If you are new to using Google Docs you may be wondering how to save your file.
Whether you are wondering how to save your work, or how to download your file for use outside Google Docs by saving it as a PDF, DOCX, or another file type, all of this is very easy to do once you have learned how.
In this tutorial, I will show you how to save a Google Doc.
Table of Contents
How to Save Your Work in Google Docs
One of the most common questions beginners might wonder when using Google Docs is how to save their work.
Well, you actually don’t need to save your work in Google Docs, because Google Docs autosaves. So, there is no save button.
You will notice that when you edit your file, in the top left corner it will say that it is “Saving”.
When it is done saving, the message will show “Saved to Drive”.
So you don’t really need to save, because it is done automatically.
The most important thing is to not close your file too soon after making an edit. Make sure that the message shows “Saved to Drive” before exiting the file to make sure the work is saved.
How to Save as a PDF
You can also download your file as a PDF if you want to use it outside of Google Docs.
To save your Google Doc file as a PDF:
1. Open your Google Doc and in the top left menu select File
2. From the drop-down menu select Download
3. Select PDF Document (.pdf)
4. Now you can choose which folder you want to save it in. Navigate to wherever you want to save it on your computer and select Save
You will now have exported your file as a PDF
How to Save as a Word Doc
You can also download your file as a Word Doc.
Here are the steps to do this:
- Open your Google Doc file
- Select File
- Select Download
- Select Microsoft Word (.docx)
- Select the folder you want to save it in, and then press the Save button on your computer
Other File Types
Besides a .pdf or a .docx file, there are several other file types that you can download your file as.
All of these options are located under the File>Download option.
Here is the complete list that you can save your file as:
- Microsoft Word (.docx)
- OpenDocument Format (.odt)
- Rich Text Format (.rtf)
- PDF Document (.pdf)
- Plain Text (.txt)
- Web Page (.html, zipped)
- EPUB Publication (.epub)
Closing Thoughts
Saving in Google Docs is very easy. If you have gone through this full tutorial, you should have all of the saving options learned by now.
Work is autosaved so you don’t have to do anything for that, but to save your file outside of Google Docs, it is done with a few clicks by selecting File>Download and then selecting your file type.
Hopefully, if you had questions on saving before, this guide has answered them for you!
More Google Docs Tutorials:
How to Change Page Orientation
How to Change Letter and Line Spacing