How To Fix Google Docs Not Downloading Issues Guide

It’s always irritating when you’re trying to download something and it won’t work. I know almost everyone using a PC must have faced this issue at some point in time. In this guide, I will highlight how to fix the issue if Google Docs is not downloading on your PC. Docs are a great way to share information between a network or between individuals. If you are expecting some important GDoc file and you are not able to download it, this guide will help you out.

There are several reasons why you are facing this problem. There may be an issue with your internet connection. The browser may be unresponsive due to some software bug. You may be using some extension on your browser that is interfering with the download. The cache of Google Docs may be full of junk files that are causing it not to work properly. Sometimes the users have not allowed automatic download of doc files. That may be the reason for this problem. Nevertheless, let’s see how to fix up all these issues.

Google Docs Not Downloading: How to Fix

The troubleshooting methods are pretty simple to follow.

Check Internet Connectivity

Sometimes, due to the poor connection of the internet, one may not be able to download the Google doc file. So, you need to ensure that your system’s internet connection is working fine.

Try to Switch Browser

If the download is not happening on the particular browser that you use, then try to use other browsers. Maybe there is some kind of bug with the current browser you are suing. So, try to switch to any other browser. You will have to log in to Google ID though on the new browser you will switch into. Then access Google Docs and try to download the doc file that you could not download on the previous browser.

Allow Automatic Download

Open docs.google.com
Click on the lock icon you see on the URL bar > select Site Settings
Under that scroll down and look for Automatic Downloads
Change the status from Ask(default) to Allow.

Clear Cache of Google Doc

Clearing the cache gets the app rid of junk information and temporary files. To clear the cache,

Launch Google Chrome
In the address bar, type the following
chrome://settings/cookies/detail?site=docs.google.com
Then press enter
You will see a few options that will show up.
All you have to do is click on the Remove All button as I have highlighted in the screenshot. That will clear the cache of Google Docs.

Save As PDF

One of the most simple solutions is to save the Google doc as a PDF for printing purposes.

chrome://settings/cookies/detail?site=docs.google.com

Open Google Doc
Press Ctrl + P
In the screen that shows up go to Destination
Click on the drop-down to trigger a small menu
Select Save As PDF

Disable Extensions

If you have any ad blocker extension running in the background, that may cause Google Docs to not download. So, disable the extension from Chrome settings and then try to re-download the Google Doc once again.

Switch to Incognito Mode if Google Docs is not downloading

Try to open a new browser window in Incognito mode if the regular browsing doesn’t allow you to download the Google docs. It is not limited to any particular browser. You can try it out on any browser you commonly use.

Disable Hardware Acceleration

You can also try to disable the hardware acceleration from Chrome settings if you use the Chrome browser.

Go to Settings of Chrome browser
On the left-hand panel click Advanced > click System
Now in the center of the screen, you should see an option Use Hardware Acceleration When Available.
Click on the toggle beside it to grey it out and disable it
Then click Relaunch

Now, try to download the Google doc file. Keep this mind to enable hardware acceleration in the Chrome settings once your download is finished. Keeping the feature disabled may cause a problem in the functioning of the Chrome browser.

Request for Download Permission from Creator

Sometimes, the original creator of the Doc may have just shared it on a network or on a one-to-one basis for viewing only. In that case, you won’t be able to download a Google doc file. The download option will be greyed out/disabled.

Open Google Doc
Click File > Download
If the Download is enabled then you will have options to download the file in various formats.
If the author has disabled downloads, the Download option will be non-clickable.

So, these are some of the methods of troubleshooting that you can use if Google docs are not downloading on your PC. I hope that you found this guide informative.

Google Docs Not Downloading: How to Fix#

Check Internet Connectivity#

Try to Switch Browser#

Allow Automatic Download#

Clear Cache of Google Doc#

Save As PDF#

Disable Extensions#

Switch to Incognito Mode if Google Docs is not downloading#

Disable Hardware Acceleration#

Request for Download Permission from Creator#