Using Adobe Document Cloud for Google Drive

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Adobe Document Cloud for Google Drive is an integrated bundle of PDF services that allows you to do the following:

  • Open and view PDFs online with Adobe’s high-quality web-based PDF previewer.
  • Create Adobe PDFs that preserve fonts, formatting, and layouts.
  • Manipulate existing PDF documents by deleting, reordering, or rotating pages in a PDF.
  • Combine multiple files from Google Drive into a single PDF that you can use for archiving or distribution.
  • Convert PDFs into various document formats while preserving fonts, formatting, and layouts.
  • Add comments to PDF files with sticky notes, highlights, and a freehand drawing tool to write notes for yourself as you view the PDF files.
  • Send the PDF documents for signature and track them.

Supported browsers

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

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

Open PDF

Open and view PDFs online with Adobe's high-quality web-based PDF previewer. To open a PDF, right-click the file, and choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat For Google Drive.

Open PDF

The PDF is displayed in the Adobe Document Cloud preview window. From the top menu, you can add annotations, search for words, download PDF, print PDF, and edit PDF to organize pages, combine files, export PDF to other formats, send your document for signature, and convert to PDF.

Actions on PDF

A. Undo or redo changes B. Add annotations - Add text comment, add sticky note, highlight tool, and use drawing tool C. Erase drawing D. Find in document E. Download PDF, print PDF, or share feedback F. Edit to organize pages, combine files, export PDF, send for signature, and convert to PDF 

Open multiple files

To open multiple files, select the files, right-click, and choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat For Google Drive. The files are displayed as thumbnails in the Document Cloud Preview window. From the Edit menu, you can perform various actions like, Organize Pages, Combine Files, Export PDF, Convert to PDF or Send For Signature depending on the type of file.

  • If you open a single non-PDF file, the Edit menu shows the option to Combine Files, Convert to PDF and Send for Signature.
Edit menu options for a single non-PDF file
The Edit menu options for a single non-PDF file

  • If you open multiple PDF files or non-PDF files, the Edit menu shows the option to Combine Files and Send for Signature.
Open multiple files
The Edit menu options for multiple non-PDF files

  • If you open a single PDF file, the Edit menu shows all the available options like Organize Pages, Combine Files, Export PDF, Convert to PDF and Send for Signature.
Note:

You cannot perform actions such as Export PDF, Convert to PDF, Organize PDF, or Send For Signature for files shared with read-only permissions. You cannot combine files with read-only permissions with other files.

Convert a file to PDF

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

The extension lets you convert from the following popular file types to PDF:

Convert to PDF from Supported filename extensions
Microsoft Word .doc, .docx
Microsoft Excel .xls, .xlsx
Microsoft PowerPoint .ppt, .pptx
Image file formats .bmp, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tif, .tiff
Rich Text Format .rtf
Text file .txt, .text
Adobe Illustrator .ai
Adobe InDesign .indd
Adobe Photoshop .psd
Fill & Sign Form Format .form

Steps to convert a file to PDF:

  1. Right-click the file you want to convert to PDF, and choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat For Google Drive.

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

    Convert to PDF

    If you have opened a PDF file in Document Cloud preview window, clicking Edit > Convert to PDF displays the Google Drive file explorer. Select the file you want to convert to PDF and then click Select.

    Select file to convert

  3. You may be prompted to sign in to Adobe Document Cloud. Sign in with your Adobe ID and password. 

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

    Note:

    For a file/folder owner, if you have selected a file to convert from a shared folder in your Google Drive, the converted PDF file is saved to the same shared folder. For a non-owner, the converted PDF file is saved to the home location of the Google Drive document library. 

