How to Convert PDF to Word for Free (and Keep It Editable)

PDFs are perfect for sharing, but a pain to edit. Converting a PDF to Word (DOCX) gives you a document you can change in Microsoft Word, Google Docs or Pages.

The fastest way: convert online

1. Open the PDF to Word converter.
2. Drop in your PDF (up to 50 MB).
3. Click Convert and download your DOCX.

There's nothing to install, no account to create, and your file is deleted automatically after 60 minutes.

What converts well — and what doesn't

PDF type	Result
Text documents (letters, reports, contracts)	Excellent — text is fully editable
Simple tables	Good — check column alignment
Multi-column magazine layouts	Text is kept, layout is simplified
Scanned pages (photos of paper)	No selectable text — the PDF contains images only

Tip: if you can't select text in your PDF viewer, it's a scanned document. You'll need OCR (optical character recognition) software to extract the words.

Alternatives

• Microsoft Word can open PDFs directly (File → Open), which works well for simple documents.
• Google Docs: upload the PDF to Drive, then Open with → Google Docs.

After converting

Proofread headings and lists, then save as DOCX. When you're done editing, convert it back with Word to PDF before sharing the final version.