Can You Add a PDF to Google Keep?

Google Keep is a fantastic resource with countless uses, including creating to-do lists, drafting documents and storing websites for access at a later time — at home or on the move. But can it be used to store files like a PDF? The short answer is no, it can’t, and that’s because you can only upload GIF, JPEG, JPG, PNG and WEBP files less than 10MB and 20MP to Google Keep.

This means you also can’t upload documents created in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel or Microsoft PowerPoint to Google Keep. Instead, it’s intended to be used to exclusively store images. It’s a weird decision, especially considering you can insert a PDF in Evernote, one of Google Keep’s main rivals, and it doesn’t look like one Google will change its stance on anytime soon.

Part of the reason for the limitation could be because Google Keep is intended to be a brief note-taking service, a virtual Post-it if you like. If you need to take more comprehensive notes or store files, Google wants you to use Google Docs and Google Drive, which is why notes created in Google Keep can be exported to Google Docs with the click of a button.

How to Add a PDF to Google Keep

If you’re desperate to reference a document, there is a workaround that’ll technically let you add a PDF to Google Keep, but it adds a few extra steps to the process: You’ll need to upload the PDF to Google Drive, then copy the link and paste it in Google Keep. This won’t store the PDF in Google Keep per se, but it’ll let you jump over to the PDF whenever you need to.