Using Adobe Acrobat for Google Drive

Adobe Acrobat for Google Drive provides an integrated bundle of PDF services, enabling you to perform various operations on your PDFs. It also supports accessibility features such as read-out-loud functionality, keyboard tabbing, and high-contrast support. With this PDF experience, you can:

  • Open and view PDFs online using Adobe's high-quality web-based PDF previewer.
  • Convert PDFs into editable Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or RTF files while preserving fonts, formatting, and layouts from your mobile device or online.
  • Create Adobe PDFs that preserve fonts, formatting, and layouts. Add password security to the PDF file if necessary.
  • Edit PDFs by adding or removing text or adding images.
  • Manipulate existing PDF documents by deleting, reordering, rotating pages, or splitting a PDF into separate PDFs.
  • Combine multiple Microsoft files and PDFs into a single PDF, and then compress the PDF file size for archiving or distribution purposes.
  • Add comments to PDF files using sticky notes, highlights, and a freehand drawing tool for personal note-taking while viewing the PDFs.

Additionally, the PDF experience supports dark mode, enhancing the visual experience for users.

Supported browsers

The Adobe Acrobat for Google Drive is supported on all modern browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

Alert:

Beginning October 1, 2021, Acrobat tools will no longer support the Microsoft Edge Legacy browser.

Set Adobe Acrobat as the default PDF viewer

  1. In Google Drive, select   > Settings at the top right corner of the window.

  2. In the settings window, select Manage apps.

  3. For Adobe Acrobat for Google Drive app, select Use by default.

    Set Adobe Acrobat for Google Drive as the default app for PDFs

    Adobe Acrobat app is now set as the default app for all PDFs.

Open a PDF file online

Open and view PDFs online with Adobe's high-quality web-based PDF previewer. If you've set Adobe Acrobat as the default app for PDFs, double-click a PDF file to open it. Alternatively, right-click the file, and choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat For Google Drive.

Open PDF

The PDF is displayed in the Adobe Acrobat preview window.

  • Select Tools to use the available Acrobat tools. 
  • Use the floating quick tools menu to annotate your PDF document. 
  • The navigation pane on the right provides options to view comments, bookmarks, page thumbnails, numbers, and more.
  • Select the Desktop button to open the PDF in the desktop application.
Actions on PDF

A. Acrobat Tools - Convert, Edit, Sign, and More B. Quick tools to annotate the PDF C. Document name D. Open in desktop app, search, download, print, and read out loud PDF, get help, account settings E. Navigation pane to view comments, bookmarks, pages, page numbers, previous or next page, rotate clockwise, fullscreen mode, zoom-in, or out options 

Open multiple files

To open multiple files, select the files and double-click. Alternatively, right-click and choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat for Google Drive. The files are displayed as thumbnails in the Adobe Acrobat preview window. Depending on the file type, you can perform various actions from the Tools menu, like Combine files, Convert to PDF, or Request e-signatures.

  • If you open a single non-PDF file, the Tools menu shows the option to Combine files, Request e-signatures and Convert to PDF.
Edit menu options for a single non-PDF file
Acrobat Tools for a single non-PDF file

  • If you open multiple PDF files or non-PDF files, the Tools menu shows the option to Request e-signatures and Combine files.
Open multiple files
Acrobat Tools for multiple non-PDF files

  • If you open a single PDF file, the Tools menu shows all the available tools in the Convert, Edit, Sign and more tools like Compress a PDF, Combine files and Protect a PDF.
Note:

You cannot edit, convert, request e-signatures, or combine files shared with read-only permissions.

Convert a file to PDF

You can convert Google Drive documents into high-quality Adobe PDFs that preserve fonts, formatting, and layouts.

Steps to convert a file to PDF:

  1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat app for Google Drive.

  2. From the Document Cloud preview window, choose Tools Convert to PDF.

    If you have an open file in Adobe Acrobat preview window, selecting Tools > Convert to PDF displays the Google Drive file explorer. Select the file you want to convert to PDF.

