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Every 5 minutes

Convert Word files uploaded to Google Drive into Google Docs

Word, Excel and PowerPoint files dropped in a Drive folder are converted to Google Docs, Sheets or Slides every 5 minutes, and the originals move to an archive folder.

Runs
Every 5 minutes
Apps
Google Drive
AI
Not needed
Access
drive

Send this to your assistant

Create a ClickRuntime automation: every 5 minutes, convert any .docx, .xlsx or .pptx file in my Drive folder "Inbox" into Google Docs, Sheets or Slides in the same folder and move the original into "Inbox/Originals".

Paste it into your assistant. It tells you what it will send or change before it runs live.

First time? Adding ClickRuntime to your assistant takes about two minutes.

Why use it

Why teams use this automation

Clients and suppliers still send Word and Excel files, and teams that work in Google Workspace end up with folders full of attachments that open in a preview window instead of an editor. Converting each one is three clicks that people forget to do.

This automation watches one folder. Every 5 minutes it converts any Word, Excel or PowerPoint file it finds into the matching Google format, places the copy beside it, and moves the original into an Originals subfolder.

Agencies receiving client briefs, finance teams receiving supplier spreadsheets and anyone moving from Office to Google Workspace use it so every file in the shared folder can be edited and commented on straight away.

What you get out of it

  • Editable right away

    Files become real Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, so people can comment and edit together.

  • Originals kept

    The Office file is moved, not deleted, in case a layout needs checking against the source.

  • No double conversions

    Once moved to the archive folder, a file is not picked up again.

  • Clean names

    The converted file drops the .docx or .xlsx ending, so it reads like any other Google file.

  • Google's own converter

    The conversion is the same one Drive uses when you open a file with Google Docs.

How it works

What happens, step by step

  1. Every 5 minutes the automation looks for Word, Excel and PowerPoint files in the folder you choose.

  2. Each file is copied as the matching Google format: Docs, Sheets or Slides.

  3. The converted copy keeps the original name, without the extension, in the same folder.

  4. The original Office file is moved into an Originals subfolder so it is not converted twice.

Before it runs live

  • Connect Google Drive

What you get

RunsEvery 5 minutes
Convert Word files uploaded to Google Drive into Google Docstoday, 9:00Succeeded
Drive · InboxConverted 3 files: Supplier contract 2026.docx → Google Docs Pricing model.xlsx → Google Sheets Kickoff deck.pptx → Google Slides Originals moved to Inbox/Originals

Build your own

Need it to work differently?

This template is a starting point. Copy the prompt and change it, or describe a different automation from scratch, with your own conditions, more apps or an AI step. Your assistant writes it, tests it and runs it on ClickRuntime.
  • Your own rules

    Conditions, thresholds, filters and exceptions, written the way you'd explain them to a colleague.

  • Any number of apps

    One automation can read from one app and update several others. Over 248 apps are ready, and anything with an API works too.

  • AI where it helps

    Summaries, classification, extraction and drafts use ClickRuntime's built-in AI, with no extra key.

  • On a schedule or on each event

    Runs as often as every 5 minutes, or the moment an app sends an event, and keeps track of what it already handled.

Changes you can ask for

  • Act only on the items that match your own rules, and skip the rest
  • Add an AI step, for example to summarize, sort or draft a reply
  • Add another app, for example also send it to Slack
  • Combine it with other Google Drive steps into one automation

Under the hood

The code that runs this automation

This is the Python script that runs each time the automation starts. Your AI assistant writes it for you when you send the prompt, and you allow each step in your assistant. To change how the automation works, describe the change to your assistant and it updates the script for you. For every function it can use, see the script reference.
convert_word_files_uploaded_to_google_drive_into_google_docs.pyexample
from clickruntime import on_trigger, credentials, http

FOLDER_ID = "1AbCdEfInboxFolderId"
ARCHIVE_ID = "1AbCdEfOriginalsFolderId"
TARGET = {
    "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document": "application/vnd.google-apps.document",
    "application/msword": "application/vnd.google-apps.document",
    "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet": "application/vnd.google-apps.spreadsheet",
    "application/vnd.ms-excel": "application/vnd.google-apps.spreadsheet",
    "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation": "application/vnd.google-apps.presentation",
}

def g(method, path, **kw):
    resp = http.request(method, f"https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3{path}",
                        headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {credentials.connection('google', 'work')}"}, **kw)
    resp.raise_for_status()
    return resp.json()

@on_trigger
def run(event):
    types = " or ".join(f"mimeType = '{m}'" for m in TARGET)
    files = g("GET", "/files", params={"q": f"'{FOLDER_ID}' in parents and trashed = false and ({types})",
                                         "fields": "files(id,name,mimeType)", "pageSize": 50})["files"]
    done = []
    for f in files:
        name = f["name"].rsplit(".", 1)[0]
        g("POST", f"/files/{f['id']}/copy", json={"name": name, "mimeType": TARGET[f["mimeType"]], "parents": [FOLDER_ID]})
        g("PATCH", f"/files/{f['id']}", params={"addParents": ARCHIVE_ID, "removeParents": FOLDER_ID})
        done.append(f["name"])
    return {"converted": done}

FAQ

Common questions

Is formatting kept?
Google does the conversion, the same as choosing "Open with Google Docs". Most text, tables and charts come across; complex macros, some fonts and certain Excel formulas do not.
Can I delete the originals instead of archiving them?
Yes, but moving them is safer because some formatting can change in conversion. Ask your assistant to trash originals older than 30 days if you want the space back.
Does it work on a shared drive folder?
Yes, with supportsAllDrives added to the requests. Tell your assistant the folder is in a shared drive when you create it.
What permissions does it need?
drive. Nothing else in your accounts is used.
Does it need AI?
No. It runs without AI, so it doesn't use your plan's AI allowance.
How many runs does it use?
One run each time it checks. Checks that find nothing new and stop right away aren't counted.
Can I change how it works?
Yes. Describe the change to your AI assistant, for example a different schedule, channel or filter. It updates the automation, tests it and tells you what changed.

Set up “Convert Word files uploaded to Google Drive into Google Docs” from your assistant

Copy the prompt above, or connect your assistant first. Free plan, no credit card.