Convert a PDF File Natively in Microsoft Wordby Avantix Learning Team | Updated October 9, 2021 Show Applies to: Microsoft® Word® 2013, 2016, 2019 or 365 (Windows) You can convert a PDF to Word natively in Microsoft Word for free. You don't need to download or use any third party programs (like Adobe Acrobat Pro). If you have Microsoft Word 2013 or a later version, you can convert a PDF (portable document format) file to Word with a couple of clicks and edit the PDF in Word. Recommended article: How to Keep Text Together in Microsoft Word Do you want to learn more about Microsoft Word? Check out our virtual classroom or live classroom Word courses > Converting a PDF to WordTo convert a PDF to Word (natively using only Word):
The following dialog box appears when you open a PDF and after enabling content: Issues and limitationsDocuments that were originally created in Microsoft Word and then saved as a PDF tend to convert fairly well. Tables may not convert as expected and may need to be reformatted. Documents that were scanned as a PDF will likely convert as an image, not an editable document. Be sure to check for page breaks in the wrong location and to run a spell check. Subscribe to get more articles like this oneDid you find this article helpful? If you would like to receive new articles, join our email list. More resources14+ Word Selection Shortcuts to Quickly Select Text How to Add Page Numbers Word Documents (Step-by-Step) How to Create, Edit, Use and Save Templates in Microsoft Word 10 Microsoft Word Navigation Shortcuts for Moving Around Faster How to Create a Table of Contents in Microsoft Word (Insert, Format and Update a TOC) Related coursesMicrosoft Word: Intermediate / Advanced Microsoft Excel: Intermediate / Advanced Microsoft PowerPoint: Intermediate / Advanced Microsoft Word: Long Documents Master Class Microsoft Word: Styles, Templates and Tables of Contents Microsoft Word: Designing Dynamic Word Documents Using Fields VIEW MORE COURSES > Our instructor-led courses are delivered in virtual classroom format or at our downtown Toronto location at 18 King Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (some in-person classroom courses may also be delivered at an alternate downtown Toronto location). Contact us at if you'd like to arrange custom instructor-led virtual classroom or onsite training on a date that's convenient for you. Copyright 2022 Avantix® Learning Microsoft, the Microsoft logo, Microsoft Office and related Microsoft applications and logos are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in Canada, US and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of the registered owners. Avantix Learning |18 King Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 1C4 | Contact us at PDFs are often used when distributing documents so that they’re seen the same way by all parties. Because they’re designed in this way, they can be quite difficult to edit. You may want to convert your PDF to a Word document so that you can make changes to your text more easily. Convert a PDF to a Word Document Using Acrobat DC or Acrobat Reader DCAdobe’s own Acrobat DC and Acrobat Reader DC both offer an easy way to convert PDF files to Word documents. The bad news is that it ain’t free. The full Acrobat DC has a standard version (Windows only) that runs $12.99 per month and a pro version (Windows and Mac) that runs $14.99 per month. And both require an annual commitment. Pretty overkill if all you need to do is convert a PDF to Word format once in a while. But if you already have Acrobat DC, then you should use that convert your PDFs. Acrobat Reader DC, on the other hand is free, but you’ll need to pony up a $1.99 per month fee if you want it to be able to convert PDFs to other formats, like Word. If it’s something you need to do regularly, that fee is probably worth it because using Acrobat is the most reliable way to change your PDFs to Word documents, since it tends to maintain formatting pretty well. We’re going to look at using the full Acrobat DC to make the conversion in our example here. If you’re using Acrobat Reader DC, the process is pretty much the same. You just won’t have quite as many formats to which you can convert. Both support Word, though. First, open up the PDF in Acrobat. Over on the right side of the window, click the “Export PDF” command. Next, select the “Microsoft Word” option on the left. On the right, selecting “Word Document” converts the PDF to a modern Word document in the DOCX format. Selecting “Word 97-2003 Document” converts the PDF to the older DOC format. When you’ve made your choice, click the “Export” button. On the next screen, choose where you want to save your new Word document. Type a name for the document, and then click the “Save” button. Your PDF is now saved as a Word document, so pop it open in Word and get to editing. You can also convert your PDF to a Word document using just Microsoft Word. Converting in Word often leads to style and formatting issues, so it’s not always the most reliable method. However, it certainly works well enough for simple documents or when you just need to get stuff into an editable format. Click “File” on the Word ribbon. In the sidebar that opens, click the “Open” button. On the Open page, browse to wherever your PDF is stored (This PC, OneDrive, whatever). Locate and select your PDF, and then click the “Open” button. A warning pop ups, indicating that your new document may lose some of the formatting it had as a PDF. Don’t worry. Your original PDF will remain intact; this is just letting you know that the new Word document you’re creating from the PDF might not look exactly the same. Click the “OK” button. Word converts the PDF and opens up your new Word document right away. Convert a PDF to a Word Document Using Google DocsGoogle Docs provides another safe and reliable way to convert your PDF to a Word document. It’s a two-step process where you first convert the file to a Google Docs document, and then convert it to a Word document—so you’ll probably lose some formatting along the way. If you have Word, you’re really better off just doing it in Word. But, this method can be useful if you don’t have Word, but need to convert a PDF to a Word document you plan to send along to someone else. Open up your Google Drive, and then click the “New” button. Click the “File Upload” option. Locate your PDF file, and then click the “Open” button. Your new file will now appear in your Google Drive. Next, right click your file in Google Drive, click the “Open With” menu, and then click the “Google Docs” option. Your file is now open as a Google Doc document. Now, click the “File” menu. Click the “Download As” menu, and then click the “Word Document (.docx)” option. Your Google Docs file will be converted to Word format and downloaded to your local PC as a Word document. READ NEXT
|