    Select file to convert

  3. Sign in to Adobe Acrobat using your Adobe ID and password when prompted.

  4. The file is converted to PDF and saved to your Google Drive document library. Also, a preview of the file is displayed.

Export PDF to various document formats

You can convert PDF files into various document formats.

Adobe Acrobat app performs OCR on PDF files that contain images, vector art, hidden text, or a combination of these elements. This includes PDF files created from scanned documents and text that it can't interpret because of incorrect encoding in the source application.

Note:

OCR is the conversion of images of text (scanned text) into editable characters so that you can search, correct, and copy the text.

Steps to convert PDF:

  1. Select and open the PDF file from your Google Drive document library that you want to export.

  2. From the Adobe Acrobat preview window, choose Tools > Convert, and then select the format you want the PDF file to export to.

  3. Sign in to Adobe Acrobat using your Adobe ID and password when prompted.

  4. In the dialog box that appears, do the following:

    1. Select the desired file format from the Convert to drop-down menu. For example, for PDF to Word selection, the available formats to export to are *.docx, *.doc, or *.rtf.
    2. Select the language of the document you're exporting from the Document language drop-down menu.
  5. Select Convert to [ selected format] button.

  6. The selected PDF file is converted to the desired format with the same name. The converted document is automatically saved to your Google Drive document library.

Edit text and images in a PDF

You can edit text or add images to a PDF file using the Adobe Acrobat app.

Steps to edit text and images in a PDF:

  1. Select the PDF file you want to edit from your Google Drive document library.

  2. Choose Tools > Edit text & images from the Adobe Acrobat preview window. The PDF becomes editable, and the Edit panel opens on the left. If the PDF is generated from a scanned document, the Acrobat app automatically runs OCR to make the text and images editable.

  3. In the edit mode, you can perform the following operations:

Organize pages in a PDF

You can organize an existing PDF document by deleting, reordering, rotating pages, or splitting the PDF into separate PDFs.

Steps to organize pages in a PDF:

  1. Select the PDF file from your Google Drive document library that you want to organize.

  2. From the Adobe Acrobat preview window, choose ToolsEdit, and then select the organize pages tools like Reorder pages, Rotate pages, Delete pages, or Split a PDF.

  3. Sign in to Adobe Acrobat using your Adobe ID and password when prompted.

  4. The Organize Pages toolset appears on the left. Use the + or - button on the bottom right corner of the window to zoom in or zoom out the page thumbnail preview. Do any of the following and select Save changes.

    • Rotate pages left, right, or delete them.
    • To reorder the pages, drag the page thumbnail to the new location. The pages are renumbered.
    • To add pages to your PDF, choose Insert pages, select the + icon where you want to add pages and select the file from file explorer.
    • To create a new PDF of selected pages, choose Extract pages, and then select the pages and then select Extract pages button.
    • To split the file into multiple pages, select Split into multiple files. Select the divider lines to mark the beginning of different files, and then select Split.
    Page thumbnails
    Page-specific commands are displayed when you hover the mouse over a page thumbnail.

  5. To save the changes in the existing file, select Save changes, else select Save a copy. Enter the file name, and select Save. The file is saved back to your Google Drive document library.

Fill and sign documents

To fill and sign PDFs, go to Tools > Fill & Sign. The Fill & Sign tools appear on the left, allowing you to complete form fields and sign as outlined in the following sections.

Send your documents to get signatures

You can get documents signed by others using the Request e-signatures tool, which relies on cloud services provided by Adobe Acrobat Sign. It lets signers quickly sign agreements from anywhere using a web browser or mobile device. Signers are not required to sign up or purchase any Adobe product to sign the agreements.

Note:

Complete your edits before you sign. The signed agreement is certified by Acrobat Sign. Edits to the signed agreement will lose the certification.

Besides PDF, you can send Microsoft Office files, various image files, and text files for signing.

