Convert PDF to Word
Why convert from PDF to Microsoft Word? It makes your PDF files editable. Copy text, edit PDFs, and more.
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Extract text from a scan, turn a document into an office file, or build a searchable PDF. Pick an app and go.
What the PDF to Word converter gives you
Why convert PDF to Word
Convert PDF pages into editable Word files.
Text you can edit, not a picture of it
A PDF fixes every line to the page. Converting PDF to Word hands you a document you can retype, restructure, and reuse in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or LibreOffice.
Scanned pages become real text
Leave the conversion method on OCR and the converter reads the letters off each scanned page. What arrives in Word is text you can search and correct, not an image of a page.
The layout comes across with it
Headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, and images are rebuilt in the Word file. Layout mode keeps the arrangement of the page instead of pouring everything into one column.
Convert a scanned PDF to Word with OCR
Scanned pages are pictures, so a plain conversion would put those pictures into your Word file. Keep Conversion Method on Convert with OCR and text recognition reads the characters off every page first, then writes them into the Word document as text you can edit.
There is a quick way to tell which kind of PDF you have. Open it and try to select a line of text. If the line highlights, the file already carries its text and needs no OCR. If nothing highlights, the page is an image and OCR is the setting you want.
OCR is on by default, so a scanned PDF needs no setup. A PDF exported from Word, LaTeX, or a publishing tool already holds its exact text, and converting it without OCR keeps every character as it was written. Running OCR over it is slower and can only estimate text the file already contains, so switch to Convert for a file like that.
Inputs are PDF files. Add several at once and each one comes back as its own Word document.
Choose what the text recognition gets right
OCR Method has two settings and they pull in different directions. Layout keeps the arrangement of the page, which suits forms, tables, and anything set in columns. Text recognition puts character accuracy first and is the better pick for dense, faint, or awkward scans.
OCR Language changes the result more than any other setting. Pick the languages your document is written in from a list of 123, and the recognition uses them to decide between characters that look alike. Select several when a document mixes languages.
What is the difference between DOC and DOCX?
DOC is the document file format introduced by Microsoft Word and uses the .DOC file extension. In addition to text, these files can also contain hyperlinks, images, graphics, tables, advanced formatting, and other elements.
With Microsoft Office 2007, the .DOCX file extension was introduced. It uses the Microsoft Office Open XML international standard, which makes the format more accessible and usable.
While newer versions of Microsoft Word can open the older DOC format, DOCX files cannot be opened in older versions. If they can be opened, the formatting may be incorrect or parts of the document may be missing.
Pick DOCX unless the Word file has to open in Word 2003 or older.
Which setting fits your PDF
The conversion method is the one choice that really changes the result. This is what each kind of PDF needs.
| Your PDF | Conversion method | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Text-based PDF | Convert | The original text, unchanged |
| Scanned pages | Convert with OCR | Text you can edit in Word |
| Columns, tables, or forms | OCR, Layout method | The page arrangement kept |
| Faint or crooked scans | OCR, Text recognition method | The most accurate characters |
| Password protected | Not supported | A protected PDF cannot be converted |
DOCX or DOC is a separate choice and applies to every one of these.
How to convert a PDF to Word
Learn how to convert PDF to Word
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Upload
Upload your PDF document above.
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Options
Choose the Microsoft Word version you need.
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Adjust
Optional: Improve the result by choosing the OCR method, specifying the source text's language, and more.
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Convert
Click "Start".
PDF to Word FAQ
Can I convert a PDF to Word with OCR for free?
Yes. The PDF to Word converter is free and needs no account. Upload the PDF, choose DOCX or DOC, keep the conversion method on Convert with OCR, and download the Word file. A subscription only adds larger uploads, longer batches, and priority processing.
How do I convert a scanned PDF to Word?
Upload the scanned PDF, keep Conversion Method on Convert with OCR, and pick the language the document is written in. Text recognition reads the characters off each page and writes them into the Word file as editable text.
What does OCR do in a PDF to Word conversion?
What is OCR? Optical character recognition is used to identify letters, numbers, or special characters in a scanned document or image. Using an OCR converter, you can extract the text from such files so you can change, edit, print, or save it.
Can ChatGPT OCR a PDF?
A chat assistant can read a PDF and repeat text back to you in the chat window. That helps with a question about a document and less so when you need the whole file: long documents get summarized rather than transcribed, and headings, tables, and images are not rebuilt. This converter runs recognition over every page and returns a Word file you can open and edit.
Will the formatting survive when I convert PDF to Word?
Headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, and images are rebuilt in the Word file. Heavy page design travels less well: multi-column pages, unusual fonts, and page furniture such as headers and footers can land in a different place. Layout mode keeps the result closest to the original.
Should I choose DOCX or DOC?
Choose DOCX. It is the format Microsoft Word has used since 2007, and Google Docs, LibreOffice, and Pages all open it. Choose DOC only when the file has to open in Word 2003 or older.
Which languages can the text recognition read?
123 source languages are on the list, from Arabic, Chinese, and Hindi to Polish, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Select every language your document contains before you start, because the recognition uses that to tell similar characters apart.
Can I convert several PDFs to Word at once?
Yes. Add as many PDFs as you need and they are converted in one go, each returned as its own Word document with the same settings applied.
Why did my PDF to Word conversion fail?
Two things cause most failures. A PDF that is password protected or otherwise restricted cannot be converted, and a damaged file cannot be read at all. Check that the PDF opens normally on your own computer, and that it is inside the 50 MB free upload limit.
Is my PDF safe when I convert it to Word?
Every upload and download runs over an encrypted connection, and files are stored on servers with full-disk encryption. The conversion is fully automated, so nobody reads your document, nothing is shared with third parties, and your files are never used to train AI models. You keep the copyright and ownership of both the PDF and the Word file.
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