When Google shut down Cloud Print earlier this year, it also meant that you can no longer easily save PDF files to Google Drive to access or print them later. 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 grab the extension and use the feature.
Get “Save to Google Drive” for PDFs in Google Chrome
Using the Save to Google Drive desktop extension
1. Install Save to Google Drive extension from the Chrome Web Store. Once the installation is complete, you will see a new option in the printing interface, namely “Save to Google Drive”. You can access the print interface using the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl + P” or from the list of options that appear after clicking the three-dot menu in the upper right corner.
2. From the print destination, click on ‘Learn more’ and choose the new option that reads “Save to Google Drive”. You will see the “Save to Google Drive” option in the default printer list after using it once.
3. After choosing Google Drive, click “Print” to start the printing process.
4. Now you need to authorize the Google Drive Chrome extension. Choose the Google account – the account in which you want the output PDF file to be stored and allow the requested permissions.
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5. As you can see below, the extension successfully uploaded the PDF file to my Google Drive.
As Google highlights on the extension’s page, you can also use this extension to quickly save images and links to your Drive. All you have to do is right-click on a link or image and choose “Save Image/Link to Google Drive”.
Save to Drive on Chrome for Android
As Google Drive Product Manager, Rio Akasaka highlighted on Twitter, you can use the file picker that appears after using the print option in Chrome for Android to save PDF files to Drive. However, this may not work on all Android phones due to different file picker implementations. It worked as expected on the OnePlus 7T I checked.
1. To print, tap the three-dot menu, tap Share, and choose Print.
2. You should then choose ‘Save as PDF’ and go to the Drive section in the left sidebar.
3. Once you are on track, press save to upload the file to your Google Drive account.
Quickly save PDF files to Drive
This is how you can quickly save PDF files to Google Drive without much hassle. Although Cloud Print is no longer available, it’s good to see that this aforementioned Chrome extension has replaced one of its 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 meets your needs. Also, be sure to check out our article on free PDF editing if you regularly deal with a ton of PDFs.
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