What it does
PDF to Word turns a PDF into an editable Word .docx file in one of two ways:
- Exact layout (the default): each Word page looks like the PDF page. Every line of text keeps its position, font, size, weight and colour and stays editable, while lines, boxes, shading, logos and images sit behind the text as a picture. Ideal for invoices, receipts, forms, certificates and anything with a designed layout.
- Flowing text: the text becomes ordinary headings and paragraphs that reflow as you type. Best for long reports and articles you want to rewrite.
For scanned PDFs it can use OCR (text recognition) in over 20 languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Chinese and Japanese.
How to use it
- Open a PDF.
- Choose Exact layout or Flowing text.
- Choose the OCR setting:
- OCR scanned pages (recommended) reads pages that are pictures, and pages whose text the PDF does not store properly.
- OCR every page for fully scanned documents.
- No OCR for the fastest result on PDFs with clean text.
- Choose the language of the text for OCR.
- Check the preview and download the Word .docx.
Example
A receipt saved from a browser as PDF, with a coloured table header, totals on the right and a rotated PAID stamp, comes out of Exact layout as one Word page of the same size: the company name in its purple, the table header text in white on the purple bar, each amount in its column, and the stamp in place. Click any line in Word to change it.
Good to know
- Fonts: Word uses the PDF's font when it is installed on your computer, and a similar one when it is not. Install the font (many, such as Inter or Lora, are free) for an exact match.
- Editing in Exact layout: each line is its own text box, so changing a word does not reflow the page. For big rewrites, use Flowing text.
- Rotated text, such as a diagonal stamp, stays part of the background picture, because a Word text box cannot be rotated.
- Question-mark boxes: some PDFs, especially ones saved from a browser, draw characters without storing which letter they are. With OCR scanned pages on, those pages are read with OCR so the text comes out right.
- OCR accuracy depends on scan quality: 300 dpi, straight and high-contrast scans work best. Always proofread numbers and names.
- OCR runs in your browser and downloads the language data the first time, so it can take a moment.
FAQ
Is my PDF uploaded? No. Reading, OCR and building the Word file all happen on your device.
Why is my Word file larger than the PDF? In Exact layout each page carries its background picture. Pages that are plain white need none, so text-only documents stay small.