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This article will explain the advantages of google docs, the benefits of pdf files, and how to save a Google Doc as a PDF. You can save the PDFs on your Google Drive or email as you like after converting them to PDF.
Moreover, PDF files are the most commonly used. You can share the files on various platforms, can’t be edited without a digital footprint, and you can compress them into a smaller size.
Hence, for legal documents, such as card details and contacts, PDFs are used.
What is a PDF file?
Before we move on to how to save a google doc as a PDF, let’s look at what is a pdf file and when it was created.
PDF is the short form of Portable Document Format. In the early 1990s, Adobe created it to share files without changing the document’s format.
Before this, sharing documents between PCs was difficult because text sizes, fonts, and various settings would often get altered.
So, PDF solved this issue. When you open the pdf file, it looks the same as when you saved it. It looks at the formatting system in the files, which prevents any unwanted changes.
Moreover, people like pdfs because it has a lot of visual factors such as pictures, digital images, and clip arts. A lot of employers think it looks more professional and polished.
Furthermore, pdf use internal compression. This means it will use less storage than other document types, making it perfect for printing, uploading, and emailing files on the internet.
Besides, it also removes all the unnecessary elements from your files, such as outlines and margins. Also, PDF preserves file formatting when you take a print-out.
Uses of PDF files
You can use PDF for the following files:
- Research papers for your universities
- Online portfolios such as cover letters, invoices, and resumes
- School assignments
- Legal forms like electric bills, contracts, and leases
- Downloadable files such as white papers, manuals of products, and eBooks.
How to save a Google Doc as a PDF
Saving a Google Doc as a PDF is a two-step process.
First, you need to log in to Google Docs and open the document you want to convert into pdf.
Now select the File – Download – PDF Document.
Check your PC’s download folder to see if the pdf is downloaded or not. All your PDFs will be downloaded to a particular folder.
How to Email the PDF file of the Google Doc
First, you need to log in to Google Docs and open the file you want to convert. Now open your email id and select that PDF file and then “email as attachment.”
After that, enter the receiver’s email id. Also, if you want to save your PDFs on email and not on your PC, you can email yourself.
Now put the subject and if you are sending an important email, then write a message.
Lastly, send the email. The recipient is going to get the pdf like a mail attachment. They can download the pdf.
How to save a Google Doc as a PDF on Google Drive
Open your Google Doc and then select file – print. There will be a destination field where there is an option “save to Google Drive.” Click on it and then save.
Now your PDF is saved on Google Drive. Also, you can share or view your file directly from here.
Other options to save PDFs files from Google Docs
If you do not want to save your PDFs in this method, you can use another way. You have to download a third-party software which is called Drive Converter.
This software will let you download your files in various formats such as pdf, mp3, jpg, and more.
How to convert Google Doc to Word
Firstly, open a file that you need to download in google docs.
Secondly, click on the “file.” Now you have to select the download option. There is a lot of formats that you can download. Here you need to download as “Microsoft Word (.docx).”
Lastly, now you have downloaded your document as an MS-Word file. Also, you will know it is a Word file as it will have a “.docx” extension.
How to save Google Doc as PDF on the phone?
Here we will tell you how you can save them on both Androids and iPhones.
How to save a Google Doc as a PDF on Android
Follow the steps if you want to save your Docs as PDF:
Firstly, you need to install the Google Drive or Google Docs app on the phone. Now open the file that you need to change into PDF.
Secondly, click on the menu (it has three dots at the top right section). Here click on share and export.
Thirdly, click on the “save as,” then select pdf file and tap on “okay.” Now you have saved the file on Google Drive. If you want to download it on the phone, then follow the last step.
Lastly, a new screen will appear. Click on the download button, which is at the top. This way, you can download the PDF file on the phone and share it with others easily.
How to save a Google Doc as a PDF on iPad and iPhone
Firstly, install the Docs app on the phone. Now open the document and click on the 3-dot icon on the top.
Secondly, on the menu, you have to tap on the share and export. Then click on the “send a copy.”
Thirdly, select the pdf file from your pop-up menu, then tap on “okay.”
Lastly, you can choose “save to files” if you want to save the PDF on your phone or use the sharing option.
How to fix Google Docs to PDF when it is not working
If you don’t find the PDF version of the doc files, then here are some ways you can fix this problem.
#1 Clear the App’s cache
This only works on Android phones. What you need to do is:
Firstly, open the settings of the phone and then go to either app manager or installed apps.
Secondly, search the app Google Docs and then click on it.
