I’m working on an automation workflow in n8n where I need to insert formatted HTML content into a Google Document. My workflow creates a newsletter using an AI model, then converts the output to both markdown and HTML formats before sending it to Google Docs.
The problem I’m facing is that when the HTML gets inserted into the Google Doc, it appears as plain text without any formatting. I’m using the Google Docs node in n8n with the insert operation set to add content at the end of the document body as HTML.
I’ve tried different approaches but can’t seem to get the formatting to stick. The HTML tags are showing up as literal text instead of being rendered as formatted content. Has anyone successfully implemented HTML formatting in Google Docs through n8n? What’s the correct way to preserve the styling when inserting HTML content into a Google Document using n8n automation?
yeah, google docs integration trips up everyone with this. convert your html to rich text first, then hit the docs api. or create a doc from a template with placeholders and swap them out later. both beat manually parsing html any day.
Google Docs API just ignores HTML tags completely - it won’t turn them into formatting. Here’s what actually worked for me: ditch the Docs API and use Google Drive API instead. Create a Google Doc template with all your styling already set up, then use placeholders for the content. When n8n runs, it just swaps out the placeholders with your actual content while keeping all the template formatting intact. Way easier than wrestling with batchUpdate commands, and you’ll get consistent branding across all your newsletters without the headache.
google docs API is super finicky with HTML. hit the same wall last month - you can’t just throw HTML at it and expect it to work. what worked for me: use google sheets node to parse the HTML first, then push that clean data to docs with proper formatting. it’s a hack, but way easier than wrestling with batchUpdate syntax.
I hit this same problem building document automation workflows this year. Google Docs API just ignores HTML markup and treats it like plain text - super frustrating. Don’t waste time wrestling with batchUpdate complexity. Here’s what actually works: export your formatted content to Google Sheets first (HTML rendering works way better there), then copy those formatted ranges into your Doc using copyPaste. You’ll keep most formatting without parsing HTML tags manually. Or try this - create your document in Sheets with proper formatting, then use the Docs API to import specific ranges. It’s an extra step but way more reliable than converting HTML to Docs API calls.
Google Docs doesn’t recognize HTML as markup; it treats it as plain text. I encountered this same issue while building a content workflow last year. The solution is to utilize the batchUpdate method with structured formatting commands rather than attempting to insert raw HTML. You must initially parse your HTML to extract the text and formatting, then make separate API calls for each format. For example, if you have bold text, insert the plain text first, followed by the application of bold formatting to the specific characters. I suggest establishing a preprocessing step in n8n to convert your HTML into JSON objects that map text ranges to their formatting. While this requires more effort at the start, it will result in properly formatted documents.
Had the same issue a couple weeks back! Don’t bother forcing HTML into Docs - just use the Google Drive API to upload as RTF instead. Have n8n convert your HTML to RTF first, then the formatting actually sticks when it uploads. Way cleaner than those messy workarounds.
Google Docs API doesn’t support direct HTML insertion - that’s why you’re seeing the tags as literal text. The API uses its own format, not HTML. You need to convert your HTML to structured requests using batchUpdate instead of simple inserts. I ran into this same problem months ago. You have to break everything down into separate formatting requests - insert the text first, then apply bold formatting to that specific range. It’s tedious but that’s how it works. You could also use Google Apps Script to parse HTML and convert it to proper Docs API calls, but that adds more complexity.
Been there! Google Docs API won’t take HTML markup directly - it’s frustrating. Skip the batchUpdate calls, they’re a nightmare. Use Google Apps Script as a middleman. Write a simple script that takes your HTML via webhook, parses it with the built-in functions, then formats everything through the Document service. Deploy it as a web app and hit it from n8n with an HTTP request node. It works effectively and can be reused for other workflows. Takes about 30 minutes to build, but you’ll save hours debugging those messy API calls.
Had this exact problem a few months ago with automated reports. Google Docs API strips all HTML tags when you insert content - that’s just how it works, not a bug. Don’t waste time with batchUpdate or complex workarounds. Create a new doc from your HTML using Google Drive API first, then use importRange or document merge. What actually saved me hours: convert the newsletter HTML to PDF with a PDF generation node, then embed it as an image or attachment in your Google Doc. You can’t edit the text later, but all your formatting stays perfect.