How to Convert PDF to Word

Need to edit a PDF but can't change the text? The fastest fix is to convert the PDF into a Word document, make your changes there, and turn it back into a PDF when you are done. Below are three free ways to do it: our online converter, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs.

Convert PDF to Word online (keeps the formatting)

Our free PDF to Word converter extracts the text, images, and even scanned pages from your PDF and rebuilds them as an editable Word document:

1. Choose the PDF you want to convert, or drag and drop it onto the page.
2. Wait a few seconds while the converter processes the file.
3. Download the .docx file and open it in Word to edit.

Layout, page breaks, line breaks, and margins survive the conversion, so you rarely need to fix anything by hand. Uploaded files are deleted from our servers after processing, which keeps your information private.

When you finish editing, run the document through the free Word to PDF converter to get a clean PDF back:

1. Choose the Word file you want to convert.
2. In seconds, your document is converted back into a PDF file.
3. Download the finished PDF.

Convert PDF to Word using Microsoft Word

Word can open PDFs directly and convert them on the fly:

1. Find the PDF on your computer and right-click it.
2. Select "Open with" and click "Word".
3. Click "OK" when Word offers to convert the PDF into an editable document.
4. Edit the document, then click "File", "Save As" and choose "PDF" to save it back.

This is convenient if you already own Word, but the conversion is rough on complex layouts: line breaks, page breaks, images, and margins often shift, and tables can fall apart. Expect manual cleanup on anything beyond plain text.

Convert PDF to Word using Google Docs

Google Docs is free with any Google account and works in the browser:

1. Go to docs.google.com and sign in.
2. Click "Upload" and select the PDF you want to convert.
3. Once uploaded, click "Open with" and choose "Google Docs".
4. Click "File", then "Download", then "Microsoft Word (.docx)".

Quick and free, but Google Docs does not keep the PDF's photos or images, and the formatting often comes out choppy, with uneven margins. It is fine in a pinch for simple, text-only documents.

Which method keeps the formatting best?

If the document contains images, tables, or careful layout, use the online converter: it is built for exactly this job and returns a Word file that mirrors the original PDF. Word and Google Docs are workable fallbacks for plain text when you are offline or prefer to stay inside one app.