How to convert a PDF to an editable Word document
Updated 21 October 2026
Tool for this guide: PDF to Word
Short answer: open PDF to Word and add your PDF. The text of every page is written into a Word document (.docx) that opens in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice and Pages. Headings keep their size, bold stays bold, and each PDF page starts a new page.
What converts well
| PDF type | Result |
|---|---|
| Reports, letters, contracts, CVs made in Word or Docs | Very good: clean, editable paragraphs |
| Ebooks and articles | Good |
| Multi-column layouts, tables, text over images | Text comes out as plain paragraphs; check the layout |
| Scanned pages (photos of paper) | No text to read; see below |
Images aren't copied into the Word file.
Step by step
- Open PDF to Word and add the PDF.
- Wait while each page is read.
- Download the .docx and open it in your word processor.
There's no sign-up, page limit or watermark, and the PDF is converted in your browser.
Scanned PDFs
A scanned PDF stores pictures of pages, not text. To get editable text:
- Save the pages as images with PDF to JPG at 300 DPI.
- Read the text with image to text (OCR).
- Paste it into your document.
After converting
- Check headings, lists and tables, which may need tidying.
- Use compare text to check a revised version against the original.
- Save back to PDF from Word with File → Save as → PDF.
Questions
Is it free?
Yes. There's no sign-up, page limit or watermark.
Can I convert password-protected PDFs?
Remove the password first with unlock PDF, then convert.
Why is my Word document empty?
The PDF is probably a scan. Follow the scanned PDF steps above.
Try it now
Turn a PDF into an editable Word (.docx) file. Text, headings and bold type are kept, and each page starts a new page.
Open pdf to word