How to Switch from Google Docs to CryptPad

Why Switch from Google Docs to CryptPad?

In an increasingly interconnected world, privacy is paramount. Google Docs, while convenient and widely adopted, operates on a model where your data resides on Google’s servers, subject to their terms of service and potential scanning for various purposes, including advertising and content analysis. For many users, this raises significant privacy concerns, as you’re entrusting your sensitive documents to a third party without true end-to-end encryption.

CryptPad offers a compelling alternative built on the principles of privacy by design and open-source transparency. It’s a suite of encrypted collaboration tools where all content is end-to-end encrypted in your browser before it ever reaches CryptPad’s servers. This means that CryptPad’s operators, or anyone else, cannot read your data – only you and those you explicitly share your encrypted documents with can. This commitment to privacy makes CryptPad an excellent choice for individuals and organizations seeking to reclaim control over their digital communications and documents.

Before You Begin

Before you embark on your migration journey, a little preparation will ensure a smoother transition:

• Ensure Account Access: Make sure you have active login credentials for your Google account to access your Google Docs files.
• Internet Connection: A stable and reasonably fast internet connection will be crucial for downloading your data from Google and uploading it to CryptPad.
• Browser Choice: CryptPad works best with modern browsers like Firefox, Chrome, Brave, or Edge. Ensure your browser is up to date.
• Understand Data Types: Be aware that not all Google Docs features have a direct, identical counterpart in CryptPad (e.g., presentations). Plan how you’ll handle these differences.
• Storage Space: Ensure you have enough local storage on your computer to download all your Google Docs data, especially if you’re using Google Takeout.

Step-by-Step Migration

This section provides a detailed walkthrough of the migration process, designed to guide you from Google Docs to CryptPad.

Create Your CryptPad Account

Your first step into the CryptPad ecosystem is to set up your personal account.

1. Open your web browser and navigate to the official CryptPad website: https://cryptpad.fr.
2. Look for the “Register” or “Create an account” button, typically found in the top right corner or on the homepage.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to choose a username and create a strong, unique password.
4. Crucially, during the registration process, CryptPad will provide you with a recovery key. This key is generated client-side and is the only way to recover your account if you forget your password. CryptPad does not store your password. Download, print, or securely store this recovery key immediately. A good practice is to save it in a trusted password manager or an encrypted file on an offline drive.

Export Your Documents from Google Docs

Getting your data out of Google is a critical step. You have flexibility here, depending on the volume and specific files you wish to migrate.

Option 1: Individual Document Export (For specific files or smaller batches)

This method is best if you only need a few documents or if you want to carefully select the export format for each.

1. Open any Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Drawings document you wish to migrate.
2. Navigate to the File menu at the top left.
3. Hover over Download.
4. For Google Docs: Select OpenDocument Text (.odt). This is an open standard and generally transfers formatting better than Microsoft Word’s .docx. If .odt causes issues, try .docx.
5. For Google Sheets: Select OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods). Similar to Docs, this is preferred. Otherwise, choose Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).
6. For Google Slides: CryptPad does not have a direct presentation editor. You can download as PDF Document (.pdf) for static viewing, or Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx) if you intend to edit it in another desktop application later.
7. For Google Drawings: Download as JPEG image (.jpeg) or PNG image (.png) for easy storage and viewing.
8. Save the downloaded file to a designated folder on your computer. Repeat this process for all essential documents.

Option 2: Bulk Export with Google Takeout (For large archives)

If you have many documents, Google Takeout is the most efficient way to get everything at once.

1. Go to https://takeout.google.com/ in your web browser.
2. You’ll see a list of all your Google products. Click Deselect all at the top.
3. Scroll down and find Drive. Check the box next to it. (You can also specifically select Docs, Sheets, and Slides if you only want those application files).
4. To customize your export (e.g., exclude specific folders or file types), click All Drive data included. You can also ensure ‘Include all versions and comments’ is unchecked if you only want the final documents.
5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Next step.
6. Choose your delivery method (e.g., “Send download link via email”).
7. Select the desired file type (.zip is standard) and archive size (e.g., 2 GB, 4 GB).
8. Click Create export.
9. Google will now begin processing your data. This can take several hours to a few days depending on the volume of your data. You will receive an email with a download link when your archive is ready. Download the .zip file(s) to your computer and extract their contents.

Understanding CryptPad’s Environment and Pad Types

Before you import, it’s helpful to understand how CryptPad organizes your content.

• CryptDrive: This is your central, encrypted file storage area, much like Google Drive. Here, you can upload any file for secure storage (e.g., PDFs, images, code files, even the .odt or .xlsx files you exported). You can also create new “pads” directly within your CryptDrive.
• Pads: These are CryptPad’s core collaborative documents, each designed for a specific purpose:
  • Rich Text Pad: Your go-to for text documents, replacing Google Docs. It supports most standard formatting.
  • Spreadsheet Pad: For creating and collaborating on tabular data, akin to Google Sheets.
  • Code Pad: Useful for writing and sharing code, but also versatile for simple text files or Markdown documents.
  • Markdown Pad: A simplified text editor focused on Markdown syntax.
  • Kanban, Poll, Form, Whiteboard Pads: Specialized tools for project management, surveys, simple forms, and collaborative drawing, respectively.

Key Difference: CryptPad does not offer direct, editable equivalents for Google Slides (presentations) or Google Drawings. For these, you’ll generally store them as image or PDF files within your CryptDrive for secure viewing, or recreate their content using other pad types (e.g., an outline in a Rich Text pad, simple diagrams in a Whiteboard pad).

