A Complete Guide on How to Edit a PDF in Google Drive
Summary :
Quickly get the shortcut to edit a PDF in Google Drive and sync files with your team. The best alternative PDF editor is also provided below to facilitate challenging PDF tasks on any device.
Table of Contents
How to Edit PDF in Google Drive
People are drawn to using Google Drive for collaborating on PDF documents. This cloud-based file organizer provides an easy way to synchronize all changes across platforms.
A little-known feature of Google Drive allows you to easily highlight text, crop pages, or add a signature to PDFs directly within the service. If you’re unsure how to use it, here is a step-by-step guide to help you out.
Quick Answer
❓Can I edit a PDF in Google Drive?
🙅♂️Technically, Google Drive does not support PDF editing since it’s a cloud-based file storage service but a document processor. However, users can upload a PDF to Google Drive and edit it in Google Docs.
Edit PDF in Google Drive by Opening the File with Google Docs
Step 1. Open Google Drive > Log in > Click “New” in the upper left of the screen > Choose “File Upload” > Select a file and upload it.
Upload PDF to Google Drive
Step 2. Find your PDF in Google Drive, then right-click it > Select “Open With” > “Google Docs.”
Open PDF with Google Docs
If you open the PDF in a preview mode, click the topmost “Open with Google Docs” button.
Open a PDF with Google Docs
Step 3. Once the file is opened in Google Docs, the PDF document is converted to Word format automatically, and you can now start editing it.
Google Docs offers a comprehensive set of tools for PDF modification. You can quickly change text font, size, and color through the buttons on the upper menu bar.
Edit PDF Text in Google Docs
Step 4. When finished editing, export the .doc file as a PDF: Click “File” > “Download” > “PDF Document” > Choose a location for document saving.
Save the Document as PDF
How to Directly Add Comments to a PDF in Google Drive
If you want to add comments only to a PDF, Google Drive allows direct comment adding. Open the PDF in Preview mode in Google Drive and click the plus button at the topmost menu > Highlight the part you want to leave an annotation > Type out the comment > Click “Comment.”
Add Comment to PDF in Google Drive
While Google Drive enables PDF editing using Google Docs as a workaround, complex PDF editing demands like creating forms and splitting pages are still unachievable. Therefore, a dedicated PDF editor PDFgear is needed to get more work done.
Best Free Alternative to Edit a PDF in Google Drive Effectively
PDFgear is another option for file editing. It offers both online and offline apps for direct PDF modification without conversion. The advanced features like digital signature creation, page rotating, form filling, and more are all free to use.
Beyond basic PDF editing, the resourceful AI chatbot of PDFgear greatly boosts productivity. It helps summarize and analyze documents in seconds so you can get different views or insights about your work.
Edit Text in PDFgear
FAQs
Is It Possible to Edit Documents in Google Drive?
Yes, it’s possible to edit documents in Google Drive. Google Drive offers editing capabilities for various file types, including text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and even PDFs through integration with Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and third-party apps.
How to Edit a PDF in Google Drive without Changing the Format?
To edit a PDF in Google Drive without format changing, please ensure the PDF is not a scanned file. Then, follow the specific actions:
Upload the PDF to Google Drive > Right-click and select “Open With” > “Google Docs” > Edit Document > After editing, click “File” > “Download” > “PDF” to save the file as a PDF.
How can I convert a PDF to an editable format in Google Drive?
When opening a PDF in Google Drive with Google Docs, the file format will automatically be converted to .doc document and is editable. You can also use PDFgear to convert a PDF to Word without formatting loss.
Conclusion
The ability to edit PDF documents directly in Google Drive offers unparalleled convenience. In this comprehensive guide, we’ve explored how to edit PDFs in Google Drive, which will make your workflow more efficient. Of course, if your PDF document contains a lot of complex elements, or you want to do more professional editing, PDFgear is also a good way.
