A file marked available offline and a downloaded copy serve different purposes. Offline access lets you continue working with the Drive file and synchronize edits when connected again. Download creates a separate file. Editing that download does not automatically update the original Google document.
Prepare the right version
For Docs, Sheets and Slides on a computer, Google documents offline access through Chrome or Edge, outside private browsing, with the Google Docs Offline extension and enough local space. Enable offline access while connected, mark the required document available offline and use Offline preview to check it. An administrator may restrict the feature.
For a separate handout, open the document and choose File → Download, then select the required format. Check that the saved DOCX or PDF opens in the intended local application. A PDF preserves a different kind of result from an editable Word copy; neither is a live link to the Google document.
Test before leaving the connection
Use a harmless sample document. Make one offline edit, reconnect and confirm that it appears in the original. Then edit a downloaded copy and confirm which file changed. Record the copy’s date and location before sharing it. Offline availability is convenient working storage, not an independent backup: synchronized mistakes can still reach the cloud file.