How to convert a PDF to Word
Converting a PDF back to Word lets you edit it freely. Here’s how, and how to know whether your PDF will convert cleanly.
Convert PDF to Word online
- 1Open PDF to Word and choose your file.
- 2Click Convert to Word.
- 3Download the DOCX and open it in Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice.
Will it convert well?
A PDF that was created from a word processor — you can select its text — usually converts well. A scanned PDF is a set of pictures: there’s no text inside to convert, so it would need OCR first.
Why the layout sometimes shifts
PDFs record where every letter sits on the page, not paragraphs and styles. The converter rebuilds paragraphs from those positions, so multi-column layouts, text boxes and complex tables may need tidying.
Only need a small change?
If you just need to fix a word or add a line, the PDF Editor is quicker: change the text in place and download the PDF, without converting back and forth.