How to Convert a PDF to a Word Document (3 Ways)

Adobe’s PDF format has become a convenient way to e-mail all kinds of documents.

PDF stands for portable document format. PDF files look the same whether they’re viewed on a Windows PC, Mac, or mobile device and, for the longest time, PDF files weren’t considered an editable document.

If you’ve ever wished there was a way to convert a PDF to a Microsoft Word document, you’re in luck! This article describes the conversion process.

If you prefer Google Docs, here’s the process to convert a PDF to Google Docs. If you’re spreadsheet user, here’s how to convert a PDF to Excel.

Here are 3 ways to convert a PDF Word.

1) Convert a PDF Using Microsoft Word

The simplest way to convert a PDF is to open the file in Microsoft Word then save it as a Word file. Here are the steps.

1. Right-click the PDF file you want to open.
   The shortcut menu appears.
2. Select Open with then click Word or Microsoft Word. If Word isn’t listed, select Choose another app and select Word.
3. Click OK to convert the PDF file to an editable Word document.

2) Convert a PDF Using Google Docs

Alternately, you can upload a PDF file to Google Drive, open it in Google Docs, then save the document as a Word file.

1. Log in to your Google Drive at https://drive.google.com/.
2. Click the New button, select File Upload, then navigate to the PDF document you want to convert.
3. Select the PDF file and click Open.
   The PDF file is uploaded to Google Drive.
4. Right-click the PDF document, select Open with, then click Google Docs.
   The PDF file opens in Google Docs.
5. In Google Docs, click File > Download > Microsoft Word (.docx).

This is the preferred method for Google Docs users who don’t have a license for Microsoft Word or otherwise think Word files are yucky!

3) Convert a PDF File with Adobe Acrobat

It should come as no surprise that you can easily convert your PDF file to a Microsoft Word document using Adobe Acrobat – and the conversion process is super easy!

1. Open the PDF file in Acrobat.
2. Click Export PDF in the right pane.
3. Select Microsoft Word (*.docx) as the export format then click Convert.
4. Enter a filename for the converted file and click Save.

Note: The ability to convert PDF to Word requires a paid subscription. You can sign up for a 7-day trial of Adobe Acrobat Pro here.

How Do I Convert PDF to Word for Free?

If you haven’t been able to convert your PDF to Word using any of the methods listed above… and you don’t really want to sign up for a paid Adobe Acrobat Pro subscription, Adobe offers a free online tool to convert PDFs to Word Files.

Just head over to https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/pdf-to-word.html to try the PDF to Word conversion process yourself.

It’s Easy to Convert PDF Files to a Microsoft Word File

Hopefully you found this article on how to convert a PDF to a Word document useful.

Microsoft Word (and all of the Microsoft Office programs) have the ability to save in PDF format. It’s nice to know that you can open PDF files for editing as Word documents.