How to turn PDF to Word document?

Do you need to convert PDF to Word, but you don’t have any suitable tools on your computer? Have you tried to download a program to convert PDF documents to DOC, but the result you got was bordering on disastrous? Don’t despair. I really believe I have the solution to your problem. Indeed, more than one solution! Then how to turn your PDF to a word document?

There are several suitable programs, both for Windows and for macOS, as well as online services that work directly via the browser without having to download anything on the computer and apps for smartphones and tablets ad hoc. In short, as you can see for yourself, you are spoiled for choice.

Preliminary information

Before getting to the heart of the guide and, therefore, before going to explain how to transform PDF into Word, there is some preliminary information about it that you need to know.

You must know, in fact, that not all PDF documents converted into DOC or DOCX formats, that is, those of Word, can be edited freely. It all depends on how the PDFs were originally processed. More precisely, if the PDFs have been created starting from the scanning of images, they can only be edited by adding new elements, but unfortunately it is not possible to intervene directly on the text present in them.

If, on the other hand, it is a PDF composed of texts, these can be edited arbitrarily, adding new elements and modifying those already present, similarly to how it is possible to do with any Word document.

Read Also: How to edit PDF

Convert PDF to Word for free

Having made the necessary clarifications above, I would say that we can finally get to the heart of the guide and find out how to transform PDF into Word for free. Below, therefore, you will find those that, in my humble opinion, represent the best tools in the category available for Windows and macOS.

Microsoft Word (Windows / macOS)

The first tool that I recommend you use to transform PDF into Word is Word, the word processing program from Microsoft, which works on both Windows and macOS and is an integral part of the Office package. Perhaps not everyone knows this, but starting with the 2013 version of the Redmond home office suite it allows you to import PDFs, edit them (a basic OCR function is included) and save them as a DOC or DOCX file.

The only thing you have to keep in mind is that unfortunately Office and therefore Word are not free (the most recent version, which includes a subscription to Microsoft 365, has costs starting from 7 euros / month or from 69 euros / year). Fortunately, a 30-day trial period is available.

That said, to use Word for your purpose, all you have to do is start the program by selecting the relative link in the Windows Start menu or the icon located in the macOS Launchpad, then click on the File menu at the top on the left, select the item Open from the latter and open the PDF file of your interest.

Subsequently, click on the OK button (to accept any alterations to the layout of the file), click again on the File menu, select the option Save as from the latter and save the document by choosing the DOC or DOCX format.

Adobe Acrobat DC (Windows / macOS)

You can also carry out the operation described in this guide by using Adobe Acrobat DC, the official program for creating and editing PDFs made available by Adobe, the company that developed the format in question. It is usable on both Windows and macOS and works as a viewer, but it also includes many tools that allow you to make changes of various kinds to PDFs. Basically it is free, but some functions are available only by switching to the Pro version (which has a base cost of € 18.29), which you can however try at no cost for 7 days.

To transform PDF into Adobe Word, therefore, connected to the program website and click on the Download Acrobat Reader button.

When the download is complete, if you are using Windows, open the .exe file obtained and click on the Yes button in the window shown on the desktop. Then, wait for the download of the components necessary to run the program to complete, then press the Finish button.

If you are using macOS, on the other hand, open the .dmg package obtained and double-click on the .pkg file in the window that appears. Then, press the Continue button twice in a row, enter the Mac administration password, click the Install Software button and complete the setup by pressing the Close button.

Once the Acrobat Reader DC window appears on the screen, decide whether to make the software the default reader for PDFs or not, click on the File menu at the top left, select the Open item from the latter and indicate the PDF to convert in Word file.

After opening the PDF, select the Tools tab located at the top, click on the Open button located under the Export PDF heading, select the Microsoft Word Document (docx) option or the Microsoft Word 97-2003 Document (doc) option that you find in the drop-down menu Convert to and press the Export to Word button.

Doxillion Document Converter (Windows / macOS)

Another tool you can use to transform PDF to Word is Doxillion Document Converter. It is a free software (if used for personal use, while for commercial purposes the license must be purchased at a cost of $ 19.99), it works on both Windows and macOS and through which you can convert various types of documents into various formats, including PDF to DOC or DOCX. It also works in batches and is quite intuitive.

To download Doxillion Document Converter on your computer, visit its website and click the Download Doxillion PDF and Document Converter for Windows / mac OS X link above.

When the download is complete, if you are using Windows, open the .exe file obtained and, in the window that is shown on the desktop, click on the Yes button, select the item I accept the license conditions, press the Next button and wait for the setup to be concluded.

If you are using macOS and, therefore, you want to transform PDF into Word Mac, extract the .zip archive obtained in a position of your choice, open the .dmg package that is inside it and, in the window that is shown to you, click on the Accept button. Then, drag the program icon to the Mac Applications folder, right-click on it and select the Open item twice in a row, in order to start the software by going around the limitations imposed by Apple on non-certified developers ( operation that must be carried out only at the first execution).

Now that you see the Doxillion Document Converter main window on your screen, click on the Add Files button located at the top left and select the PDF files to convert. If you need to, you can also add an entire folder of files by clicking on the Add folder button.

