If you regularly receive Microsoft Word documents (.docx) or Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx) from colleagues and prefer to edit them in Google Workspace, you probably waste a lot of time manually right-clicking the files in Drive and selecting “Open with Google Docs.” However, you can configure Google Drive to automatically convert every single file you upload into its corresponding Google format instantly.
How to Enable Automatic Conversions in Google Drive
This setting only takes a few seconds to enable, and it works globally across your entire Google Drive account.
- Open your web browser and navigate to drive.google.com. Log in to your account.
- Look at the top right corner of the screen and click on the Gear icon (Settings).
- Click on Settings from the dropdown menu.
- A settings window will appear. Make sure you are on the General tab on the left sidebar.
- Look for the section labeled Convert uploads.
- Check the box next to Convert uploaded files to Google Docs editor format.
- Click Done in the top right corner to save your changes.
What Happens Next?
From this point forward, whenever you upload a Microsoft Word document to Google Drive, it will automatically be converted into a native Google Doc, stripping away the original .docx extension. The same process applies to Excel files (converting to Google Sheets) and PowerPoint presentations (converting to Google Slides).
Note: This setting is not retroactive. It will not convert files that you previously uploaded to your Drive. It only applies to new uploads. Furthermore, if the original Microsoft file contains incredibly complex formatting or unsupported macros, the automated conversion may slightly alter the layout of the document.