Convert a PDF to an editable Word document
Turn a PDF into a .docx file you can edit in Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice. Add the PDF and the conversion target is selected for you.
PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint or OpenDocument
Word, Excel and PowerPoint convert to PDF exactly as they would print.
What converts well and what does not
A PDF that was exported from a word processor converts cleanly, because the text, fonts and paragraph structure are all still in the file and simply need re-expressing in Word’s format. A PDF built from a scan converts poorly, because there is no text in it to recover — only a picture of text. If your PDF is a scan, the text recognition tool is the right starting point instead.
Why the layout shifts slightly
PDF and Word solve opposite problems. A PDF fixes every character in an exact position on a fixed page; a Word document describes flowing content that rearranges itself as you type. Converting from the first to the second means reconstructing paragraphs, columns and tables from absolute coordinates, and that reconstruction is a well-informed guess. Expect the text to be right and the layout to need a tidy, particularly around tables, footnotes and multi-column pages.
Fonts and why they matter
If the PDF uses a font that is not installed wherever you open the .docx, your reader will substitute something else, and the substitute rarely has identical letter widths. That alone can push line breaks around and make a converted document look wrong when the conversion itself was fine. Sticking to common fonts in the original, where you have the choice, avoids most of it.
Frequently asked questions
Will the formatting be identical to the PDF?
Close, but rarely identical, and that is inherent to the conversion rather than a defect. The text comes across accurately; headings, spacing and tables usually need a few minutes of tidying. Complex layouts need more.
Can I convert a scanned PDF this way?
You will get a Word file containing images of the pages rather than editable text, which is almost certainly not what you wanted. Use the text recognition tool on the scan first, then paste the recognised text into a new document.
What if my PDF is password-protected?
It cannot be converted while it is locked. Open it with the password in a PDF reader, save an unprotected copy, and convert that. A tool that could bypass the protection would be defeating the point of it.