How to Convert PDF to Google Doc - 2 Free Methods
Direct answer: Upload your PDF to Google Drive, right-click it, select Open with → Google Docs. Google converts it automatically to an editable document. Alternatively: convert to Word first at convertfloor.com/tools/pdf-to-word, then upload the DOCX to Google Drive.
If you need to edit a PDF in Google Docs, copy text from it, or share it as an editable document in Google Workspace, this guide walks through both free methods - and explains when each one works better.
Method 1: Open PDF Directly in Google Drive (Easiest)
Best for: simple PDFs with straightforward text and layout. Requires a Google account.
Upload the PDF to Google Drive. Go to drive.google.com. Click New → File Upload. Select your PDF and wait for it to upload.
Right-click the uploaded PDF. In Google Drive, right-click your PDF file.
Select Open with → Google Docs. Google Drive opens the PDF in a new Google Docs tab, converting it to an editable document automatically.
Edit and save. The document is now editable and saved to your Google Drive as a Google Doc. The original PDF file is still there separately.
This method is instant and requires no extra tools. For simple PDFs — a letter, a basic report, a resume — it works well.
Method 2: Convert to Word First, Then Upload (Better Quality)
Best for: complex PDFs with tables, multiple columns, images, or custom fonts. Produces cleaner results.
Convert the PDF to Word. Go to convertfloor.com/tools/pdf-to-word. Upload your PDF and download the DOCX file. Free, no signup.
Upload the DOCX to Google Drive. Go to drive.google.com. Click New → File Upload and select the downloaded DOCX.
Open with Google Docs. Right-click the uploaded DOCX → Open with → Google Docs. The document opens fully editable.
Why does this produce better results? The Word conversion step reconstructs document structure more accurately than Google's direct PDF import. Complex layouts — multiple columns, tables, footnotes — convert more cleanly through Word format.
Method 1 vs Method 2 - Which Should You Use?
Method 1: Direct Drive
Method 2: Via Word
Speed
Instant
1–2 minutes extra
Simple text PDFs
Excellent
Excellent
Tables
Often breaks
Better preserved
Multi-column layouts
Often breaks
More reliable
Scanned PDFs
Cannot extract text
Cannot extract text*
Requires account
Google only
Google + no account for convert
Cost
Free
Free
* For scanned PDFs, see the OCR section below.
What Formatting to Expect After Converting
Neither method produces a pixel-perfect copy of the original PDF. Here is what typically changes:
Font substitution — if the PDF uses a font not available in Google Docs, a similar font replaces it
Spacing — line and paragraph spacing sometimes shifts
Tables — columns may be slightly off; borders may differ
Images — usually preserved but may shift position
Headers and footers — sometimes lost or duplicated
For a document you plan to edit heavily, these differences do not matter - you will be reformatting anyway. For a document you want to look exactly like the original PDF, conversion will always require cleanup.
Scanned PDFs - What to Do First
Google Drive's PDF-to-Doc conversion cannot extract text from a scanned PDF (an image-only PDF). Neither can our Word converter. Scanned PDFs require OCR first.
Identify if your PDF is scanned. Try to highlight text in the PDF. If you cannot select any text, it is a scanned (image) PDF.
Run OCR first. Go to convertfloor.com/tools/image-to-word. Upload the scanned PDF. Our OCR engine extracts the text and produces a DOCX.
Upload the DOCX to Google Drive. Follow Method 2 above from step 2.
How to Convert Google Doc to PDF
Going the other direction - Google Doc to PDF — is straightforward:
Open the Google Doc
Go to File → Download → PDF Document (.pdf)
The PDF is downloaded to your computer. For sharing, Google also offers File → Share → Publish to web which generates a public PDF link without downloading.