Combine files to PDF

The extension lets you convert from the following popular file types to PDF:

Convert to PDF from Supported filename extensions
Microsoft Word .doc, .docx
Microsoft Excel .xls, .xlsx
Microsoft PowerPoint .ppt, .pptx
Image file formats .bmp, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tif, .tiff
Rich Text Format .rtf
Text file .txt, .text
Adobe Illustrator .ai
Adobe InDesign .indd
Adobe Photoshop .psd
Fill & Sign Form Format .form

Steps to combine files into a PDF:

  1. From your Google Drive document library, select the files that you want to combine, right-click, and choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat For Google Drive.

  2. From the Document Cloud preview window, choose Edit > Combine Files.

    Combine files to PDF

  3. You may be prompted to sign in to Adobe Document Cloud. Sign in with your Adobe ID and password. 

  4. A preview of the files is displayed. Use the options below the Combine button to 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. To add more files, click the Insert Files button.

    Add files to combine

    Choose files from the Google Drive file explorer window, and click Select.

    Google Drive explorer window
    Choose files from the Google Drive file explorer window

    To delete the files, select the file and click the delete  icon. Enter the new file name and click Combine.

    (Optional) If a file has multiple pages, the page numbers are displayed below the file. Hover over the file and click the expand arrow button to expand it. Use drag-and-drop to change the page order in which you want it to appear in the combined PDF.

    The files are combined into a PDF and saved back to your Google Drive document library. Also, a preview of the file is displayed.

    Note:

    For a file/folder owner, if you have selected a file to combine from a shared folder in your Google Drive, the combined PDF file is saved to the same shared folder. For a non-owner, the combined PDF file is saved to the home location of the Google Drive document library. 

Export PDF to various document formats

You can convert PDF files into various document formats.

Adobe PDF extension performs OCR on PDF files that contain images, vector art, hidden text, or a combination of these elements. For example, the extension performs OCR on PDF files created from scanned documents. The extension also performs OCR on the text that it can't interpret because the text was encoded incorrectly 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.

The extension lets you export to the following file types from PDF:

Export PDF to

Supported filename extensions

Microsoft Word

.doc, .docx

Microsoft Excel

.xlsx

Microsoft PowerPoint

.pptx

Rich Text Format

.rtf

Image

.jpg, .tiff, .png

Steps to export PDF:

  1. From your Google Drive document library, select the PDF file that you want to export, right-click, and choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat For Google Drive.

  2. From the Document Cloud preview window, choose Edit > Export PDF in the toolbar.

    Convert a PDF to Google document, slides, presentation

  3. You may be prompted to sign in to Adobe Document Cloud. Sign in with your Adobe ID and password. 

  4. The Export PDF page is displayed. Do the following:

    1. Select the desired file format from the Export To drop-down menu.
    2. Select the language of the document you're exporting from the Document Language drop-down menu.
    Export PDF to other formats, select language

  5. Click Export to [ selected format] button.

    (For example, in the screenshot in step 4 above, the button's name is displayed as Export to docx.)

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

    Note:

    For a file/folder owner, if you have selected a file to export from a shared folder in your Google Drive, the exported PDF file is saved to the same shared folder. For a non-owner, the exported PDF file is saved to the home location of the Google Drive document library. 

Organize pages in a PDF

You can organize existing PDF documents by deleting, reordering, or rotating its pages.

Steps to organize pages in a PDF:

  1. From your Google Drive document library, select the PDF file that you want to organize, right-click, and choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat For Google Drive.

  2. From the Document Cloud preview window, choose Edit > Organize Pages in the toolbar.

    Delete, insert, extract, or rotate pages

  3. You may be prompted to sign in to Adobe Document Cloud. Sign in with your Adobe ID and password. 

    The Organize Pages window is displayed. It shows the page thumbnails of the selected PDF. Use the + or - button on the bottom right corner of the window to zoom in or zoom out the thumbnail preview.

    Page thumbnails
    Page-specific commands are displayed when you hover the mouse over a page thumbnail.

  4. To insert a file, click the insert  icon, choose the location where you want to insert the pages, and then choose the file you want to insert.

    Insert files

    To extract pages, click the extract  icon, and then choose the pages you want to extract from your PDF.

