Are you looking for a program to convert PDF to Word that is able to preserve the original structure of the documents after converting them into DOC or DOCX files? Then I would say that you have landed on the right guide at the right time. With this tutorial of mine today, I’m going to show you the best solutions of this type.
In the following lines, therefore, you will find those that, in my opinion, represent the most useful software, both for Windows and macOS, which you can use to convert PDF to Word files. I’ll tell you right away that there are several solutions at no cost or that, despite being paid, you can try without spending a penny for a limited time. If you need to do it from mobile, you can do it also from Android and iOS/iPadOS, using one of the many suitable apps.
If, on the other hand, your need is to transform PDF files that have been scanned (badly) as images into editable text, you’ll have to take advantage of OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to do so. To learn more, please continue reading: everything is explained in detail below.
Preliminary information
Before we get into the heart of the tutorial, there are a few clarifications about converting PDFs to Word files that I must make. As I mentioned in the beginning, keep in mind that even though they have been converted to DOC or DOCX (i.e. Word’s native formats), not all files that were originally PDFs can be edited as desired.
To be more precise, PDFs that were originally scanned as images can only be edited by adding new elements, but without directly affecting the text. PDFs made up of text are different: they can be edited freely, adding new elements but also, and above all, modifying existing ones, like normal Word files.
To generate editable text documents from paper documents or scanned PDFs as images, it is essential to use programs that support OCR (optical character recognition) technology, i.e. tools that can perform optical character recognition and generate editable text documents.
Free program to convert PDF to word
Having made the necessary clarifications above, I would say that we can finally get into the heart of the tutorial and go to find out which program to convert PDF to Word can do the most for you. You’ll find listed right below those that, in my humble opinion, represent the most interesting of the category and can be used for free, both on Windows and macOS.
Word (Windows/MacOS)
To transform your PDF files into DOC or DOCX documents, you can also make use of Word itself. Maybe not everyone knows this, but starting with version 2013 of Microsoft Office, the famous word processing program included in the well-known office suite is able to import PDFs and edit them, just as if they were common Word files. Thus, it is possible to select any PDF, edit its contents (a basic OCR function is included) and save it as a Word file.
Microsoft Office, which is available for both Windows and macOS, is not free, but you can still use it at no cost for a trial period of 30 days. To find out how to download it for free, follow the instructions on what to do that I have provided in my guide focused on how to download Office for free.
That said, to use the program for the purpose of this guide, launch it by selecting the shortcut attached to the Start menu (if you are using Windows) or by clicking on its icon found in the Launchpad (on macOS), then click on the File menu located in the upper left corner, select Open from it and open the PDF document of your interest.
Next, click the OK button (to accept any alterations to the file layout), select the Save As item from the File menu and save the file choosing DOC or DOCX format.
Doxillion Document Converter (Windows/MacOS)
Another software that I recommend you consider is called Doxillion Document Converter. This is a free program (for personal use), available for both Windows and macOS and very easy to use, thanks to which you can convert various types of documents from one format to another and that, of course, also allows you to turn PDF into Word files. Note that if the software is used for commercial purposes, you need to buy the appropriate license (at a cost of $19.99).
To download Doxillion Document Converter on your PC, go to the program’s website and click on the Download Now button (in case of Windows) or the Download Mac button (in case of macOS). After the download is complete, if you are using Windows, open the .exe file and click the Yes button in the window that appears on the screen. Then select I accept the license terms and finish the setup by clicking the Next button.
Instead, if you are using macOS, extract the ZIP archive to a folder of your choice, open the .dmg package inside it and, in the window that appears on the desktop, click the Agree button. Then drag the program’s icon to the Applications folder of your Mac, right-click on it and select Open twice to start the software and bypass the restrictions imposed by Apple on non-certified developers (this should be done only on first startup).
Now that you see the main Doxillion Document Converter window, click on the Add file(s) button at the top left of the window and select the PDF file you want to transform into Word. Next, specify the location where you would like to save the output file by clicking the Browse button under Output folder at the bottom.