Steps to get your documents signed by others:

  1. Select the file you want to send from your Google Drive document library for e-signature.

  2. From the Adobe Acrobat preview window, choose Tools > Request e-signatures.

  3. Sign in to Adobe Acrobat using your Adobe ID and password when prompted.

  4. In the Send for Signature landing page, do the following, and select Next.

    1. In the To field, add recipient email addresses and names. By default, Complete in Order setting is turned on. Enter the email addresses in the order you want the document to be signed. The numbers by the email addresses reflect the participation order. If you do not want to follow any particular order for signing, toggle the switch to Complete In Any Order.
      (Optional) Select Add Me, if you want to be included as a signer of the document.
    2. Change the default text in the Message area as appropriate.
      (Optional) If you want to add more people just for information, use the Show CC button to add their email addresses to the CC list.
    3. (Optional) Select Password Protect if you require recipients to enter a password to open and view the signed PDF file.
    4. (Optional) Select Set Reminder to set the frequency of reminders to be sent until the agreement is completed.
    Send for signature landing page

  5. A preview of your agreement opens. The form fields are automatically detected in the PDF. Select the icon  to place the detected form fields in the PDF document. Alternatively, drag fields from the tabs in the right pane and drop the fields where desired in the document.

    Note:

    If you have added multiple documents, the documents are converted into PDFs and combined into a single file. The combined file is opened for you to add appropriate fields.

  6. Select Send. A copy of the sent agreement is stored in your Google Drive document library, and a confirmation dialog box is displayed. You can perform the following tasks from the confirmation dialog box:

    •  To save the agreement copy to a different location, select Change Destination Folder. In the Google drive folder explorer, Select the desired folder.
    Select folder

    • To track your sent agreement, select Track Agreement.
    • To send another agreement for signature, select Send Another.
    Note:

    The Change Destination Folder option isn't visible if your role is a Contributor to the shared drive.

Signer's experience

A signer receives an email with a link to sign the agreement. Signers are not required to sign up or purchase any Adobe product to sign agreements. They can sign agreements using a web browser, mobile device, or Acrobat / Acrobat Reader desktop application. To sign the agreement, select Review and Sign.

Email received by signer

Track agreements sent for signature

When you send an agreement for signature, a copy of the agreement is stored in your Google Drive document library. Depending on the agreement status, a suffix (in-progress-Acrobat Sign), (completed-Acrobat Sign), (failed-Acrobat Sign), or (expired-Acrobat Sign) is added to the agreement's name.

Sent agreement status in Google Drive

To track all the agreements sent for signature, do one of the following:

  • From your profile icon at the top right corner, Select Go to Acrobat web. In Acrobat online home page, select Agreements.
  • From the sent agreement confirmation dialog box, select Track Agreement. The agreement details page is displayed. To view all agreements, select Manage Agreement. The Acrobat Sign Manage dashboard is displayed with all your agreements.

Compress a PDF file size

Use the Compress PDF tool to reduce the size of your PDF file. The size of the file is optimized by removing embedded fonts, compressing images, and removing items from the file that are no longer needed.

  1. Select the PDF file you want to compress from your Google Drive document library.

  2. From the Adobe Acrobat preview window, select Tools > MoreCompress a PDF.

  3. In the Compress PDF dialog box, choose the compression level as per the desired size and quality and select Compress.

    Compress PDF

    The PDF file is compressed and saved to your Google Drive document library.

Combine files to PDF

Steps to combine files into a PDF:

  1. Select the files you want to combine from your Google Drive document library. 

  2. From the Adobe Acrobat preview window, choose Tools Combine files.

  3. Sign in to Adobe Acrobat using your Adobe ID and password when prompted.

  4. A preview of the files is displayed. From the Tools pane on the left, you can perform the following operations:

    • Add files: Select to add and then select the + icon next to the desired PDF thumbnail. Choose your file from the Google Drive explorer window.
    • Page options: Rotate clockwise, anticlockwise, or delete the file.
    • Name your file. 
    From the navigation pane on the right, you can arrange the files in Grid view or List view. You can also use the + or - button on the bottom right corner of the window to zoom in or zoom out the thumbnail preview.
  5. From the Tools pane, select Combine. The files are combined into a PDF and saved to your Google Drive document library. Also, a preview of the file is displayed.