Importing Your Data into CryptPad

Now that your data is exported and you understand CryptPad’s layout, it’s time to bring your content in.

1. Importing Rich Text Documents (.odt, .docx)

• Create a new Rich Text Pad: Go to your CryptDrive, click + New in the top left, and select Rich Text. Give your new pad a descriptive name.
• Paste Content:
  • Open your exported .odt or .docx file using a local word processor (e.g., LibreOffice Writer, Microsoft Word, Pages).
  • Select all content (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A) and copy it (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C).
  • Switch back to your new CryptPad Rich Text pad and paste (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V) the content.
  • Review and Adjust: It’s common for some complex formatting to shift during this process. Carefully review the pad and manually adjust any fonts, paragraph spacing, images, or tables as needed.
• Alternative: Upload to CryptDrive: You can also directly Upload your .odt or .docx files to your CryptDrive. CryptPad will allow you to view these files, and if you open them, you’ll see an option to “Save as a new Rich Text Pad.” This will convert the file into an editable CryptPad pad, though formatting still might require review.

2. Importing Spreadsheets (.ods, .xlsx)

• Create a new Spreadsheet Pad: In your CryptDrive, click + New and select Spreadsheet. Name your new pad.
• Paste Content:
  • Open your exported .ods or .xlsx file with a local spreadsheet program (e.g., LibreOffice Calc, Microsoft Excel, Numbers).
  • Select all cells (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A) and copy them (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C).
  • Paste (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V) the content into your new CryptPad Spreadsheet pad.
  • Review and Adjust: Check for data integrity, formula accuracy, and any formatting (cell colors, borders, font sizes) that may not have transferred perfectly. CryptPad’s spreadsheet functions are robust but might differ slightly from Google Sheets or Excel.
• Alternative: Upload to CryptDrive: Similar to rich text, you can Upload .ods or .xlsx files to your CryptDrive and then choose “Save as a new Spreadsheet Pad” to convert them.

3. Importing Presentations (.pdf, .pptx) and Drawings (.png, .jpeg)

• As CryptPad doesn’t have dedicated editors for these, you’ll primarily use your CryptDrive for secure storage.
• Go to your CryptDrive.
• Click the Upload button (often represented by a cloud icon with an arrow pointing up).
• Select your exported .pdf files (from Google Slides or Drawings), or .png/.jpeg images (from Google Drawings).
• These files will be securely stored in your CryptDrive and can be downloaded or viewed directly within CryptPad. For collaborative diagrams, explore using the Whiteboard pad.

4. Importing Google Forms Data (.csv, .xlsx from responses)

• From your Google Form, export the responses to a .csv or .xlsx file.
• Follow the “Importing Spreadsheets” steps above to bring this data into a CryptPad Spreadsheet.
• If you need to recreate the form itself, you will need to manually build a new Form pad in CryptPad, as there’s no direct way to migrate the structure of a Google Form.

Tips for a Smooth Transition

• Start Small: Don’t try to migrate everything at once. Begin with a few less critical documents to familiarize yourself with the process and CryptPad’s interface.
• Organize Your CryptDrive: Create folders within your CryptDrive (+ New > Folder) to keep your imported documents organized, mirroring your previous Google Drive structure or creating a new one.
• Explore Pad Types: Spend some time experimenting with different pad types in CryptPad. You might find new ways of collaborating that suit your workflow.
• Leverage Secure Sharing: CryptPad excels at secure collaboration. When sharing, remember you’re sharing an encrypted link. You can set passwords, expiration dates, and access permissions for your pads and folders.
• Inform Collaborators: If you work with others, let them know about the switch and guide them through CryptPad’s basics. Collaboration will be seamless once everyone is on board.

What You Might Miss (And Alternatives)

Migrating to a new platform often means adapting to some differences. Here are a few things you might notice and how to approach them:

• Deep Integration with a Larger Ecosystem: Google Docs is tightly integrated with Gmail, Calendar, Drive, and other Google services. CryptPad, being privacy-focused, offers a more contained ecosystem. You’ll need to use separate, privacy-respecting alternatives for email, calendar, etc.
• Extensive Add-ons/Extensions: Google Docs has a vast marketplace of add-ons. CryptPad’s ecosystem is smaller, focusing on core functionality. Most advanced formatting or niche features might need manual workarounds or a different approach.
• Offline Access: Google Docs offers robust offline editing capabilities. CryptPad is primarily a web-based application, meaning you generally need an internet connection to create, edit, or access your pads. While it can cache some content, full offline functionality isn’t its primary focus.
• Dedicated Mobile Apps: Google Docs has polished mobile apps. CryptPad offers a responsive, mobile-friendly web interface that works well in most mobile browsers, but there aren’t dedicated native apps.
• “Suggesting” Mode: Google Docs has a distinct “Suggesting” mode for edits. CryptPad uses color-coded cursors and a revision history, but a direct ‘suggesting’ mode as a separate track is not present. You can use comments to propose changes.

Conclusion

Migrating from Google Docs to CryptPad is a significant step towards enhancing your digital privacy and embracing open-source, end-to-end encrypted collaboration. While there might be a learning curve and some feature differences, the peace of mind that comes with knowing your data is truly yours and protected from prying eyes is invaluable.

By following this guide, you’ve taken control of your documents and joined a growing community that values security and privacy. Welcome to CryptPad – enjoy your secure and collaborative journey!