As of July 2018, Google Drive was creeping closer and closer to one billion users.
It makes sense — the online application has multiple capabilities. You can create Slides for a presentation, calculate figures in a Sheet or type away in a Doc. And everyone working on a particular project can edit and contribute, to boot.
But Google Docs isn’t the be-all, end-all when it comes to word processing. So, you want to download your cloud-based creations and make them into a tangible Microsoft Word document.
There’s only one problem — you don’t know how to convert Google Doc to Word. And you’re not alone. The process isn’t quite as intuitive as the rest of the Drive.
Here’s how to do it.
Downloading From Your Google Drive
You’ll find a list of all of your Google files in the Drive. Locate the documents you’d like to download to Word and begin your Google Doc conversion from there.
Search for the Doc you want to download and click on it once you locate it. If you need to convert multiple files, click Ctrl each time you click files on your PC. You can select more than one Doc on a Mac by pressing Command, then clicking.
Once you have your files highlighted, right-click on them. In the menu that appears, you will see an option to download. Once you click, your computer will automatically convert the files for you.
It’s not just Google Docs that will turn into Microsoft Word documents. Downloading a Google Sheet will create an Excel file, while Google Slides become Powerpoints.
Make sure your browser allows for downloads before you get started. That way, nothing gets in the way of you getting the files in the format you need.
Downloading From Google Docs Editor
Perhaps you’ve got an open file on Google Docs. From the text editor interface, you can start converting to Word, too.
It’s quite simple to do. Click the File tab in the upper left-hand corner of the text editor. Then, press the Download As option.
From there, you can choose from several different file types to use when downloading your Google Doc. Of course, Microsoft Word file will be one of your options.
Google Drive will automatically download your Microsoft Word-ready documents as .docx files. If you have an older version of Word, this could render your files unreadable. So, brush up on the difference between .doc and .docx files before you start downloading.
Regardless, this feature can be useful to you in more ways than one. For instance, you can convert Google Docs to PDFs quickly. As such, anything you save to the Drive can become a PDF — a great resource to have, especially because we think PDF is a better format in general.
Downloading All of the Files At Once
The Google Takeout site gives you the ability to back up all of your Google data for your privacy or use elsewhere.
You can use this platform to convert all of your Docs to Microsoft Word Files, too.
Once you log in, you’ll find a list of data available for download. All of the Google-based apps will be selected at first, meaning your browser will download all of your stored info. So, start by clicking Deselect All at the top, so you don’t transfer unneeded files.
You’ll want to find Drive on the list and click to make sure it’s set to download. Then, customize the downloads to make sure they come in the format you need.
Click the button that says Multiple Formats beneath the Drive header. In there, you’ll find .docx to be the default download format for Docs. You can customize the file types for drawings, Slides, Sheets and more under this tab, too.
Once you’re ready, click the Next button at the bottom of the page. From there, you can customize your Takeout service. For instance, you can choose to download your data once a year, or you can make it a routine back-up.
The website will automatically create .zip files from your downloads, or you can opt for .tgz instead. You can pick how big you want the resulting .zip or .tgz to be, ranging from 1 GB to 50GB.
Downloading a File — and Leaving It in Drive as a .docx
Now, once you’ve started downloading Docs as Word files, you might still want access to them through your Google Drive.
Unfortunately, you can’t edit your Word files through your web browser unless you download a web extension.
If you don’t have the extension, you can still keep your Word files close to hand. Once you download them to your computer, re-upload the .docx files to your Drive. That way, you’ll have them stored in the format you need, accessible wherever you may need them.
Your Drive will keep up with the types of files you upload. Anything compatible with Word will be open to download, but you won’t be able to select .docx or another Office-compatible file type. That’s because the site knows that what you have is already Microsoft-ready.
Now You Know — How To Convert Google Doc to Word
The great thing about Google Drive is its user-friendliness. With the above tips, that fact becomes even clearer. It’s simple to download your Docs as Word files, whether you’re in the text editor or browsing your list of files.
Bookmark this page so you can come back any time you forget how to convert Google Doc to Word. And be sure to check back with our blog any time you have questions about Google Drive or any other file type on your PC or Mac.