How to Make PDFs Editable With Google Docs

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher.

The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work.

This article has been viewed 712,342 times.

This wikiHow teaches you how to convert a PDF file into an editable document by using Google Docs on a computer. Keep in mind that Google Docs will change the formatting of your PDF and remove all images; if preserving the formatting of the PDF is important, you cannot use Google Docs to edit it.

If the PDF file you want to edit either came from a photo (or series of photos) or has a password lock, you can't use Google Docs to edit the PDF.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

If you aren't logged in, click Go to Google Docs in the middle of the page, then enter your email address and password when prompted. If you're just prompted to log in without clicking anything, do so.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Click the "Upload"

icon. It's a folder-shaped icon in the upper-right side of the page. A pop-up window will appear.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Click Upload . This option is at the top of the pop-up window.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Click Select a file from your computer . It's a blue button at the bottom of the window. Doing so opens a window from which you can select your PDF file.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Select your PDF file. Click the PDF file that you want to upload to Google Docs. If the PDF file is in a different folder than the one that opens, click the PDF's folder on the left side of the window first.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Click Open . It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. The PDF will begin uploading to Google Docs; once the PDF opens, you can proceed.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Select Open with . This option is at the top of the page. A drop-down menu will appear.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Click Google Docs . It's in the drop-down menu. Your PDF will open in Google Docs in a new tab, at which point you're free to edit its text as you please. [1] X Research source

Step 10 Edit your PDF as needed." width="460" height="344" />

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Your PDF's formatting may change depending on the type of PDF it was before you opened it in Google Docs.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

You can also click Microsoft Word instead of PDF if you want to save the PDF as a Word document in order to edit it later.

Community Q&A

I have a .pdf doc in Google Drive and I want to edit it. How can I do that? Community Answer

Convert that PDF file to a Word document to edit it. Copy all the content of the PDF file into a document, then save it as a new PDF for future use.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

I edited a PDF using DocHub. How do I save the edited file in Drive? It autosaves, but it's autosaved on DocHub and not in Drive.

Aditya.Prasad Community Answer Download the PDF as a .docx or a .pdf (docx recommended), and save it to Google Drive.

Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Advertisement You can edit a PDF without altering its formatting by using programs other than Google Docs. Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Please provide your name and last initial Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement

While there are PDF-to-Word apps that you can install for Google Drive, none of them will allow you to convert the PDF's images and formatting into a Word document.

You cannot convert a PDF to a document in Google Drive and Google Docs on mobile. [2] X Research source