How to Convert PDF to Word (and Keep the Layout)

A PDF is made for reading and printing, not editing. When you need to change a contract, update a CV or reuse text from a report, the easiest route is to turn the PDF into a Word document (DOCX), edit it, and save it back as a PDF if you need to.

Convert PDF to Word online

This works on any computer or phone, with nothing to install:

1. Open the PDF to Word converter.
2. Drag your PDF onto the page, or click Choose Files. You can add up to 20 files at once.
3. Check that the format next to each file says DOCX.
4. Click Convert, then Download on the next page.

No account is needed. Your original PDF is deleted from our servers as soon as the conversion finishes, and the Word file is removed within about an hour, so download it straight away.

If the PDF is online, you don't need to download it first: click Paste URL and paste the link to the file instead.

In Microsoft Word

Word 2013 and later can open a PDF directly:

1. In Word, choose File › Open and pick the PDF.
2. Word warns that it will convert the PDF. Click OK.
3. Save the result as a Word document.

This is fine for simple text documents. Word rebuilds the layout itself, so pages with tables, columns or many images often shift. If that happens, use the online converter above instead.

In Google Docs

1. Upload the PDF to Google Drive.
2. Right-click it and choose Open with › Google Docs.
3. Use File › Download › Microsoft Word (.docx) to get a Word file.

Google Docs keeps the text but drops most of the formatting, so it suits short documents where only the words matter.

Scanned PDFs need OCR first

If you can't select the text in your PDF, it's a scan: each page is a picture. Converting a picture to Word gives you a picture in Word, not editable text.

Run it through the OCR converter first. It recognises the letters on the page and gives you text you can edit. Clear, straight scans at 300 DPI give the best results.

Check the document before you edit

A quick check saves time later:

• Fonts: if a font isn't installed on your computer, Word swaps in a similar one. Install the font or pick a replacement.
• Tables: click inside a table to confirm it's a real Word table, not separate text boxes.
• Page breaks: scroll through once to make sure nothing has moved to the wrong page.

When you're finished, you can turn the document back into a PDF with the Word to PDF converter.