When Google discontinued Cloud Print earlier this year, it also meant that you could no longer easily save PDFs to Google Drive for later access or printing. However, there is an official Google Chrome extension to bring the functionality back to the desktop version of Chrome. In this article, we will show you the steps to get the extension and use the feature.
Get ‘Save to Google Drive’ for PDFs in Google Chrome
Using the Save to Google Drive extension on desktop
1. Install Save to Google Drive extension From the Chrome Web Store. After the installation is complete, a new option ‘Save to Google Drive’ in the print interface. You can access the printing interface using the keyboard shortcut ‘Ctrl+P’ or from the list of options that appear after clicking the three dots menu in the upper right corner.
2. From the print destination, click ‘see more’ and select the new option that says ‘Save to Google Drive’. Once you use it, you will see the ‘Save to Google Drive’ option in the default printer list.
3. After selecting Google Drive, click ‘Print’ to start the printing process.
4. You must now authorize the Google Drive Chrome extension. Select the Google account – the account where you want the output PDF file to be stored and allow the requested permissions.
5. As you can see below, the extension has successfully uploaded the PDF file to my Google Drive.
You can also use this extension to quickly save images and links to your Drive, as Google highlights on the extension’s page. All you have to do is right-click on a link or image and select ‘Save Image/Link to Google Drive’.
Save to Drive in Chrome for Android
Rio Akasaka, product manager of Google Drive noticed on TwitterYou can use the file picker that appears after using the print option in Chrome for Android to save PDFs to Drive. However, this may not work on all Android phones due to different file picker apps. It worked as intended on the OnePlus 7T I checked.
1. To print, tap the three-dot menu, tap Share and select Print.
2. Then you should Select ‘Save as PDF’ and Go to the Drive section from the left sidebar.
3. After taking the right path, Tap Save to upload the file to your Google Drive account.
Quickly Save PDFs to Drive
Thus, you can quickly save PDFs to Google Drive without much hassle. While Cloud Print is no longer available, it’s good to see it replace one of the aforementioned Chrome extension use cases. If you’re looking for a Cloud Print-like solution, check out our list of Google Cloud Print alternatives and choose the one that fits your needs. Also, if you regularly deal with loads of PDF files, be sure to check out our article on editing PDF files for free.
