How to put pdf in google drive

You can convert a PDF to a Google Doc if your PDF meets certain guidelines, like page orientation.
If you want to convert it with the formatting, you'll need to have access to Microsoft Word.
Just be aware that the free version of Word doesn't work with that conversion method.

PDFs can be useful, but if you don't own the file and need to make changes to it, that presents a problem. So converting it to a Google Doc can be a useful option. Just be aware that converting it can cause formatting issues — though converting it to a Word document first can help minimize those.

Table of Contents Show

How to convert a PDF to a Google Doc without formatting
How to convert a PDF to a Google Doc with formatting
Insert a PDF as a Link in Google Docs
Upload the PDF to Google Drive
Insert the Link in Google Docs
Insert a PDF as an Image
Convert the PDF to an Image
Insert the Image in Google Docs
How do I move a PDF to a folder in Google Drive?
Can PDF files be stored on Google Drive?
Why can't I upload PDF files to Google Drive?

With that in mind, here's what you need to know.

How to convert a PDF to a Google Doc without formatting

1. Go to drive.google.com and log into your account, if needed.

2. Drag your PDF onto the Drive page to upload it. Or click the New button in the top-left corner of your Drive and choose File Upload and then select your PDF to upload.

Select "File Upload" to begin the upload process. Devon Delfino

3. Once uploaded, right-click the file and select Open with followed by Google Docs.

Choose "Open with" and then Google Docs to open your PDF as a Google Doc. Devon Delfino

It may take a few minutes for the PDF to convert to a Google Doc. Once it does, it will appear in your main Drive file area.

How to convert a PDF to a Google Doc with formatting

Microsoft Word is more accurate than Google Docs at preserving your PDF's formatting. The catch here, of course, is that you'd have to have access to Word for this to be an option. And although there is a free version available online, this method doesn't work with it.

1. Open the Microsoft Word desktop application.

2. Select Open and then choose the PDF you want to convert.

3. A pop-up message will then appear. Hit Ok to let it convert the PDF to a document. Once converted, the document will open in Word.

4. Choose File, Save as, and then select Word document. You may have to hit Enable editing to get this done.

5. Open your Google Drive.

6. Right-click in the folder you want to save your document to, then choose Upload files.

Upload your Word document to Google Drive. Devon Delfino

7. Choose your Word document and hit Open.

8. Once the file has been added to your Google Drive, right-click it and choose Open with followed by Google Docs.

9. Click File and then Save As Google Docs.

Devon Delfino is a Brooklyn-based freelance journalist specializing in personal finance, culture, politics, and identity. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, Business Insider, and CNBC. Follow her on Twitter at @devondelfino.

Insert a PDF as a Link in Google Docs

By uploading your PDF to Google Drive, you can grab a link to it and insert it in your document easily. The nice part about this option is that you can display the link or an icon which lets you keep your document nice and neat.

Upload the PDF to Google Drive

If you’re unfamiliar with adding documents to Google Drive, it’s easy enough. Visit Google Drive and sign in. Then, click the New button on the top left and pick “File Upload.”

Browse for and select your file and click “Upload.” When you see your file appear in My Drive or Recent, right-click and pick “Get Link.”

Click “Copy Link” to place the link on your clipboard and click “Done” to close the window.

Tip: Depending on who you expect to read your document, you may want to adjust who can open your link.

Then, head to your document in Google Docs to insert the link.

Insert the Link in Google Docs

Go to the spot in your Google Doc where you want the link to your PDF. Go to Edit > Paste in the menu or right-click and choose “Paste.”

When the link appears in your document, you’ll see an option to replace it with an icon that displays the PDF name. To use the icon, press your Tab key or select the icon in the tiny pop-up window.

Using this option gives you a quick and easy way to access the PDF. Either click or simply hover your cursor over the icon to display the chip. Then, click the link in the chip to open the PDF in a new browser tab.

If you prefer, you can simply leave the link in your document instead. Paste the link in the document as described above, then press Enter or Return. This will convert the static text to a link.

Alternatively, you can insert different text and link it to your document. Check out our how-to for using hyperlinks in Google Docs.

Insert a PDF as an Image

Maybe you want to display the PDF in your document rather than include a link to it. Because you cannot insert a PDF into a Google Doc with the click of a button, you’ll need to convert the PDF to an image and insert the image instead.

Convert the PDF to an Image

There are many ways to convert a PDF to an image. If you use a Windows PC, you can follow our how-to for converting the PDF to JPG on Windows. Mac users can check out our guide to converting PDF to JPG on Mac. On any platform, you can use an online converter, like CloudConvert, which we’ll demonstrate below.

RELATED: How to Convert PDF to JPG on Windows 10

Visit CloudConvert’s PDF to JPG or PDF to PNG converter page per your preference. Click “Select File” to choose the file’s location and upload it. You can complete any of the Options for width, height, and pixel density as you like.

After your file uploads, click “Convert.”

When the process completes, click “Download” to obtain your file. This will be a ZIP file with each page of your PDF as a separate image. Be sure to unzip the downloaded file to obtain the JPG or PNG images so that you can insert them in Google Docs.

With CloudConvert, you can convert up to 25 files per day for free and without signing up. If you have more than 25 PDFs to convert, check out CloudConvert’s packages and subscription plans.

Insert the Image in Google Docs

Once you have your PDF converted to an image, you can simply insert it in Google Docs like any other image. Again, if you want to include the entire PDF, you’ll need to insert each image corresponding to each page.

Place your cursor in your document where you want the image. Then select Insert > Image and pick “Upload From Computer” or “Drive” depending on where you saved the images.

Select the images and they will appear in your document, one after another. You can then resize, edit, format, or lock the images in place. You can also adjust the images with the surrounding text as needed.

Inserting a PDF into a Google Doc may take a few minutes, but it’s worth the time if that PDF is beneficial, or even required, for you and your readers.

RELATED: How to Wrap Text Around Images in Google Docs

How do I move a PDF to a folder in Google Drive?

Manually move to a folder.

On your computer, go to drive.google.com..

Right-click the item you want to move..

Click Move to..

Select or create a folder..

Click Move..

Can PDF files be stored on Google Drive?

You can also save a PDF file to Google Drive shared folders. The process is exactly the same as Method 1. However, you will need to be inside the shared folder before uploading a file. You can also add a file to My Drive and then move it to a shared folder.

Why can't I upload PDF files to Google Drive?

Insufficient storage space on Google Drive. Unstable network connection with the computer. Google's backup and sync feature doesn't work well. File type of the uploading item is not supported by Google Drive.