Quick Links

Key Takeaways

  • Easily import Word documents into Google Docs by uploading the file to Google Drive and opening it with Google Docs. It works well, but some advanced features may not be supported.
  • Drag and drop a file from your computer directly into the web browser for an easy upload to Google Drive.
  • After editing, share the document with others or download it back into a Microsoft Word (DOCX) format. You can also download it in PDF, ODT, TXT, or other formats.

Someone send you a Word document, but you don't have Word? Giving up on Word and making the change to Google Docs? No problem; Google Docs lets you easily import Word documents. And while it might not support some of the more advanced features and formatting of some Word documents, it works pretty well.

How to Import a Word Document into Google Docs

To view a Word document on Google Docs, you must first upload the file to your Google Drive. Open Google Drive, then click "New."

Click the "New" button in the upper left corner.

Click "File Upload" to select your Word Doc, or any other file.

Click "File Upload" to select your Word doc.

Navigate to your file(s) and then click "Open."

Select the file by clicking on it, then click "Open" to upload the file.

Alternatively, you can drag and drop a file from your computer directly into the web browser for an easy upload.

Drag and drop the Word Doc into the Google Drive folder you want.

Once your file uploads, right-click it, point to "Open With" on the context menu, and then select "Google Docs."

Right-click the Word doc, mouse over "Open With," then select "Google Docs."

Google then converts your Word document into a Google Docs file.

After you've finished editing your file, you can either share it with others or download and export your document back into a Microsoft Word format by going to File > Download As and then clicking the "Microsoft Word" option.

Navigate to File > Download > Microsoft word (.docx)

If you'd rather download your document in PDF, ODT, TXT, or other formats, you can do that too.

Other file format options.

The file is then downloaded to the browser's default download folder.