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I have a living document that whenever I change something I download as PDF and upload to a web directory. This is a tiresome process specially when there sometimes is 6-15 changes in a day.

Now since Google has the posibility to download as PDF, is it posible to make a link directly to the PDF export file, that would not change when I change the document?

So whenever someone downloads the document they get the latest version directly from Google Docs, insted of me downloading and uploading all the time, and without giving access to the Docs document?

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  • Why do you need PDF format?
    – MaryC.fromNZ
    Commented Sep 30, 2014 at 10:56
  • Presistance in format, it is more dificult to change, and it can be opened in many platforms without the basic layout is changed. Unlike odf that looks different in word, gdocs and openoffice.
    – Magic-Mouse
    Commented Sep 30, 2014 at 11:10

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With the new version of Google Drive there is an amazing tool that will really help you.

It's called Manage revisions... under the Menu More when you select a file.

I won't explain to you here how it works because there is a very useful blog post that does it.

In this way the link won't change and viewers can just download or preview the latest version.

This is the link: Replace Google Drive file with new version

Try this alternative instead.

There's a nice option that can be useful: it is the publishing that Google Drive offers.

It means that Drive will generate a link after publishing that can be automatically updated everytime you change your document. The published view is not editable by viewers.

You can stop publishing easily. The bad thing is that anyone who has the URL to your publication can view them no matter what visibility option you’ve chosen for the original one.

I've checked that you can only require viewers to sign in with their account if you're in the same company. I can't explain better but you can see the check box that appears when you publish it.

This is the support link for this option: Google publishing

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  • I don't think that the Manage Revisions tool will help. The fundamental problem seems to be that poster needs to update a Google Docs file regularly, and then make a PDF from it, and then share it. Even with Manage Revisions, these steps won't go away. The only part that it would help with is that the document URL would not change.
    – MaryC.fromNZ
    Commented Oct 1, 2014 at 15:51
  • I have added in the answer an alternative workaround.
    – GianlucaR
    Commented Oct 3, 2014 at 11:55

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