Lastly, click on storage, and there will be an option “clear cache.” It will be at the bottom. Tap on it. But do not tap on the clear data as it is different and will erase everything saved on your docs.
Do it for google drive as well if it is needed. After that, reboot/restart the phone and see if the files are saving on your device.
#2 First, save them as an MS-Word file
Another way to change the docs file to pdf is to save them as .docx in Microsoft Word. Now you can use MS-word to turn them into pdfs. To do this, you need to install MS-word on the device.
Firstly, open the docs document on the computer and tap on file – download as. Here choose Microsoft word.
Secondly, now open the new MS-Word file. Here select the “file” then select “save as.” Choose the location where you need to save the file.
Lastly, when the dialog appears, choose the pdf under the “save as” option.
#3 Use another browser
A lot of times, clearing cache might not solve this problem. At this time, try to use Google Docs on other browsers. This fixes the problem a lot of time.
#4 Clear the cache of the browser
Like clearing cache on your phone, you can do the same on your computer as well. Here we will share how you can do that on the Google Chrome browser.
Firstly, open Google Chrome on the computer. Now select the 3-dot icon. Here you will find the settings.
Secondly, scroll down, and you will find the option “advanced.” Tap on it.
Thirdly, once it is open, go to privacy and security and tap on the clear browsing.
Fourthly, check all the cached files and pictures. Also, uncheck all the other options. Click on the “clear data.”
Lastly, close your browser and now try to save Google Docs as PDF files.
#5 Use Print Feature to save the files as PDF
Many people do not know this, but the print option on your browser will let you save web pages as pdf files.
Firstly, open docs document. Now you can either use a shortcut Ctrl + P or tap on file – print.
Secondly, on the left side, there is a sidebar. Here tap on the destination and select “save as pdf.”
Lastly, tap on save. Now the PDF will be downloaded on the computer.
Pros of Google Docs
- It has a simple and easy user interface.
It has some excellent features
- Better than most of the word processing software
- File sharing is very integrated
- Suitable for editing and reading documents
- Corrects the mistakes and does a spell check
- You can use voice typing
- Can look at alternative words
Cons of Google Docs
- By default, Google Docs saves the documents only on the server and not on the device.
- The icons are tiny. Hence people can accidentally tap on the wrong key or the wrong combination.
- Live word counts stop after 20,000 characters.
- It does not support all file formats.
- Do not have a lot of fonts.
3 Alternatives of Google Docs
#1 Zoho Docs
Zoho has a lot of apps of its own such as email service, bookkeeping tools, personal wiki, and much more. Zoho Docs is an excellent alternative to Google Docs for an online file editor.
Moreover, it has a lot of editing options. The sidebar of the app contains all these options. Also, whatever you can do on MS-Word can be done on Zoho, such as adding documents on the blogs or adding header and footer.
Besides, it has few advanced features like electronic signature and mail merging. It also has a chat option where you can chat with your employees/agents while working.
It is a trendy web-based application as it has a lot of features and it is very user-friendly.
#2 Dropbox Paper
Cloud storage system is the most popular feature of Dropbox. But it also has a Dropbox Paper, which is an online file editing app. To use it all, you need to do is sign up on a Dropbox account. You can start using it once you log in to your account.
Moreover, if you use Dropbox as an image host, it is effortless to curate images on Dropbox Paper. Also, embedding different files is easy as well.
It also has a feature to edit using the markdown language since it is convenient for basic styling and edits.
One of the best features is that you can tag (@) someone from the file you are working on, even though they are not working on the same file. Once you tag them, they will get a notification that you want that person to work with you.
#3 Microsoft Office 365
Microsoft Office 365 is a cloud-based software with the online version of every Microsoft app, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
Moreover, Microsoft Office 365 has a vast range of editing options and document creation.
However, its user interface is a little bit complex when you compare it with Google Docs. This is because it has a lot of tabs which offers more freedom to the person who is using it. You can format your files in different ways, which are not available in other softwares.
Hence, if you want something with a lot of features, then this is the one you should choose.
Final thoughts
As you can see, it is very easy to use google docs, save a Google Doc as a PDF, and convert it to MS Word. Within a few steps, you can convert a file into a PDF.
Moreover, PDFs are great to use as they do not alter anything when sharing the file. It prevents unwanted changes and will be the same as the original saved file.
Besides, in PDFs, no one can alter anything. Hence it is safe to use for your online portfolios, legal documents, and downloadable documents like eBooks.
