Download a file that requires a Google sign-in
Some Drive documents only open when a Google account with view access is signed in. The 4pdf.net server runs anonymously, signed in to no account, so it cannot open those files, and there is no way around that from the server side.
The 4PDF Chrome extension runs inside the browser you are already signed in to. It uses your own session, so it opens exactly the documents you can already view on Drive.
Your document never leaves your computer.
Page images go straight from Google Drive into your browser, are assembled into a PDF on your own machine, and are then downloaded. No document content, page image, or file name is sent to our server.
How to install
The extension is waiting for Chrome Web Store review. Until then, install it manually with the steps below. Once it is approved, this page becomes a one-click install button.
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Download and unzip
Download the archive and unzip it into a folder. Keep that folder somewhere permanent, because deleting it stops the extension from working.
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Open the Chrome extensions page
Type
chrome://extensionsinto the address bar and press Enter. There is no link to click here: Chrome blocks every website from opening achrome://address, and that restriction protects you. -
Turn on Developer mode
The switch is in the top-right corner. This step is required for every extension that has not gone through the store, not just this one.
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Click “Load unpacked”
Select the folder you unzipped in step 1, the whole folder rather than a file inside it.
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Go back to the Drive document and reload
Any tab opened before the install has no extension in it yet, so reload that page once. Then click the floating 4PDF button in the bottom-right corner, or the 4PDF icon on the toolbar.
What you need
- Chrome on a computer, or a Chromium-based browser such as Edge or Brave. It does not run on phones.
- A free 4pdf.net account, so your quota can be counted. The extension will ask you to sign in the first time.
- Permission to view that document with the Google account you are signed in to. The extension cannot open a document you cannot open yourself.
If it does not work
- No 4PDF button on the Drive page
- Reload the document page once. A tab opened before the install has not received the extension.
- Chrome keeps asking to turn off Developer mode
- Chrome asks on every startup, for every manually installed extension. Click “Keep”. The prompt goes away once the extension is on the store.
- It says the document is public
- For public documents the 4pdf.net homepage is faster and keeps a history. The extension is only for documents that require a sign-in.
- A few pages are missing
- Usually Drive is throttling briefly. The extension retries and steps the quality down on its own; if pages are still missing, wait a minute or two and try again.