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PDF to Word

Turn a PDF into an editable .docx document, built in this tab.

PDF to Word

Never uploaded

Your file is processed in this tab and never sent anywhere.

How to pdf to word

  1. Drop the PDF. The text layer is read and paragraphs are reconstructed.
  2. Check the preview. See what will end up in the document before you download it.
  3. Download the .docx. Opens in Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, and Pages.

About pdf to word

PDF to Word is the most searched PDF conversion there is, and it is also the one with the widest gap between what people expect and what is possible. The expectation is that a PDF turns back into the Word document it came from. It cannot, because that document no longer exists inside the file. A PDF records where marks sit on a page. It does not record that this run of text was a level-two heading in a numbered style, or that this block was a table with merged cells.

So what any converter does is reconstruct. This one reads the text layer with PDF.js, groups fragments into lines by vertical position, groups lines into paragraphs by spacing and indentation, and writes a genuine .docx — a real Office Open XML package, zipped in the browser with fflate, not a renamed text file. It opens in Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, and Pages, and the text is fully editable.

What comes across well: the words, paragraph breaks, and reading order for ordinary single-column prose. Reports, letters, articles, and contracts convert cleanly and are immediately editable. What does not come across: precise fonts and sizes, images, columns, tables as tables, headers and footers, and any layout that depended on absolute positioning. Complex layouts produce a document containing the right text in a plain shape, which is usually a better starting point than retyping and is worth being upfront about.

The same limit as text extraction applies and it is the single most common disappointment. A scanned PDF has no text layer, so there is nothing to convert and you will get an empty document. If you can select text in your PDF viewer, this will work. If you cannot, the file is a picture of a page and you need OCR first. Try selecting a sentence in your reader before converting — it takes two seconds and tells you exactly what will happen.

What converts, and what does not

ElementResultNote
Body textPreservedFully editable in Word
Paragraph breaksReconstructedFrom line spacing and indentation
HeadingsAs plain paragraphsStyle information is not stored in a PDF
TablesAs text linesCell structure is not recoverable from position alone
ImagesNot includedUse Extract PDF images to get them separately
ColumnsFlattenedReading order may need manual fixing
Scanned pagesEmptyNo text layer — needs OCR first

PDF to Word FAQ

Why is my converted Word document empty?

The PDF is a scan with no text layer. Try selecting text in your PDF viewer — if you cannot, there is nothing to convert and you need OCR first.

Will the formatting look the same as the PDF?

No. A PDF stores mark positions, not styles, so fonts, headings, and layout cannot be recovered exactly. You get the correct text in a clean, plain shape.

Do tables convert as tables?

No. Table structure is not stored in a PDF in a recoverable way, so table content arrives as text lines. For tabular data specifically, PDF to Excel does a better job of reconstructing rows and columns.

Are images included in the Word file?

Not currently. Use Extract PDF images to pull the pictures out separately, then insert them where you need them.

Is this a real .docx file?

Yes. It is a proper Office Open XML package built and zipped in your browser. It opens in Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, and Pages.

Is my document uploaded to convert it?

No. Text extraction and document generation both happen in this browser tab. Nothing is transmitted.

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