Finally, select the .doc or .docx format from the Output format drop-down menu, click the Document Settings button to make any adjustments to the final file and start the conversion process by clicking the Convert button located in the lower right corner.
Adobe Acrobat DC (Windows/MacOS)
Adobe Acrobat DC is another program to convert PDF to Word that I strongly suggest you consider. It is the official application to create and edit PDF distributed by the software house Adobe, the same company that developed the PDF format. It acts as an advanced viewer for this type of file and also includes many useful tools and functions to edit PDFs, export them, compile them etc. Basically it is free, but some functions are reserved for subscribers of the Pro version, which requires a subscription that starts at 18.29 euros/month (after a free trial of 7 days).
To download Adobe Acrobat DC to your computer, go to the program’s 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 the Yes button in the window that appears on your desktop. After that, wait for the download of the components that make the program work to start and finish and then press the Finish button.
If you are using macOS, open the .dmg package and double-click on the .pkg file in the opened window. Next, press the Continue button (twice in a row), type in your Apple account password and click the Install Software button. Then finish the setup by clicking on the Close button.
Now that you see the Acrobat Reader DC window on your screen, regardless of the operating system you are using, choose whether you would like to make the software the default PDF reader, then click on the File menu at the top left corner, then on the Open item attached to it and select the PDF you are interested in working on.
After opening the PDF document, select the Tools tab at the top of the screen, click the Open button under the heading Export PDF, choose either the Microsoft Word Document (*docx) or the Microsoft Word 97-2003 Document (*doc) option from the Convert to drop-down menu and click the Export to Word button.
Program to convert PDF to editable Word for free
If you are looking for a program to convert PDF to Word capable of making the output file editable in all respects, you can rely on solutions that, taking advantage of OCR technology, are useful precisely for this purpose. Some of them are listed below.
PDFelement (Windows/MacOS)
PDFelement is a program for Windows and macOS that allows you to view, edit, create and convert PDFs extremely easily. Among the various features it offers, it also allows you to recognize text using OCR technology, which is why I chose to tell you about it. It’s basically free, but it watermarks output documents and has other limitations, which can be circumvented by upgrading to the paid version of the program (with prices starting at €77.23/year and €165.64 one-time).
To download PDFelement to your computer, go to the program’s website and click on the Download for Windows button (if you’re using Windows) or the Download for Mac OS button (if you’re using macOS).
After the download is finished, if you are using Windows, open the .exe file and click the Yes button in the window that appears on your desktop. Next, press the OK button, select the I accept the terms of the license agreement item and click the Next button (three times in a row). Then finish the setup by clicking the Finish button.
Now that you see the main PDFelement window, click on the File menu at the top left corner, select Open, press the Browse button and open the PDF document you are interested in.
Next, select the Convert tab at the top of the program window and click the OCR button to start the OCR process. If you see a warning about the fact that you need to download the OCR component, please accept it.
At this point, select the Editable text option in the additional window that opens, make sure that the language listed next to the Current language (below) is the right one (otherwise click the Change languages button to change it), then define the page range you want to act on by clicking the Customize pages button and press the OK button.
Export the editable Word file by clicking the Convert tab and then the In Word button.
If you are using macOS, open the .dmg package and click the Accept button in the window that opens on your desktop. Then drag the program’s icon to your Mac’s Applications folder, right-click on it and select Open twice in order to launch the application and bypass Apple’s restrictions on non-certified developers (which should be done only on first startup).
After displaying the software window on your desktop, open the PDF you are interested in by clicking on the File menu at the top left corner and then Open. Next, click the Tools button in the side menu and select the OCR Text Recognition option from it. If you see a warning indicating that you need to download the Optical Character Recognition component, please do so.
In the next window that appears, select the document language from the list above, adjust the page range and resampling settings using the drop-down menus, choose the Editable Text option from the Type menu and click the Run OCR button.
Finally, export the PDF as a Word file by clicking on the File menu, choosing Export to and selecting Word from the additional menu that appears.
