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How to Email a Google Doc
Learn how to download and attach documents for emailing
By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on September 28, 2022 Reviewed by Ryan Perian Reviewed by Ryan Perian Western Governors University Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Google Apps Docs Sheets Slides What to Know
Gmail: Go to the Doc's File menu > Email > Email this file. Fill out the form and choose your preferences> Send.Other email clients: Open the document and go to File > Download. Pick a format and save it. Send the file as an attachment.You can also share the document directly via Google Docs. This article explains how to email a Google doc via Gmail or by saving it as a PDF or Microsoft Word doc then sending it from another email client. These directions work from any modern web browser and on most operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. How to Email a Google Doc
Google makes this simple, but the method you use should depend on two things: how you want to send it (from your Gmail account or a different email program) and which format you want it saved in (i.e., what file type the recipient should receive). Send With Gmail com
Here’s how to use Gmail’s website to email a document in Google Docs: With the document open, go into its File menu and choose Email > Email this file. If the Email menu is greyed out, you need to either log in to your Google account or skip down to the other set of directions below to email it with a different program. Fill out the form. This lets you send yourself a copy, define who should receive the document, and write a subject and message. Choose Don’t attach. Include content in the email if you want the document to embed in the email. Then the recipient can see the document's contents without needing to open it in a separate program. However, depending on the file, it might not end up formatting correctly. Here’s what that might look like from their perspective: Otherwise, leave that option unchecked and then choose a format from the menu below it. Google Docs will convert the file for you automatically before sending the attachment. For example, if you pick PDF, it will convert the Google Doc to PDF for you. Other options include Microsoft Word, RTF, and a few others. This method will attach an actual file to the email that the person can download to their device. Select Send. Send With a Different Email Client
If you don’t want to use Gmail’s website to send the Google doc, you can download the file first and then email it however you wish, like a desktop email client or a different online provider. Open the document and go to File > Download. Pick one of those formats. They include PDF, DOCX (Word), RTF, EPUB, and a few others. Save it somewhere easy for you to access again. Open your preferred email program and then attach the file to the message. You can download multiple documents at once through Google Drive. Select all the files you want to save, right-click them, and choose Download to get a ZIP full of the DOCX equivalents. Doing this is the fastest way to email several docs at once. They'll be fully compatible with Google Docs, Word, and similar programs. Sharing Google Docs Might Make More Sense
Another way to let someone else use your Google docs is to share them. Especially when collaborating on documents that will continually change, sharing helps keep everyone’s updates in sync at all times. You can also avoid using up your own hard drive space with file attachments and still use email to do the sharing. We have a guide on how to share and collaborate with Google Drive if you need help. You can even share an entire folder of documents on Google Drive. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Download an Image From Google Docs How to Print to PDF How to Open Google Docs How to Allow Access to Google Docs How to Unshare a Google Doc How to Share and Collaborate With Google Drive How to Send a Web Page With the Mac's Email Program How to Transfer Ownership of a Google Doc The 9 Best Free PDF Editors (October 2022) 3 Ways to Email to a Fax Machine What Is a PDF File? (And How to Open One) How to Move Google Docs From One Drive to Another How to Convert Excel Documents to the PDF Format How to Save an Outlook Email as a PDF How to Change Margins in Google Docs 10 Best PDF Splitter Tools & Methods Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies