PDF to Word Converter

PDF is designed to be read, not edited. Converting to Word gives you a .docx file you can change in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice or Pages.

How well it works depends on how the PDF was made. A PDF exported from Word or another text program contains real text and usually converts well.

A scanned PDF is different, because each page is a photo of paper. The text has to be recognised with OCR before it can be edited.

Simple layouts convert best: one column of text with headings, lists and a few images. Multi-column newsletters, forms and designs with text boxes are harder and often need tidying.

Tables usually come across as Word tables, though merged cells and borders may need small fixes.

Fonts are matched to what is installed on your computer. If the PDF used a special font, Word may substitute a similar one, which can change spacing.

After converting, turn on formatting marks in Word with the pilcrow button. Stray line breaks and spaces are the most common clean-up job, and the marks make them easy to see.

Only convert documents you have the right to edit. Contracts and official forms should usually be changed by whoever issued them.

Google Docs can open PDFs too, but it often drops images and layout. A dedicated converter usually keeps more of the original.

When you finish editing, Word to PDF turns the document back into a PDF for sharing.