How to insert PDF into Google Docs— inserting an image to Google Docs" width="851" height="522" />While Google Docs is primarily used for editing text-based content, it’s also a well-known tool for opening and editing PDFs. For example, you can try to embed one on your document if you want to reference a PDF file for your current project.
To insert a PDF into a Google Doc, simply convert its pages to images first. Then, upload the images to your document by clicking “Insert” > “Image” and selecting the source where you saved them.
But that isn’t the only way to do it. In this article, we’ll explain the different ways on how to insert PDF into Google Docs, how to edit them, how to attach them to your other files and discuss easy fixes to some common issues you might encounter when uploading PDfs to Google Docs.
While there’s no explicit way to embed your PDFs in an existing Google Docs file, the best method you can do is to convert them into images before uploading them to your document. To do this, try using these popular conversion tools like Adobe Acrobat and Small PDF.
After converting the pages into individual photos, head over to your Google Docs workspace. Click “Insert” > “Images,” and pick the source where you saved the converted pictures. For example, you can choose to “Upload from computer” if you saved them on your local storage. Then, simply select them and proceed with the upload process.
How to insert PDF into Google Docs— inserting an image to Google Docs" width="851" height="522" />
And there you go! Alternatively, you can also take a screenshot of your PDF if you only need to embed one of its sections. Do keep in mind that embedding your PDF in this way means:
Unfortunately, there’s no other way to embed your PDF as a whole file itself that is scrollable and editable. Instead, you can attach a PDF in Google Docs by using a hyperlink or by merging it to your current document.
Google Docs also does a pretty good job of converting your PDF into an editable version — without the need for third-party tools. To access this feature, simply head over to Google Drive and do the following steps.
Before proceeding with this method, it’s worth mentioning that the converted file will not be perfect due to some formatting issues. Therefore, this method should mainly be used for documents that contain photos and other multimedia elements. If it’s purely text-based, there won’t be any problem.
Note: The file won’t be saved as a PDF automatically because Google Docs generates a whole new copy that you can edit. To save your file as a PDF, head over to “File” > “Download” > “PDF Document (.pdf).”
Alternatively, you can also try to use a PDF to DOC conversion tool to keep most of its formatting. Once converted, simply upload the DOC version to your Google Drive and open it with Google Docs.
Aside from embedding your PDF pages as images or generating an editable copy of your file, you can also choose to attach them to an existing Google Doc that you have. When we say “attach,” we’re talking about including it inside as a separate file that your readers can access.
The concept is actually pretty simple. You just need to paste the link of your PDF (assuming that it’s stored somewhere online) to your document. Here’s how to do it:
Alternatively, you might also want to include the contents of your PDF inside your document, which would come in handy in case your reader isn’t anywhere near a Wi-Fi connection. To do this, you would need to access a PDF merging tool.
But first, you have to download your Google Doc as a PDF. Simply click “File” > “Download” > “PDF Document (.pdf).”
Once you have downloaded your file, go to any PDF merging tool that you prefer to use. Among the most common and free software is Adobe Acrobat, which we’ll be using for our example. You can use whichever you like, though, but do ensure that they’re safe to utilize.
Google Docs is far from the perfect app to view and edit your PDFs, and you may even encounter a few problems when uploading it to the software. Here are some typical problems and how to fix them.
Having insufficient storage space is more common than you think, which makes the solution pretty simple too. For one, you can delete old and irrelevant files from your drive to free up storage. You can also use a different account or choose to buy more space.
PDFs are usually embedded with the fonts that you use, as well as other multimedia elements, that can easily blow up its size. You can try to split your files into several documents to keep each file’s storage requirements low. Alternatively, you can compress your PDF.
Closely tied to large PDFs are connectivity problems. Working with low bandwidths often results in upload failures, especially when dealing with large files. The best solution to this is to disconnect all other devices while uploading. Keeping your PDFs small would also be more friendly for your connection.
PDFs can be locked and encrypted, which helps preserve their integrity and confidentiality. These security measures might impede you from loading them in Google Docs. To solve this, you can either unlock your PDF using a third-party tool online or use a version that has no restrictions.
Yes, you can attach your PDFs to your Google Doc in several ways.
If your document contains images and other elements, expect them to be out of place when inserted in Google Docs. The only way you can preserve your PDF formatting when opening it in the software is either by ensuring that it’s purely text-based or using a third-party PDF to DOC converter.
Learning how to insert a PDF into Google Docs would come in handy, especially when you need to do quick edits and use it as a reference for your project. You can do this easily by inserting its share link, converting its pages into images (which you can insert in Google Docs), and merging it with another PDF file.
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