After completing the above steps, select the .doc or .docx format from the Output Format drop-down menu at the bottom, click the Document Settings button to make any adjustments to the final file (you can change the orientation, update the metadata etc.) and start the conversion by pressing the Convert button at the bottom right.

By default, the output files are saved in the same location as the source files. To change this behavior, before starting the conversion click on the Browse Output Folder button next to Output Folder and indicate the destination location you prefer.

Turn PDF to Word online

Don’t want or can’t download and install new programs on your computer? In this case, I suggest you transform PDF into Word online, using the appropriate Web services running from any browser and operating system, such as those listed below.

PDF Candy PDF to Word

PDF Candy PDF to Word is a very fast and easy to use online service that allows you to transform PDFs into editable Word files (thanks to the OCR technology that is used on converted documents) from any device, even smartphones and tablets, since it works directly from the browser. It is also very safe, as it protects the privacy of users by storing files securely on its servers and deletes them within 2 hours of uploading.

To use PDF Candy PDF to Word you just need to connect to its main page and drag the file to convert onto it. Alternatively, you can click on the button to add files or, again, on the Google Drive and Dropbox logos to upload files from the cloud services in question. Once the file has been selected, wait a few seconds for the conversion to complete: you will then have the opportunity to download the file to your PC, upload it to Google Drive or Dropbox, get a link to share or delete it by clicking on the buttons displayed on the screen. Easier than that ?!

PDF Candy PDF to Word is part of PDF Candy, a set of online tools that allow you to compress, merge, rotate, split, protect, unlock, convert, sign, convert and edit PDFs in many different ways; all for free and in a few clicks or taps: take a look and you won’t regret it!

Online2PDF

Another online service that I recommend you use to transform PDF into Word from the Web is Online2PDF. It is an excellent online solution specifically dedicated to editing and converting files to PDF format. It is totally free, but it has upload restrictions: it is not possible to process more than 20 documents simultaneously and it is not possible to upload files larger than 100 MB, 150 MB for multiple uploads. Furthermore, it protects the privacy of users deleted the files from the servers from its servers after a few hours from the upload.

To use Online2PDF, first connect to the home page of the service, then press the Select files button and select the PDFs on your computer that you are interested in taking action. Alternatively, drag the files into the browser window, at the wording (or simply drag your files here).

After completing the above steps, expand the Convert to drop-down menu at the bottom and choose, according to your needs, the Word 2007-2019 (.docx) or Word 2003 or earlier (.doc) format.

Then decide if you want to transform PDF into editable Word for free or not using the drop-down menu dedicated to the OCR function that you see appear. If you enable it, you can only intervene on the first 20 pages of the document, you must also select the language and you can decide whether to activate the advanced OCR as well.

Finally, click on the Convert button and wait for the procedure to be completed. The file will be automatically downloaded to your PC in the default browser folder for downloads.

PDF2Go

It is a web service that allows you to intervene on PDF files in various ways, for example by compressing them, editing them, converting them into various formats and even transforming them into Word documents. It is very easy to use and allows you to upload files with a maximum size of 50 MB. To get around this limit and unlock other functions, you need to create an account and / or subscribe to the paid plan (at a cost of € 5.50 / month).

ZamZar

It is a famous online file converter that supports over 1200 file formats and that allows you to work on up to 5 elements simultaneously, with an upload limit of 100 MB. To get around these limitations, you need to subscribe to a paid subscription (with costs starting from 8 euros / month).

DocsPal

Is an online service through which all popular digital document formats can be converted together. It is free of charge, requires no registration and allows you to upload up to 5 files simultaneously, for a maximum total weight of 50 MB.

Convert PDF to Word from smartphones and tablets

You don’t have a computer at hand and, therefore, would you like to understand how to transform PDF to Word from smartphones and tablets ? I’ll settle you immediately. Below you will find the ones that, in my opinion, are the best apps of this type for Android and iOS / iPadOS devices.

Microsoft Office (Android / iOS / iPadOS)

To transform PDF into Word from mobile, you can first turn to the official Microsoft Office all-in-one app, available for both Android and iOS / iPadOS and usable for free, as long as the device used has the same or smaller size. at 10.1 ″. For larger devices it is necessary to subscribe to the Microsoft 365 plan, which also allows you to unlock advanced functions on devices from 10.1 ″ or less.

To download and install Word on your device, proceed as follows: if you are using Android, access the relevant section of the Play Store and tap the Install button (if you are using a device without Google service, you can go to alternative stores ); if you are using iOS / iPad OS, access the relevant section of the App Store, press the Get button, the Install button and authorize the download via Face ID, Touch ID or Apple ID password.

Next, start Office by selecting the relevant icon that has been added to the home screen and, once the main app screen is displayed, follow the initial setup procedure proposed and log in to your Microsoft account.

Then, access the Actions section by selecting the appropriate item at the bottom, then the PDF in Word, choose the PDF file on which to act and you’re done. The output document will be saved to OneDrive. If you want to keep a copy elsewhere, tap the (…) icon at the top, press the Save button and choose the output location you prefer.

3 Comments

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March 31, 2022 at 11:31 am · Reply

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