How to edit a PDF in Word

Word cannot edit a PDF as it is, but it can edit a Word document made from one. Convert the PDF to DOCX here, then edit it like any other document.

or drop it anywhere on this page

.pdf files up to 100 MB, several at once

  • No sign-up
  • Nothing added to your file
  • Scanned pages read with OCR

    Two ways to get a PDF into Word

    Open the PDF in Word

    Word 2013 and later can open a PDF directly with File, Open, and turn it into an editable document. Word warns that the result may look different from the PDF, and it often does: tables, columns and page breaks can move, and scanned pages may not give text at all.

    Convert it to DOCX first

    Converting here keeps the fonts, tables, pictures, line breaks and page breaks, so the document has the same pages as the PDF, and scanned pages are read with OCR. Open the DOCX in Word and everything is already editable.

    Edit a PDF in Word, step by step

    1. Convert the PDF

      Choose it above and press Convert to Word. The DOCX downloads when it is done.

    2. Open it in Word

      Double-click the DOCX, or use File, Open in Word. If Word opens it in Protected View, choose Enable Editing.

    3. Edit, then save as PDF again

      Change what you need. To send it on as a PDF, use File, Save As and pick PDF.

    Editing tips

    Every line of the PDF is a line in Word, so a sentence you lengthen can push the rest of its line past the margin. Join the lines of that paragraph and it flows again.

    A typeface your computer does not have was replaced by Times New Roman, Arial or Courier New. If you have the original font, select the text and set it back.

    Questions

    Will the Word document look like the PDF?

    Close to it. Lines break in the same places and the page count matches. A typeface your computer does not have is swapped for Times New Roman, Arial or Courier New, and the spacing is adjusted so the lines still fit.

    Can it turn a Word file back into a PDF?

    No, it only goes from PDF to Word. Word, Google Docs and LibreOffice can all save a document as a PDF themselves.

    What file do I get?

    A .docx file, the format Word has used since 2007. Google Docs, LibreOffice Writer and Apple Pages open it too.

    All questions

    Convert your PDF to Word now

    Free and without a sign-up. Choose a file, pick its language if it is a scan, and the Word document downloads when it is done.

    Your Word file is ready