Are you struggling with links and permissions on Google Docs? Have you ever wondered how to download a Google doc instead of using links to share it?
It might’ve occurred to you that it’d be more convenient to simply download anything you create in Google Drive and send it via email or another service. This way, you don’t need to worry if you’ve set permissions to view, edit, share, or if you’ve given it to the right people.
And you’re not the only one. Many Google Doc users prefer downloading their documents to a device because sending attachments is simpler than sharing links and may involve fewer mistakes. In addition, you can use the docs in other programs while offline.
But how can you do it?
Luckily, it’s quite a straightforward procedure. This article will teach you to download a Google doc and choose the appropriate format for it.
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How to Download a Google Doc: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Are you tired of sharing links and keeping your docs on a cloud? Here’s a complete guide to how you can download all your Google docs and save them on your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
You can download different types of files from Google Drive, like documents, presentations, forms, and spreadsheets, on both your computer and mobile devices. If you need to download a Google doc, here are the instructions to follow:
- Go to Google Docs and open the file you want to download. Note that you don’t need to take any particular action to save the changes while online – anything you type is automatically saved to the document. But once you download the document, you’ll need to edit it and make sure you save the changes.
- Navigate to the top of the window and click on File.
- Choose Download as from the menu and pick the desired format you’d like to download your file in. Usually, a Word document or a PDF file is suitable for most document types. If you require further modifications, the Word document is easily editable. To edit your PDF file, you can use the AI tools available.
Download a Google Doc to a Mobile Device
If you’re using a mobile device, go to your Google Docs or Google Drive app and find the desired file. Open it and tap the three dots to see the “More” menu. From there, select the Download option. The document will be downloaded to your mobile device in PDF format. If you need it as a Word document, you’ll need to convert it.
If you’re having trouble downloading the document, make sure you’ve given the Google Docs and Google Drive app all the necessary permissions.
Be aware that if you have an iOS device, you can’t download the docs from the app directly to your iPhone or iPad. What you can do is enable the option that allows you offline access to your docs. You will then be able to access them even when you don’t have an internet connection.
Download a Doc from Google Drive
If you keep your Google docs on your Drive cloud, you don’t need to open a file to download it. There are several ways to do it faster, and you can apply the instructions when downloading a Google Sheet or Google Slide as well.
- Open your Drive and select the file you’d like to download.
- Right-click the file and choose Download from the menu that’ll appear.
These steps go for your documents. Sometimes, you’ll be able to download other users’ documents if they’ve allowed it. In case you can’t download a file, it probably means the owner has removed your permissions.
Available Formats
Other than the standard formats that we’ve mentioned in previous sections – a Word file and PDF document – you can download your Google doc in several formats. These are OpenDocument Format, Rich Text Format, Plain Text, Web Page, and EPUB.
Exporting Google Docs and Other Files
Another way to copy your files to a computer, especially if you need to download a whole bunch, is to export your entire Google Drive folder. The export will include text documents, bookmarks, drawings, comments within your documents, revisions, images, and more.
- Go to the Google Takeout page after you’ve made sure you’re logged in to your Google account.
- Select any type of data you want to download, including Google docs.
- Choose the file type, how often you want to export the data, and to which folder on your computer.
- Click on Create export and wait for it to finish. It may take a while if you’re downloading a lot of data.
Keep Your Google Docs Anywhere
You can access any Google Docs file online if you have permission to view it. And, if you’ve created it or the owner allowed you to, you can also download it to your computer or mobile device in a few simple steps.
Unless you have an iOS device, but in that case, you can enable offline access to the doc and keep editing it even without an internet connection.
Hopefully, you have a better understanding of how to download a Google doc now. What’s more, the instructions are applicable to all formats available on any Google service.
