How to Convert a PDF to an Editable Word Document
Open PDF to WordFree · works in your browser · no upload→You received a PDF but need to change the text: update a CV, reuse paragraphs from a report, or fix a typo in a letter. Converting it to Word (DOCX) makes the text editable again.
Convert in your browser
- Open PDF to Word and add your PDF.
- Choose Word (.docx) or plain text.
- Press Convert to Word and open the result in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, WPS or Pages.
Paragraphs and headings are kept, and right-to-left text such as Arabic and Urdu is written in the correct direction. The conversion runs on your device, so the document isn't uploaded.
What converts well, and what doesn't
| Converts well | Needs extra work |
|---|---|
| Letters, reports, articles, CVs made in Word | Complex layouts with many columns and text boxes |
| Headings and paragraphs | Tables (the text comes across; you may need to rebuild the table) |
| Arabic, Urdu and other languages | Images and decorative graphics |
For documents where the exact layout matters, it's often faster to convert, then reapply the styling in Word.
Scanned PDFs
A scan is a picture of a page, so there is no text to extract. You need OCR (optical character recognition). A free option: upload the PDF to Google Drive, right-click it and choose Open with → Google Docs. Google runs OCR and opens the text as an editable document. Check names and numbers carefully afterwards; OCR makes mistakes.
If you only need the pages as pictures, use PDF to JPG instead.
Built-in alternatives
- Microsoft Word (2013 and later) can open a PDF directly: File → Open, choose the PDF, and Word converts it.
- Google Docs converts PDFs uploaded to Drive, as described above.