How to Download a View-Only PDF from Google Drive [2 Ways]

PDF is a widely used file format that boasts many benefits, such as easy compression, wide compatibility, high security, etc. This file format can be uploaded in different places, like Google Drive and websites. However, lots of people don’t know how to download protected PDF from Google Drive or download PDF from Link.

Google Drive, also known as Google Docs, is a part of the Google Docs Editor Office suite that allows users to edit PDF documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings, and more file formats collaboratively. If the file is protected or view-only, you will find it is restricted to download from Google Drive. Here I’ll show you how to download protected PDF from Google Drive.

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How to Download PDF from Google Drive

If your PDF documents are not restricted or locked, follow the quick guide below to download PDF from Google Drive.

Step 1. Open the Google Drive page on your browser and log in to your account.

Step 2. Select My Drive from the left panel and find the PDF file you want to download.

Step 3. Right-click the file and select Download. Then your browser will automatically download the PDF.

However, how to download view-only protected PDF from Google Drive if the downloading process is restricted? Let’s keep reading.

How to Download a View-Only PDF from Google Drive

After analyzing extensive user reports and references, we find there are 2 effective methods to download locked PDF from Google Drive. You can choose one from them.

Way 1. Download View-Only PDF from Google Drive Using the Script

Many professionals developed view-only PDF scripts to help users to download protected PDF from Google Drive. The script can hack the restricted download permissions and initiate the download process. For that:

Step 1. Open Google Drive and log into your account.

Step 2. Access the view-only PDF file you want to download and press the F12 key to inspect the element in your browser in which you can input the commands and scripts to manipulate the PDF page.

Step 3. Scroll down to the end of the last PDF page and make sure all of the content is loaded fully.

Step 4. Navigate to the Console tab in the browser console. Copy and paste the following script into the Console. Then press Enter to wait the script processing and downloading the PDF.

let jspdf = document.createElement( "script" );
jspdf.onload = function () {
let pdf = new jsPDF();
let elements = document.getElementsByTagName( "img" );
for ( let i in elements) {
let img = elements[i];
if (!/^blob:/.test(img.src)) {
continue ;
}
let canvasElement = document.createElement( 'canvas' );
let con = canvasElement.getContext( "2d" );
canvasElement.width = img.width;
canvasElement.height = img.height;
con.drawImage(img, 0, 0,img.width, img.height);
let imgData = canvasElement.toDataURL( "image/jpeg" , 1.0);
pdf.addImage(imgData, 'JPEG' , 0, 0);
pdf.addPage();
}
pdf.save( "download.pdf" );
};
jspdf.src = 'https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/lib... ;
document.body.appendChild(jspdf);

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Way 2. Download View-Only PDF from Google Drive Using a Professional Downloader

If the PDF file is large and contains lots of images, the above method may not download locked PDF from Google Drive smoothly. In this case, you can try using a professional PDF Google Drive downloader. Here are the detailed steps:

Step 1. Find the PDF on your Google Drive, right-click the file, and select Share > Copy Link to get the Google Drive PDF link.

Step 2. Visit the official website of PDF Google Drive Downloader, paste the link into the box, and click on Start.

Step 3. Select the quality of the PDF file, click on Download,and wait for the process to complete. Once done, it will return you the download link and you can access the locked PDF file.

Bottom Line

This post focuses on how to download view-only protected PDF from Google Drive. You can try using the script or a professional PDF downloader. Additionally, you can use MiniTool PDF Editor if you want to deal with your PDF documents effectively on Windows.