    Extract pages from your PDF

  5. To delete pages, do the following:

    • To delete a single page, hover the mouse on the page thumbnail and then click the delete icon  displayed in the page thumbnail view.
    • To delete multiple pages, select the pages you want to delete, and click the delete icon  displayed in the toolbar.

  6. To rotate pages, do the following:

    • To rotate a single page, mouse over the page thumbnail and then click the Rotate Left or Rotate Right icons displayed in the page thumbnail view.
    • To rotate multiple pages, select the pages and click the Rotate Left or Rotate Right icons displayed in the toolbar.

  7. To reorder the pages, drag the page thumbnail to the new location. The pages are renumbered.

  8. To save the changes in the existing file, click Save. Enter the file name, and click Save. The file is saved back to your Google Drive document library.

    Note:

    For a file/folder owner, if you have selected a file to organize from a shared folder in your Google Drive, the organized file is saved to the same shared folder. For a non-owner, the organized file is saved to the home location of the Google Drive document library. 

Send your documents to get signatures

You can get documents signed by others using the Send For Signature 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.

Supported file types for signing

Besides PDF, you can send Microsoft Office files, various image files, and text files for signing. Supported file types are: DOC, DOCX, RTF, XLS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX, TXT, TIFF, TIF, BMP, GIF, JPG, JPEG, and PNG.

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

Steps to get your documents signed by others:

  1. From your Google Drive document library, select the file that you want to send for signature, right-click, and choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat For Google Drive.

  2. From the Document Cloud preview window, choose Edit > Send For Signature in the toolbar.

    Send your PDF documents for signature

  3. You may be prompted to sign in to Adobe Document Cloud. Sign in with your Adobe ID and password. 

  4. In the Send for Signature landing page, do the following:

    1. In the To field, add recipient email addresses. 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) Click 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.
    5. (Optional) Select Preview and Add Signature Fields to see the preview of your agreement and add relevant text fields, or signature fields. Click Next.
      The form fields are automatically detected in the PDF. Click 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.
    Send for signature landing page

  5. Click Send.

    Agreement sent

    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, click Change Destination Folder. In the Google drive folder explorer, choose the desired folder, and click Select.
    Select folder

    • To track your sent agreement, click Track Agreement.
    • To send another agreement for signature, click Send Another.
    Note:
    • For a file/folder owner, if you have selected a document to send for signature from a shared folder in your Google Drive, the copy of the sent agreement is saved to the same shared folder of your Google Drive document library. For a non-owner, the copy of the sent agreement is saved to the home location of your Google Drive document library.
    • The Change Destination Folder option is not visible if your role is that of a Contributor in 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 DC / Acrobat Reader DC desktop application. To sign the agreement, click 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 the Document Cloud preview window, choose Edit > Send For Signature > View All Agreements. The Acrobat Sign Manage dashboard is displayed with all your agreements.
View all agreements

Manage agreements
The Acrobat Sign manage dashboard

  • From the sent agreement confirmation dialog box, click Track Agreement. The agreement details page is displayed. To view all agreements, click Manage Agreement. The Acrobat Sign Manage dashboard is displayed with all your agreements.
Track agreements sent for signature

View agreement details
View agreement details

Add comments to a PDF

Use the Document Cloud 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, click on any existing comment, or open any file with existing comments.

  1. From your Google Drive document library, select the PDF file that you want to comment, right-click, and choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat For Google Drive.

