PDFViewerConvert PDF to Word (DOCX)
To convert PDF to Word, open the PDF directly in Microsoft Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice and save it as DOCX; a scanned PDF needs OCR first. PDF Viewer on this site does not convert PDF to Word: it opens, annotates and OCRs PDFs in your browser. This guide covers the methods that actually work and what each one loses.
Text PDF or scanned PDF? Check before you convert
Every PDF to Word method depends on one thing: whether the PDF contains real text or only a picture of text. A PDF exported from Word, a web page or an invoicing app has a text layer. A PDF from a scanner or a phone camera is a stack of images, and a converter has nothing to read.
Quick test: open the file in the viewer and press Ctrl+F. If a word from the page is found, you have a text PDF and any method below works. If nothing is found, run OCR on the PDF first. It adds an invisible text layer in the browser (nothing uploaded, slow on long scans), and the downloaded copy converts like a normal PDF. The layout of OCR output is rougher than native text, so expect more cleanup in Word.
Which PDF to Word method for which case
| Case | Best method | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You have Microsoft 365 or Word 2013+ | Word's Open PDF | Built in, best layout reconstruction of the free options |
| No Word, any OS | Google Docs | Free, works in a browser, good for plain text documents |
| No Word, no upload allowed | LibreOffice Writer or Draw | Runs locally, keeps positions but makes text boxes |
| Complex layout, tables, columns | Adobe Acrobat Export PDF | Best fidelity, paid subscription |
| Only need the text | Copy from the viewer or PDF to text | No formatting to fight |
| Scanned pages | OCR first, then any method | Converters cannot read images |
Main method: open the PDF in Microsoft Word
Word has had a PDF import since Word 2013 (Microsoft calls it PDF Reflow). It rebuilds the document from the PDF's text and images.
- Open Word, choose File, Open, and pick the PDF (or right-click the file, Open with, Word).
- Word warns that it will convert the PDF into an editable document and that the result may not look exactly like the original. Click OK.
- Wait. Long or image-heavy PDFs take a minute.
- Check headings, lists and tables, then File, Save As, and pick Word Document (.docx).
Google Docs: upload the PDF to Google Drive, right-click it, Open with, Google Docs, then File, Download, Microsoft Word. LibreOffice: File, Open on the PDF opens it in Draw with each line as a text box; for flowing text, install the free Writer PDF import or paste the text into Writer instead. Acrobat: File, Export To, Microsoft Word.
Online converters (Smallpdf, iLovePDF, Adobe's web converter) give similar results, but the file is uploaded to their servers. Skip them for contracts, medical or HR documents unless the policy of the site is acceptable to you.
What gets lost when you convert PDF to Word
- Fonts. PDFs embed subsets of fonts; Word substitutes with whatever is installed, so line breaks and page breaks shift.
- Layout. Multi-column pages, text wrapped around images and footnotes often come back as text boxes or merged columns.
- Tables. Tables drawn with lines convert well; tables made of spaces become tabbed text.
- Images. Vector graphics may rasterize or split; logos frequently lose transparency.
- Annotations. Highlights and comments added in a viewer are usually dropped.
If the PDF is a form, converting it to Word rarely helps; see how to fill out a PDF form instead. If you only need to fix a few words, consider editing text on the PDF directly.
PDF to Word on Mac, iPhone and Android
On a Mac, Word for Mac imports PDFs through File, Open just like the Windows version. Pages does not open PDFs, and Preview cannot export DOCX, so without Word the realistic choices are Google Docs in Safari or LibreOffice installed from its website. Both are free.
On an iPhone or iPad, the Word app opens PDFs in a read-only view; converting them to an editable document requires a Microsoft 365 subscription inside the app. The Google Docs app can open a PDF from Drive and offer Open with Google Docs, which gives a plain-text version with minimal layout. On Android the same Google Docs route works, and Microsoft 365 for Android behaves like the iPhone app. For anything longer than a page, do the conversion on a computer and send the DOCX to the phone; the small-screen converters cut corners on tables and images.
Check the result
After saving the DOCX, export it back to PDF from Word (File, Save As, PDF) and open both files side by side in the online PDF viewer. Compare page count, headings and table columns; the thumbnails sidebar makes it quick to spot pages that reflowed. Nothing is uploaded, so this check is safe even for confidential files.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert PDF to Word for free?
Open the PDF in Microsoft Word (File, Open) or in Google Docs (Open with, Google Docs) and save it as DOCX. Both are free of extra tools; Word needs a license, Google Docs needs a Google account.
How to convert PDF to Word without losing formatting?
Use Word's own PDF import or Acrobat's Export PDF on a text PDF, and install the fonts the PDF uses before converting. Some reflow is unavoidable; fix it in Word afterward.
Can I convert a scanned PDF to Word?
Yes, but only after OCR. Run OCR on the scan (the viewer on this site does it in the browser), download the searchable copy, then open it in Word.
How to convert PDF to Word on Mac?
Word for Mac opens PDFs the same way as on Windows (File, Open). Without Word, use Google Docs or LibreOffice; Preview does not export to DOCX.
Does this PDF viewer convert PDF to Word?
No. It opens, annotates, OCRs and merges PDFs in the browser without uploading. For DOCX output use Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice or Acrobat.
Why does my converted Word file look different from the PDF?
Because the PDF stores positioned glyphs, not paragraphs. The converter guesses the paragraph structure and substitutes missing fonts, which changes line and page breaks.