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Share PDF versions of Google Drive files without manually converting them

You can do a lot with PDF documents in Google Drive. 10 Tips to do more with your PDF files in Google Drive. 10 Tips to do more with your PDF files in Google Drive. From managing your files to collaborating on Docs, Drive is a complete office suite. What many people don't realize is its ability to do much more than just view PDF files. Read More But did you know that you can also directly share the PDF versions of your files ? You don't need to convert each document to PDF by hand every time.

There are clear benefits to taking the PDF-direct approach when sharing:

  • There is no need to store multiple PDF versions of the same file.
  • You don't have to re-download and share the PDF version every time you make a small change to the source document. Anyone with the PDF link will always get the latest version to download.
  • Collaborators can view the file on any device (a clear advantage of the PDF format What is a PDF file and why do we still trust them? What is a PDF file and why do we still trust them? two decades. Let's find out how they came about, how they work, and why they're so popular years later (read more).
  • Save space in your Google Drive folder. Large PDF files eat up space!

Obviously, automatic document to PDF conversion works best for files you want to share for viewing rather than editing.

Share PDF versions of Google Drive files without manually converting them

  1. Select the document you want to share..
  2. Click the Share icon in the upper right.
  3. Enter the names or email addresses of the people you want to share the document with.
  4. Choose the permission level (edit, comment, view) you want to grant.
  5. Click Copy link in the share box. Paste the link in your email.
  6. After pasting the link, change the end of the URL before submitting. Wrap the end of the URL, replacing edit? usp =share with export? format =pdf

For example:

  • Before:
    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IGHN4OvZ0ezyzxTizLViJ3HMYiVjfU1eV7c9QIWXxL8/editar? usp = compartir
  • After:
    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IGHN4OvZ0ezyzxTizLViJ3HMYiVjfU1eV7c9QIWXxL8/exportar? format = pdf

Send the modified PDF link. Anyone with the link can click it to directly download the PDF version of the file. It's always a good idea to mention that you're submitting a PDF document for direct download.

Have you tried this more direct way to send a PDF file through Google Drive before? What's your favorite collaboration tip?