Provided by Google within its Google Drive service, Google Docs is a great word processor, allowing online creation and editing of files and real-time collaboration of multiple users. But can we edit PDF in Google Docs? Is it also possible to edit a scanned PDF in it? How can we edit PDF in Google Docs? What are some tips for it? Find out here.
Yes.
Google Docs supports a number of file types and formats, but PDF is not one of them. The good news is you can still edit PDF in Google Docs. Thanks to its OCR function, you can also edit a scanned document in this web app. To get started, upload a PDF to Google Drive and then open it with Google Docs, which will automatically convert PDF to Word. Now you are able to edit the content and then download it as PDF or other formats you may need. You can’t edit PDF directly in Google Docs. So, the more accurate answer to this question is yes and no.
Google Docs is not designed for PDF editing after all, so you may be wondering if it’s a decent PDF editor. Just read on, please.
Here we will first walk you through how to edit PDF in Google Docs.
Step 4. Google Docs will convert PDF to Word and open the file. You can edit the content as you like. For example, add or delete text, insert image or table, change font, adjust layout, etc.
Step 5. When the editing is done, click File > Download as > PDF Document (.pdf).
You can follow the steps above if you want to edit PDF in Google Docs on your PC or Mac. As for mobile devices such as iPhone, there are mobile apps. Although you are able to import and view PDF on docs.google.com on your phone by changing mobile browser to desktop mode, you are not allowed to edit the file this way. Google will ask you to download the mobile app. This is the only way to edit PDF in Google Docs/Drive on Android and iOS devices.
When you edit PDF in Google Docs, you can expect different performance and result with different types of PDF files. It performs best with PDFs, including the scanned or image-based ones, that only contain text content. The simpler the PDF, the less trouble Google Docs will have converting it properly. This online word processor doesn’t have problem keeping font colors and styles such as bold, but it does a terrible job of retaining images, tables, lists, etc.
Below is an example. The source PDF is image-based and contains only text. Google Docs successfully recognizes the text and converts it with high accuracy.
Fig.1 – the source PDF
Fig.2 – converted and ready to be edited in Google Docs
A guide (posted in 2017) to Google Docs points out that the maximum size for PDF is 2 MB. Well, this is not true anymore in 2019. In our test, Google Docs had no problem dealing with a 20 MB native PDF and a 5.8 MB scanned PDF, but it failed with a larger scanned document which was 15.9 MB in size.
Google Docs’ performance varies when it edits PDF documents, which has something to do with the source documents. Here are a few things you can follow to get the best editing results.
Now that we know editing PDFs in Google Docs will lose the original formatting, then how can we edit a PDF document without losing formatting? Here are 2 solutions.
If you have tried to edit PDF in Google Docs online but are not satisfied with the result, Cisdem PDF Converter OCR can be a better choice. It is designed to make your PDF editable in Word, Text, PowerPoint, Pages, Keynote or other formats, so you can load the files to different apps without formatting issue and further edit the file.
Here is how to edit a PDF in Google Docs without losing formatting:
Developed by Adobe, Acrobat comes in two editions: Standard (Windows only) and Pro (Windows & Mac). Both editions offer PDF editing features, with the latter being more powerful and expensive.
Unlike Google Docs, Acrobat is a paid app and is costly. But it is far more powerful when it comes to PDF editing and other PDF related tasks. You can’t edit PDF in Google Docs offline, but this solution can work perfectly without Internet connection. With this tool, there is no need to edit a PDF document in Google Docs that lead to formatting issue.
Here is how to edit a PDF without losing quality in Adobe:
If you want to edit PDF for free, Google Docs can be one of the best choices as it’s easy and reliable to use. But when you edit PDF in Google Docs, you can only get decent results with certain types of PDFs such as PDFs that only contain text or the ones with very simple formatting. If your work involves PDF editing and manipulation, you can consider professional paid software such as Cisdem PDF Converter OCR or Acrobat. Most PDF editing software tools come with versatile features and can also help with other PDF tasks.
Rosa has worked in Mac software industry for more than eight years. She believes that the purpose of software is to make life better and work more productively. In addition to writing, Rosa is also an avid runner.