Protect a PDF

Use the Protect PDF tool to add password security to a PDF. After the password is set, users must provide the password to view the PDF.

  1. Select the PDF file you want to protect from your Google Drive document library.

  2. From the Adobe Acrobat preview window, select Tools > MoreProtect a PDF.

  3. In the Protect PDF dialog box, type the password in the Set Password field, and confirm the same in the respective field. For each keystroke, the password strength meter evaluates your password and indicates the password strength. Select Set Password.

    Type your password, confirm, and then click Set Password

  4. Your PDF is password protected and saved to your Google Drive document library. In the preview window, enter the password in the prompt to view the PDF.

Add comments to a PDF

Use the Adobe Acrobat commenting features to write notes to yourself as you view or read documents. You can add comments to your PDF files with text comments, sticky notes, highlights, or the drawing tool. To add comments, do the following:

Note:
  • When two users view the same PDF simultaneously, adding comments to a PDF will prompt the other user to refresh the page to get the latest version of the PDF.
  • You cannot add comments or edit PDF files that are secure, protected, or read-only. The commenting and edit buttons are hidden for such files.
  • You cannot add comments to PDF files from mobile devices using browsers.
  • The comment pane is visible in the right if you add a sticky note comment, select any existing comment, or open any file with existing comments.
  1. Select the PDF file that you want to comment on from your Google Drive document library.

  2. In the quick tools bar, select the desired annotation tool and choose where you want to place the note. The following comment types are available for use:

    • Add comments like sticky note or text comment.
    • Highlight, Underline, or Strikethrough text.
    • Draw freehand.
    Note:

    When you use Add Text annotation, the same text is posted as a comment, and appears in the comment pane.

    Add comments
    Add comments or text comment

    Highlight, Underline, Strikethrough
    Highlight, Underline, Strikethrough

    Draw freehand
    Draw freehand

    When you select any text in the PDF, additional commenting tools are available for use - Add comments, Highlight selected text, Strikethrough selected text, Underline selected text, Copy text.

    Note:

    If you're logged in, and your subscription includes access to the Edit tool, you'll also see the Edit text option.

    Additional tools when you select text in a PDF

    A. Add comments B. Highlight text C. Underline text D. Strikethrough text E. Copy text 

    Adobe Acrobat autosaves the PDF.

Change the look of your comments

To change the color of your comments, do the following:

  1. Select the comment. A pop-up window appears.

    Change the color of the comment

    Note:

    Similarly, you can choose and change the line thickness of the Drawing Tool annotation, and adjust the font size of the Add Text annotation.

  2. Select the color to open the color panel and choose your desired color.

Undo or redo changes

  • To undo changes, select the undo undo.pngicon on the toolbar.
  • To redo changes, select the redo redo.pngicon on the toolbar.

Edit comments, delete comments, or erase drawing

To edit a comment, do the following:

  • Select the comment. The comments pane is displayed on the right. From the options (...) menu, select Edit.
  • To edit the Add Text annotation, select the text comment, and type to make your changes.

To delete comments, select the comment and do one of the following:

  • The comments pane is displayed on the right. From the options (...) menu, select Delete.
  • From the pop-up window, select the delete icon.

To erase drawing comments, do the following:

  • Select the Erase drawing tool from the toolbar, and drag over the parts of the drawing you want to erase.

Support for shared drives

Adobe Acrobat for Google Drive is supported in shared drives as well. The actions available to you using the Document Cloud integration for files in shared drives depend on your access level assigned by the G Suite admin.

For more information on shared drives and assigning user roles in G Suite, see G Suite Admin Help.

Frequently asked questions

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