Edit Word documents in Google Drive on Android

Question

Whenever I search for a Word document in Google Drive on the Android app I can view it in Google Docs. I can also open it with Word, but then it tells me that this is a read-only version and I cannot edit it.

Is there a way around this? It works on OneDrive, but I really can't find a way to edit my Word documents in Google Drive. Using other apps is Ok for me, but I am not rooted.

Answer 1

Google has provided an extremely useful apps that are compatible with Google Drive:

1. Google Docs for Management of Word Documents
2. Google Sheets for Excel file management
3. Google Slides for Powerpoint

Editing a document that is present on Google Drive is very easy with these apps. You can do the following to solve this problem:

1. Install Google Docs
2. Go to Google Drive
3. Open the required document using Google Docs

Answer 2

Edit files using Office Compatibility Mode (OCM)

To open and edit Office files, you can use Office Compatibility Mode (OCM). With OCM, you can open and edit Office files in Drive, the Docs, Sheets, and Slides homescreens & apps, and Gmail.

On your mobile device, OCM is automatically included with the Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps.

When you open an Office file in one of the apps, you'll be able to edit it.

Source: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/6055139

A bit of extra info: Opening a Word document on Android just so you can read it is incredibly simple. Since Android natively supports opening .doc and .docx files, all you have to do is click on the file to open your Word document.

1. Find the file you want to open.

2. Tap to open the file – if prompted, open it in Google Drive or Google Docs if you have them installed already.

3. You’re now able to read the document.

4. To edit it, tap the small pencil icon in the bottom right – now you’ll be editing the file.

5. If you’d rather not use Google Drive or Google Docs, download Microsoft Office Word for Android and use that instead.