How to convert Word to Google Doc

Need to know how to convert Word to Google Doc?

The short answer is that, by using the Google Drive app, you can upload Word documents from your device and save them as Google Docs. 

Why would you need to know how to convert Word to a Google Doc?

Google Workspace provides tools to aid productivity, create secure storage, and support collaboration, so it’s no wonder Google Docs is widely used by amateurs, professionals, and teams alike.

To help you, we’ve created a step-by-step guide on how to convert Word documents to Google Docs, covering:

• Desktop
• Mobile
• How PandaDoc document management software can help 

How to convert a Word document to a Google Doc: A guide

Using Google Workspace, tasks like co-editing documents and adding a signature to a Google Doc are super simple.

This makes knowing how to open a Word document in Google and how to turn it into a Google Doc handy skills for document management.

Here’s how to convert a Word document from your desktop. 

Desktop

You can use Google Docs on your desktop to convert Word files into your preferred format. To do this:

1. Open your web browser and navigate to drive.google.com. Sign in to your Google account or create one if you haven’t already. 

2. Click the “New” button in the top left corner of the screen. In the drop-down menu, click “File upload”.

In the browser window, navigate to the file you wish to convert and either double-click or click “Open”. 

3. Your Word document will be uploaded to your Google Drive. In the bottom right corner of your web browser, a pop-up will appear saying “1 upload complete” with the name of your file. You can click directly on the filename to open the document in Google Docs.

4. Alternatively, if you want to access the file at a later date and the pop-up is gone, you’ll have to navigate to where the Word document is stored on your Google Drive. From here, right-click on it, hover your cursor over “Open with”, and select “Google Docs”. In a new browser tab or window, your document will open in its original file format (.doc, .docx, etc.).

5. Click “File”. In the drop-down menu, select “Save as Google Docs”. Another browser tab or window will open, this time with your document converted into a Google Doc format. This document will be automatically saved to your Google Drive.

Mobile

Knowing how to manage documents on mobile is also useful.

1. On your smart device, open your Google Drive app. In the bottom right corner of your screen, you’ll see a “+” icon. Press it.

2. Select “Upload”. This will open your device’s storage browser.

3. Navigate to the Word document you want to open and select it (you can also batch-select files to upload multiple documents if you wish). Press “Done”. This will upload the Word document to your Google Drive.

Locate the newly uploaded Word document. You’ll notice that the icon beside the file is a “W” and not the usual Google Docs icon. Press on the file to open it in Google Docs.

4. Press the three-dot icon in the top right corner of the screen. Press “Share and export”. Press “Save as”.

From the list of options, select Google Docs.

This will create a copy of the Word document as a Google Docs file and save it to your Google Drive.

Convert files in Word to Google Docs with ease

Google Docs is a great collaborative tool for everything from co-editing documents to sharing a folder in Google Drive. 

The ability to convert Word documents into Google Docs is important when collaborating, working with multiple file formats, or accessing documents across a variety of devices.

To simplify your document management even further, PandaDoc can help.

Our document management software lets you convert documents into various formats and integrate with Google Workspace and Microsoft Word for seamless document management. 

Why not sign up for a free 14-day trial today?