Free Online OCR (Online)
If instead of installing a new program on your computer you prefer to use an online service, I recommend you to try Free Online OCR. It is a web service that allows you to transform PDFs into freely editable Word files quickly and easily. It is free, works from any browser and operating system and does not require any registration. Note that the maximum size allowed for uploaded files is 15 MB.
To use it, go to the Free Online OCR home page, click the Select File button and select the PDF file you want to work on from your PC. Next, use the first drop-down menu to indicate the language in which the text of the document is written and then choose the Microsoft Word (docx) option from the second menu.
Finally, click on the Convert button and proceed to download the converted file by clicking on the Download output file button at the bottom. If you want to make some changes to the text before downloading the final file, you can do so by using the preview shown at the bottom of the page.
Program to convert PDF to Word for free online
Don’t want or can’t install a “traditional” program on your computer to convert PDF to Word? No problem. There are many free online services that allow you to achieve the same result by simply opening the browser. In the following lines you will find the most interesting ones. Try them now.
iLovePDF
The first online service that I invite you to try out is iLovePDF. This is a free solution that works from any browser and operating system that, without having to make any registration, allows you to create, edit, unlock and convert PDFs. Note, however, that it only allows you to upload one file at a time and that this must have a maximum size of 100 MB. To get around this limitation, increasing the maximum size allowed to 1GB, you can subscribe to one of the paid plans (with costs starting at 6 euros/month), which allow you to take advantage of other extra features. Please note that the service protects the privacy of its users, removing within a few hours all documents that are uploaded to its servers.
To use iLovePDF, go to the service’s web page, click the Select PDF File button and choose the PDF file you are interested in. Alternatively, you can drag and drop it into the browser window or upload it from Google Drive or Dropbox by clicking on the appropriate buttons.
After the upload is complete, click the Convert to Word button located at the bottom right and wait for the conversion process to start and complete. After that, the download of the final Word file will start automatically (if not, you can force it by clicking the Download Word button).
PDF Candy
Another service to convert PDF to Word online that I recommend you to consider is PDF Candy. Thanks to this web service, you can perform various operations on PDF files, such as unlocking them, editing their metadata, merging them, splitting them, etc. Obviously, it also allows you to perform conversions, otherwise I wouldn’t even be here to tell you about it! It’s free, works from any browser and operating system and requires no registration. Also, it doesn’t put limits on uploads and protects the privacy of users by quickly removing files that are uploaded to its servers.
To use PDF Candy, go to the home page of the service, click on the Add File button and select the PDF saved on your computer that you want to convert to Word. Alternatively, you can drag the document directly into the browser window or you can take it from Google Drive or Dropbox by clicking on the icon of the service you are interested in.
Wait for the uploading and transformation process to start and finish, then download the final file to your computer by clicking the Download File button. You can also choose to save the returned Word document to Google Drive or Dropbox by clicking the appropriate icons.
App to convert PDF to Word
Are you looking for some apps that allow you to convert your PDF files to Word directly and conveniently from your smartphone or tablet, without having to go through your PC? Then you can try the solutions of this type, available for both Android and iOS/iPadOS, which I’ve taken care to include in the list below. I sincerely hope they are able to satisfy you.
PDF to Word Converter (Android/iOS/iPadOS) – application that, as its name implies, allows you to convert PDF documents into editable Word files. It’s free, but offers in-app purchases (with prices starting at €5.99) to unlock some extra features, such as the ability to convert documents that are given to it “in the feed” faster.
iLovePDF (Android/iOS/iPadOS) – is the app of the online service I mentioned in the previous lines and, just like the latter, allows you to perform various operations on PDFs, including the ability to convert them into Word files. It’s free, but offers in-app purchases (with prices starting at €5.99) to unlock extra features, such as the ability to upload large files.
Able2Doc PDF to Word Converter (Android/iOS/iPadOS) – another app that lets you convert PDFs to Word files, which can then be edited if needed. It is super easy to use and is free, although it offers in-app purchases (at a base cost of €3.49) to unlock additional features, such as the ability to convert files faster.