PDF to Word Converter
Get the text, tables and pictures out of a PDF and into a Word document where you can type, delete and restyle like any other file. Works on digital PDFs and on scans, which are read with OCR before the Word file is built.
PDF Converter
or drop PDF files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
Scanned PDFs are pictures of pages. Auto runs OCR only on pages without a text layer; On forces it for every page.
The language printed in the scan. Picking the right one noticeably improves accuracy for accents and non-Latin scripts.
Flowing text reflows into normal paragraphs that are easy to edit. Exact layout places every block where it was, which looks identical but is harder to edit.
Where detected tables go in the workbook.
Page numbers or ranges separated by commas, e.g. 1-3, 5, 8-10.
How to use this tool
- 1
Upload the PDF
Drop one PDF or up to 20 at once onto the upload area, or pick them from your device. Each file can be up to 95 MB.
- 2
Leave OCR on Auto
Text recognition (OCR) set to Auto reads only the pages that have no text layer. If the scan is not in English, open Advanced settings and choose the Document language before you start.
- 3
Convert and open in Word
Press Convert to DOCX (Word) and download the result. It opens in Word, LibreOffice Writer, Pages and Google Docs without a plugin.
Why you cannot just edit the PDF
PDF was designed by Adobe in 1993 to print the same way on every machine, and it became the open standard ISO 32000 in 2008. To guarantee that, a PDF stores each line of text as glyphs placed at fixed coordinates. There is no paragraph that knows it should rewrap when you add a word, which is why PDF editors feel clumsy for anything beyond a typo.
Word works the other way around: it stores paragraphs, styles and tables, and decides where the lines break each time you open the file. Converting PDF to Word means rebuilding that structure from the positions on the page: which lines belong to one paragraph, which text is a heading, which grid of words is a table.
Once your edits are done, you will usually want a PDF again for sending. Word to PDF turns the document back into a fixed file that looks the same on any screen.
Flowing text or exact layout: which to choose
| Flowing text (default here) | Exact layout | |
|---|---|---|
| How text is stored | Normal paragraphs that rewrap | Positioned text boxes and frames |
| Looks like the PDF | Close, spacing may shift | Nearly identical |
| Editing long passages | Easy | Awkward, boxes overlap when text grows |
| Best for | Contracts, essays, reports, resumes | Brochures, forms, multi-column layouts |
| Tables | Rebuilt as Word tables | Rebuilt as Word tables inside frames |
Portable Document Format
PDF was created by Adobe in 1993 and became the open ISO 32000 standard in 2008. It fixes text, fonts, images and layout so a document looks the same on every screen and printer. PDFs can contain forms, signatures, links, attachments and searchable text, and the PDF/A variant is used for long-term archiving. The fixed layout makes PDFs hard to edit, and scanned PDFs contain only images unless OCR is applied. Every browser and operating system can open them.
- Compression
- –
- Transparency
- Yes
- Animation
- No
- Introduced
- 1993 · Adobe
DOCX
Microsoft Word document
DOCX is Microsoft Word's default document format since Office 2007, based on the Office Open XML standard (ECMA-376, ISO/IEC 29500). It is a ZIP package of XML files holding text, styles, images, tables, comments and tracked changes. It is the most common format for editable documents in offices, schools and job applications. Layout can shift slightly between Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice and Pages, especially with complex formatting. Most word processors open DOCX files.
- Compression
- –
- Transparency
- –
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- 2007 · Microsoft
People turn a PDF into Word because they need to change the words: fix a contract clause, update an old resume, or reuse a report whose original file was lost.
Convert a scanned PDF to Word with OCR
Detect the scan
On Auto, each page is checked for a text layer. Pages without one are sent to OCR; the rest are read directly.
Recognize the words
OCR reads the image in the language you picked, from English and Hindi to Arabic, Japanese or Ukrainian.
Build the Word file
Recognized lines are grouped into paragraphs and tables, then written to DOCX with the original images.
When the Word file does not come out right
Text comes out as gibberish or random symbols
The PDF uses fonts without a proper character map. Set Text recognition (OCR) to Always so the page is read as an image instead of trusting the broken text layer.
Accented letters or non-Latin script are wrong
Pick the correct Document language. OCR trained for English will guess at letters like ç, ő or Devanagari script.
Each line ends with a hard break
You probably used Exact layout. Convert again with Flowing text, which joins lines into paragraphs.
Password prompt or upload refused
Protected PDFs must be opened first. Remove the password with Unlock PDF, then convert.
PDF to Word questions
Can I convert a scanned PDF to Word and still edit the text?
Yes. A scanned page is a photograph of paper, so the converter runs OCR on it first and writes the recognized words as real text into the Word file. Accuracy depends on the scan: clean 300 dpi black-on-white pages come out close to perfect, while photos taken at an angle or faded fax copies need proofreading.
Why does my converted Word file look slightly different from the PDF?
A PDF fixes every character to a position on the page; Word flows text into paragraphs that rewrap when you edit. With Flowing text the converter rebuilds paragraphs, so line breaks and spacing can shift a little. If the page must look identical, switch Layout to Exact layout, at the cost of text boxes that are harder to edit.
Does Word itself open PDFs?
Word 2013 and later can open a PDF directly and convert it with a feature Microsoft calls PDF Reflow. It handles simple text documents well but often turns complex pages into floating text boxes and offers no OCR language choice for scans.
Is there any difference between this page and PDF to DOCX?
The output file is the same Word format. This page is set up for people who want to edit the content, so it defaults to flowing text. PDF to DOCX starts in exact layout and explains the DOCX format, compatibility mode and older Word versions.
Can I convert only some pages?
Open Advanced settings, set Pages to convert to Selected pages and type a range such as 1-3, 7, 10-12. Converting only the chapter you need is faster and gives a smaller, cleaner document.
What happens to my file after conversion?
Uploads and results are deleted automatically 30 minutes after processing, and you do not need an account. The how it works page describes the whole path a file takes.
Other PDF conversions
- PDF to DOCX ConverterConvert PDF to a DOCX file that opens in Word 2007 and later, LibreOffice and Google Docs. Exact layout by default, OCR for scans, no account needed.
- PDF to Google Docs ConverterTurn a PDF into a file Google Docs opens with headings, tables and images intact, even scans and PDFs over 2 MB that Drive's own conversion skips.
- PDF to Text ConverterExtract the words from any PDF as a clean UTF-8 text file. Scans are read with OCR, page ranges are optional, and nothing but the text is kept.
- Word to PDF ConverterConvert Microsoft Word documents to PDF online for free. Fonts embedded, headings become bookmarks, comments left out. Up to 20 files, deleted after 30 minutes.
- PDF to Excel ConverterConvert PDF tables, invoices and bank statements to an Excel spreadsheet. Each table lands on its own sheet with numbers in real cells. Free, no sign-up.
- DOC to PDFConvert legacy .doc files from Word 97–2003 to PDF or archival PDF/A. No Office needed, fonts embedded, 20 files per batch, deleted after 30 minutes.
