case of Android and App Store in case of iOS.
• Step 2: Upload the PDF to Google Drive.
• Step 3: Select the "Upload" option to upload the file.
• Step 4: Locate and Upload the PDF file.
• Step 5: Find the Uploaded PDF from the main screen of the Google Docs app.
• Step 6: Tap on the PDF File.
• Step 7: Now, choose the "Open in Google Docs" option to convert the PDF into an editable format.
• Step 8: Wait for the Conversion, once the conversion gets completed document will open in the Google Docs app, where we can view and edit it.

Benefits of Opening a PDF File in Google Docs

Opening PDF files in Google documents has various types of advantages and use cases despite the fact that Google is basically a word processing and collaboration tool. Below we have listed some of the uses of opening a PDF file in Google Docs.

1. Editing Text

PDF or Portable document format is the file typically considered as a read-only file, By using Google Docs, we can perform optical character recognition, which is also known as OCR on the scanned PDF document. And through this, we can actually edit the PDF format type file.

2. Sharing and Collaboration

By opening PDF files in Google Docs, it can be helpful for sharing and collaborating with others. This also enables various team members or sub-collaborators to access and work on the same PDF simultaneously, rather than using any local service or application.

3. Integration with Google Drive Apps

After opening the PDF file in the Google Docs Service, we can also use other Google Drive apps like Google Sheets, and Google Slides, to incorporate these PDF content into various projects.

4. Text Search

Google Docs can be very much helpful if we need to search for a specific word or phrase within the PDF file. If the PDF file is in huge amount, or the content associated with it is very much lengthy, then it proves to be helpful for searching the specific character as the searching algorithm or the searching capability of this Google Docs Services is very much faster.

5. Sharing with Non-PDF Users

Google Docs also enables us to share the PDF file with other users who might not be able to have a PDF reader in their computer system So we can actually convert the pdf file into some other type, like PPT or text, and actually send it to the non PDF users.

Conclusion

In conclusion, opening a PDF file in Google Docs is not a direct or straightforward method. We need to upload the PDF file to Google Drive and then open it with Google Docs, converting it into a compatible format like a Word document. However, this process is definitely worth it. We can also open PDF files in Google Docs through mobile devices, with steps provided for both Android and iOS.