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How to Edit PDF in Google Docs Easily

Audrey Goodwin

2024-04-18 11:56:27 • Filed to: PDF Software Comparison • Proven solutions

If you are a Google Docs user, you may wonder if you can edit PDF in Google Docs. This post will give you the correct answer to the answer whether you can edit PDF in Google Docs and then provide the detailed steps for you to edit PDF in Google Docs.

Regardless of this fact, there are certain limitations when editing a PDF in Google Docs. If you want to look for simple solutions to edit PDF in Google Drive, apart from looking into online solutions, users should look into Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor, a professional and all-in-one PDF editor that can open and edit PDFs from Google Drive with ease.

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Part 1: Can You Edit a PDF in Google Docs
Part 2: Steps to Edit PDF in Google Docs
Part 3: Edit PDF in Google Docs without Changing Formatting
Part 4: The Comparison of Editing a PDF in Google Docs and PDFelement
Part 5: FAQs about Editing PDF in Google Docs?

Part 1: Can You Edit a PDF in Google Docs

Yes, you can edit PDFs in Google Docs; however, there are some important things you should know. When you open a PDF file in Google Docs, it is converted into a Google Docs file using built-in optical character recognition (OCR). So, when you edit a PDF in Google Docs, you are actually editing a converted version of the PDF in Google Docs format.

This works well for text-based PDFs with simple formatting, including text and some images. However, if your PDF has complex formatting, such as tables or diagrams, Google Docs may alter the layout or styling of the original document, leading to formatting issues.

If you only need to edit text or make simple changes to PDFs, Google Docs is a good option. However, if you need to edit PDFs without changing their format, consider using a professional PDF editor like Wondershare PDFelement.

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Part 2: Steps to Edit PDF in Google Docs

Step 1. Upload a PDF to Google Drive

Step 2. Open with Google Docs

Right-click the PDF file that you uploaded and select "Open with >　Google Docs".

Step 3. Edit PDF in Google Docs

Once the PDF file is opened, you are able to edit the PDF text, image, or link in Google Docs.

Edit text: Select the text you want to edit, go to Format > Text to change the format and size of the text;
Add text: Click where you want to insert new text and start typing;
Edit images: Select the image you want to edit and you can then edit the image by cropping, resizing, adjusting transparency, brightness, contrast, and colors.
Add new images: Select where you want to insert new images, go to Insert > Image and select new images to add.

Step 4. Download PDF after Editing

After editing, you can click the "File"> "Download"> "PDF" to save it as a PDF file on your computer again.

Part 3: Edit PDF in Google Docs without Changing Formatting

PDFelement is a comprehensive solution for PDF creation, editing, conversion, form editing, and filling. It is a desktop PDF editing tool with a separate version for Windows PC and Mac. When you do not want to edit PDF online and require additional functions to manage your PDF documents, then PDFelement is your best alternative option.

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Step 1. Open a PDF in the PDF Editor

Open PDFelement on your computer. Drag and drop the PDF file you wish to edit into the program. Or click on "+" on the Home screen.

Step 2. Edit PDF

Go to the "Edit" tab. Here you'll see editing functions, such as "Add Text," "Add Image," and more. You can modify your PDF by changing the text, inserting an image to the PDF pages, or creating a link in your PDF pages. Here are more details about how to edit PDF text.

Step 3. Annotate PDF

In the "Comment" tab, you can make annotations to your PDF pages. Click on the "Comment" menu and select the tool you want to use. For example, you can add a note to your file or highlight important text. Here are more instructions about how to annotate PDF.

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Step 4. Edit PDF Pages

Would you like to make changes to your PDF pages? PDFelement offers many tools to do this. Go to the "Page" tab, and select the function you need. It only takes a few clicks and a few seconds to organize or re-format your pages and you're done! Here are detailed steps about how to rearrange PDF pages.

Part 4: The Comparison of Editing a PDF in Google Docs and PDFelement

It is quite clear that Google Docs and PDFelement are quite effective in covering the process of editing PDF files. However, there are certain differences in both platforms that help users figure out the best option for their requirements, which are discussed in the pros and cons for both tools separately.

Advantages of Editing PDF in Google Docs:

Users are not bound to download any software across their desktops. Google Docs provides them with the option to perform all editing functions across the browser.
Google Docs is directly integrated with Google Drive, which helps users save their files across the cloud service with ease.

Disadvantages to Edit PDF in Google Docs:

You may not be able to open all PDF files with Google Docs.
Users are bound to import images less than 2MB in size across the documents.
Actually, you are not editing the original PDF file in Google Docs. Google Docs recognizes the text in your PDF file and copies it so that you can edit the text as a separate version.
The formatting and images of the PDF files are not retained.
Certain editing functions are missing in Google Docs, such as adding pages, deleting pages, and others. It only supports editing text.
It requires a stable internet connection.

Advantages of Editing PDF in PDFelement:

The platform provides users with the ability to perform edits as in any word processing software.
You can perform batch processing across the platform.
Convert your documents into any major file format for easy sharing.
Use the OCR technology of the platform to scan images into text with ease.
Protect your PDF files with passwords, information redaction, and digital signatures.

Disadvantages to Edit PDF File within PDFelement:

The tool requires to be downloaded on the desktop for use.
Multiple users cannot edit a PDF document simultaneously, unlike Google Docs which provides such features.

Part 5: FAQs about Editing PDFs in Google Docs

How to edit PDFs in Google Docs app on your phone?

To edit PDFs in Google Docs on a mobile phone, you can first upload the PDF files to Google Drive and then open it with Google Docs.

Open Google Drive on your phone and tap New to upload a PDF file;
After uploading, select the PDF file and tap the three-dot icon;
Tap Open with > Google Docs. Google Docs will open the PDF file as an editable file;
You can then change the text and images in the PDF file.

Can I make a fillable PDF in Google Docs?

No. You can create a PDF file with Google Docs, however, you can't make a fillable PDF in Google Docs. If you want to create a PDF with fillable forms, you should use a professional PDF creator such as PDFelement.

How to change a Google doc to a PDF?

Just open the Google Doc file and click File > Download > PDF to save the Google Doc to PDF. Or you can download the Google doc files in .doc, .docx and convert them to PDF with a doc to pdf converter.

Should I edit PDF in Google Docs?

Google Docs is surely an appreciative tool that features quite several features to edit a PDF. In contrast to Google Docs, PDFelement provides an extensive set of options in terms of features. Users can easily edit all kinds of PDF files with control over the document's text, images, and links. Furthermore, the files are easily convertible under the ambits of quality with the help of the conversion tool offered by the platform.

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PDFelement is the best way to edit a PDF document due to its easy and integrated user interface. Users can understand the platform with ease and use it as per their requirements. The tool is undoubtedly the best option to edit a PDF across the desktop. With all the necessary elements, PDFelement acts as a one-stop solution for managing PDF files with ease. Here are some of its main features:

Edit text, image, link, background, etc., in PDF like Word.
An OCR function that turns scanned PDFs into editable and searchable documents
Convert PDFs to or from multiple file formats, such as MS Office， Image, Text, HTML, PDF/A, etc.
Compare the difference between the two PDF files.
Protect PDF with passwords and digital signatures.
Combine and Split PDF files quickly and easily.
Batch create and print PDF documents.
Measure distance, perimeter, and area in PDF with ease.

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