Convert a PDF to Google Doc in 6 steps.

An artist in a workshop converts a PDF to a Google Doc.

Find out how to convert your PDF files to Google Doc, ready to share and modify with Adobe Acrobat online.

Does your team use Google Docs to collaborate, comment and review business files? If so, you might find you need to convert your PDFs before sharing with colleagues on Google Drive. Luckily, it’s easy to make the switch from PDF to Google Doc with Acrobat.

Explore the steps involved in converting your PDF to a Google Doc, and start streamlining your workflows and collaboration processes with Adobe Acrobat.

In this guide:

Requirements for converting a PDF to Google Doc
How to convert a PDF to Google Doc with Adobe Acrobat
Converting a Google Doc back into a PDF
Tips for converting a PDF to Google Doc
What else you can do with Acrobat online services.

Requirements for converting a PDF to Google Doc.

While you can jump in and convert a PDF to a Google Doc right away, there can be some formatting issues if certain guidelines aren’t followed.

These are the ideal requirements for text and images to be converted from PDF to Google Doc:

Ensure your PDF is high-quality and formatted correctly for easy conversion.
Text should be 10 pixels high, at least.
Ideally use Arial or Times New Roman fonts
Stick to a right-side up orientation for text and images
Image files within the PDF should be 2MB minimum
Make sure all images are sharp, with a strong contrast and good lighting.

How to convert a PDF to Google Doc with Adobe Acrobat.

Before you turn your PDF into a Google Doc, you’ll first need to convert the PDF to a Word doc. Here’s how:

Go to the PDF to Word converter.
Click “Select files” and choose your PDF, or simply drag and drop the file.
Wait for you file to convert, then log in to Adobe Acrobat online to download your Word document.
Go to Google Drive and click New > File Upload.
Select the converted Word document and click Open.
Double-click the file. This will open and convert it to Google Docs.

Converting a Google Doc back into a PDF.

While Google Docs can be very useful, there may be some projects that work better with PDFs. In this instance, you may find that you need to make the switch back. You can do this in two stages:

Make the switch back to PDF: Download the Google Doc as a Word document, then use the Word to PDF converter tool to convert, download and save as a PDF.
Make it editable: You may need to edit your PDF once it has been converted. To do this, you can convert it to an editable PDF on Adobe Acrobat.

Tips for converting a PDF to Google Doc.

Here are some top tips for converting a PDF to Google Doc.

Get the formatting right first. We mentioned at the beginning of this article how important it is to get the formatting right. If you check that it’s correct before converting your PDF to a Google Doc, it can save a lot of time.
Practice the conversion. Try a practice run of converting your PDF to a Google Doc. This will ensure the formatting is correct. If you’re also working to a deadline, this will allow you to check everything is right for the final version.
Don’t delete the original PDF. Once you’ve made the conversion from PDF to Google Doc, don’t delete the original PDF. If you happen to lose or delete the Google Doc, you will still have the original PDF to replace it.