---
title: "Open Google Drive files with PDFBetter"
description: "Right-click a PDF, Google Doc or Office file in Google Drive and choose Open with → PDFBetter to edit, fill or sign it, then save the PDF back to Drive."
url: https://help.pdfbetter.com/automation/open-from-google-drive/
collection: "Workflows & integrations"
section: "Google Drive"
updated: 2026-10-28
publisher: "PDFBetter (AI Generated Inc.)"
---

# Open Google Drive files with PDFBetter

> Install PDFBetter from the Google Workspace Marketplace, or connect Google Drive in **Settings** → **Integrations**. Then right-click a file in Drive and choose **Open with** → **PDFBetter**. Your original file in Drive isn't changed.

- Counts toward: Edited-document downloads, Office & advanced conversions

Do it in PDFBetter: https://pdfbetter.com/app/settings/integrations/

## Set it up once

1. **Add PDFBetter to Google Drive**: Install it from the [Google Workspace Marketplace](https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/pdfbetter/993763678234) ([step by step](https://help.pdfbetter.com/automation/install-from-google-workspace-marketplace/)), or in PDFBetter click **Settings** at the bottom of the sidebar, then **Integrations** → **Connect Google Drive**. Either way, PDFBetter joins Drive's **Open with** menu.
2. **Reload Google Drive**: If Drive was already open in another tab, reload it so the menu picks up PDFBetter.

## Open a file

1. **Right-click the file**: In Google Drive on the web, right-click a file. To open several, select them first (up to 20), then right-click one of them.
2. **Choose Open with → PDFBetter**: PDFBetter opens in a new tab and shows **Opening your file from Google Drive…** while it brings the file in.
3. **Work on it**: One file opens straight in the editor. Several are listed under **Opened … files**; click one to open it. Each file is now a document in your PDFBetter account.

## What opens, and how

| File in Drive | In PDFBetter |
| --- | --- |
| PDF | Opens as it is. |
| Google Docs, Sheets, Slides or Drawings | Google turns it into a PDF, and that PDF copy opens. |
| Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OpenDocument text, RTF, TXT or CSV | Converted to PDF on PDFBetter's servers, like an upload. Uses one of your monthly conversions. |
| PNG or JPG image | Becomes a one-page PDF sized to the image. |

## The first time

The first time you use **Open with**, PDFBetter asks you to log in, or to create a free account if you're using it as a guest. If Google Drive isn't connected yet, Google's permission screen opens next with your Drive account already chosen: keep the Google Drive permission ticked and continue. You come straight back and the file opens. After that, files open without these steps.

## Shared drives and shared files

Files in shared drives, files shared with you and files shared by link open the same way, as long as your Google account can view them. PDFBetter works on a copy, so you don't need edit access to the file in Drive.

## Save it back to Drive

In the editor, choose **Done** → **Save to Google Drive**. The PDF goes to the folder you chose in **Settings** → **Integrations**, or to a **PDFBetter** folder in My Drive if you haven't chosen one. It's a new file next to your original, never a replacement, and it counts as a download. [More ways to save to Drive](https://help.pdfbetter.com/automation/google-drive-import-save/).

> **Note:** PDFBetter can only see the files you open with it, pick in Google's file picker, or save from it. [What PDFBetter can access in Drive](https://help.pdfbetter.com/automation/google-drive-access-disconnect/).

| Per month | No account | Free | Pro | Business |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Edited-document downloads | — | 3 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Office & advanced conversions | 2 | 10 | 500 | 2,000 |

"Unlimited" is subject to fair use; "—" means not included.

### Does it work in the Google Drive mobile app?

No. **Open with** → **PDFBetter** works in Google Drive in a web browser. In PDFBetter itself you can also bring files in with **New** → **Import from Google Drive**.

### Do my edits change the file in Drive?

No. PDFBetter edits its own copy. Saving to Drive adds a new PDF; the file you opened stays as it was.

### How many files can I open at once?

Up to 20. Each becomes its own document, and any file that couldn't open is listed with the reason.

## Related articles

- [Import from and save to Google Drive](https://help.pdfbetter.com/automation/google-drive-import-save.md): Click Connect Google Drive in Settings → Integrations. Then use New → Import from Google Drive to bring files in, and Save to Google Drive (editor Done menu or a document's menu) to send PDFs back.
- [Install PDFBetter from the Google Workspace Marketplace](https://help.pdfbetter.com/automation/install-from-google-workspace-marketplace.md): Open PDFBetter on the Google Workspace Marketplace, click Install and allow access. Admins can click Admin install to add it for everyone or for chosen groups. Then right-click a file in Drive → Open with → PDFBetter.
- [What PDFBetter can access in Google Drive, and how to disconnect](https://help.pdfbetter.com/automation/google-drive-access-disconnect.md): PDFBetter sees only the Drive files you open with it, pick in Google's file picker, or save from PDFBetter, and nothing else in your Drive. To stop its access, click Disconnect under Google Drive in Settings → Integrations.
- [PDFBetter isn't in Google Drive's Open with menu, or a file won't open](https://help.pdfbetter.com/troubleshooting/google-drive-open-with-problems.md): Install PDFBetter from the Google Workspace Marketplace or connect Google Drive in Settings → Integrations, then reload Drive. On Google's screen, keep the Google Drive permission ticked. Files over your plan's size limit (10 MB on Free) don't open.
- [Upload fails or stalls, and file size and page limits](https://help.pdfbetter.com/troubleshooting/upload-fails-file-size-limits.md): Most failed uploads are a dropped connection: click Retry in the Uploads tray. If the message says the file is too large or has too many pages, you've hit your plan's limit: 10 MB and 500 pages per document on Free.

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Source: https://help.pdfbetter.com/automation/open-from-google-drive/ · PDFBetter Help Center · Last checked against the product 2026-10-28. Questions: support@pdfbetter.com