You've got a PDF in Drive that needs editing. Drive's built-in viewer shows it nicely and lets you comment, but doesn't change text. Drive can convert it to Google Docs format (which destroys layout). Drive add-ons exist but most ask for sketchy permissions.
Download, edit, upload. Two-step flow, two browser tabs.
Why Drive's built-in options fail
Open with Google Docs: Drive imports the PDF and converts to editable text, but layout breaks — tables shift, multi-column splits, formatting gets lost. Fine for grabbing the text content; terrible for keeping the document looking like itself.
Drive add-ons (DocHub, Lumin, etc.) work but require granting account permissions. Skipping them keeps your Drive permissions clean.
The clean flow
Open Drive. Right-click the PDF → Download. Open Flint in another tab. Drag the downloaded file in. Edit text, sign, or whatever you need. Download the edited version. Upload back to Drive (drag to Drive tab, or use the New → File upload button).
Total time: about a minute. No permission grants, no add-on installs.
Keeping the original
Best practice: upload the edited PDF as a separate file, not replacing the original. Filename like 'Contract_v2_signed.pdf' or similar. Keeps the history intact and lets you revert if needed. Drive's version history handles this if you upload a new version of the same file, but separate files are clearer for many users.
Shared drives and team workflows
Drive PDFs in shared drives work the same way — download, edit, upload. Permissions: editor on the shared drive means you can replace files; viewer means you'd need to ask. For team-edited PDFs, agree a workflow (everyone edits in Flint, uploads versioned files) to avoid accidental overwrites.
FAQ
Can Flint connect to Drive directly?
Not currently via OAuth. The manual download-edit-upload flow works for all users without grant permissions. For frequent Drive PDF work, dedicating a folder for active edits keeps things tidy.
Will Drive's preview show the edits?
Once you upload the edited PDF, Drive's preview shows the new version. Drive may cache for a moment after upload — refresh if you don't see changes immediately.
What about edit history in Drive?
Drive keeps version history if you upload a new version to the same file. Right-click → Manage versions to see previous versions. Each upload becomes a version.
Drive holds PDFs, Flint edits them. Two tabs, full workflow.