  2. In the toolbar, click to select the desired annotation tool and click at the location where you want to place the note. The following comment types are available for use:

    • Text comment: Click and type where you want to add text in the PDF.
    • Sticky Note: Click at the location where you want to place a note.
    • Highlight Text: Select the text to highlight it.
    • Drawing Tool: Use it to add mark-ups in the PDF.
    Note:

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

    Add comments to PDF

    A. Add Text Comment B. Add Sticky Note C. Highlight Text D. Use Drawing Tool 

    When you select any text in the PDF, the following extra commenting tools are available for use:

    • Strikethrough Text: Strike-through the selected text.
    • Underline Text: Underline the selected text.
    Additional tools when you select text in a PDF

    A. Highlight Text B. Strikethrough Text C. Underline Text D. Copy Text 

  3. For annotations like Text Comment, Highlight Text, Drawing Tool, Strikethrough Text, and Underline Text, the comments are added instantly to the document. For a Sticky Note annotation, the comment pane is displayed in the right. Type your comment, and click Post.

  4. Document Cloud autosaves the PDF in 30 seconds. To save the PDF immediately, click Save in the toolbar.

    Note:

    For a file/folder owner, if you are commenting on a PDF file from a shared folder in your Google Drive, the  file is saved to the same shared folder. For a non-owner, the PDF file is saved to the home location of the Google Drive document library. 

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. Click the color to open the color panel.

  3. Select the desired color, and click Save.

Undo or redo changes

Undo and redo tool

  • To undo changes, click the undo undo.pngicon on the toolbar.
  • To redo changes, click 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 in the right. From the options (...) menu, click 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 in the right. From the options (...) menu, click Delete.
  • From the pop-up window, click the delete icon.
Delete comment

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.
Erase drawing tool

Support for shared drives

Adobe Document Cloud 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

To use a different Google account, do the following:

  1. Click the Google Apps () icon and choose Adobe Acrobat. If you do not see the Adobe Acrobat app, click More to expand the list.
  2. The Adobe Acrobat for Google Drive welcome window is displayed.
  3. Click Select Google Drive File, and then choose your account to sign in to use the Adobe Acrobat for Google Drive app.
Adobe Acrobat for Google Drive welcome page

If you have not purchased Adobe Acrobat subscription, you see a message "Your current plan does not support premium tools", when you perform any action on the PDF. Do the following to purchase the available Adobe Acrobat plans:

  1. In the Adobe Acrobat preview window, click Edit, and then click View Plans.

    View plans to purchase

  2. A new browser tab opens listing the available plans. Choose the desired plan, and follow the on-screen instructions to purchase.

  3. Go back to the PDF preview tab in Step 1. Click Verify.

    Verify your purchased plan

    After your account is verified you can use the available tools.

Disable the pop-up blocker for Adobe Document Cloud extension or add it to the exceptions list in Safari and Firefox browser.

Firefox

  1. Click the menu button Fx57Menu and select Options.
  2. Select the Privacy & Security tab.
  3. Under the Permissions section, do one of the following:
    • Uncheck the box next to Block pop-up windows to disable the pop-up blocker altogether.
    • Click Exceptions. A dialog box displays a list of sites that you want to allow to display pop-ups. Add the following servers and click Allow, and then click Save Changes.
      • https://documentcloud.adobe.com

Safari

  1. From the Safari menu bar, choose Safari > Preferences and then click Extensions.
  2. Select Pop-Up Windows in the left pane. Click Allow for Adobe Document Cloud extension.

Configure your browser by adding Adobe and Google web entries to the trusted sites zone.

  1. Open the Control Panel and double-click Internet Options.
  2. Click the Security tab in the Internet Properties dialog box.
  3. Click Trusted Sites > Sites.
  4. Add the below addresses to the Trusted Zone if it is not already added.
    *.adobe.com
    *.google.com
  5.  Close the Trusted Sites dialog box. Click OK.

Note the alphanumeric session ID in the error message. Contact Support and provide the session ID. The session ID helps track and find the root cause of the issue.

Note the session ID of the error

File name formats mentioned below are not allowed:

  • The special directory names "." and ".."
  • File names or files with the following extensions: CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM0, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, COM8, COM9, LPT0, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, and LPT9.
  • File names ending with a space or period.
  • File names beginning with a period.

If you are a Content Manager of a shared drive, you can change the location of an agreement only within your assigned shared drive.

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