How to Insert a PDF into a Word Document – 6 Ways

Many users work with various types of text documents in various formats, including some of the most common – PDF and Word. Quite a lot of documents are saved in these popular formats.

In some situations, the user needs to get an answer to the question of how to insert PDF into Word. This is necessary if the user is faced with the task of integrating between formats: inserting the entire file or individual elements from one file into another document.

You will need to solve the following problems regarding adding one format to a file of another format: how to insert a PDF document into Word, how to insert a PDF page into Word, or how to insert a PDF image into Word.

Is it possible to insert a PDF into Word? Yes, it is possible, despite the significant differences between these two popular file formats.

Word format with file name extensions “*.docx” and “*.doc” is the most used format for creating, editing and saving text documents. The format was created by Microsoft for the Microsoft Office suite.

The PDF format with the file name extension “*.pdf” is a universal, portable document format designed to be viewed on various types of devices without changing the original formatting. Unlike the previous format, PDF is difficult to edit. The developer of the format is Adobe.

There are several ways you can add a PDF to a Word document:

• Insert as an embedded object.
• Paste as a linked object.
• Insert text from PDF.
• Insert PDF content as an image.
• Convert PDF file to Word.

Depending on the situation, the user has the opportunity to choose the appropriate option – how to insert a PDF file in Word: as an object, picture or editable text.

In this guide, you can find instructions on how to insert a PDF into Word in the following versions of the program: Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010. These methods cannot be used in Word Online because To complete the operation, you will need an offline application.

For the examples in this article, MS Word 2019 was used. In other versions of the text editor, there may be some minor differences in the application interface.

How to insert a PDF document into Word with an inline object

First, you will learn how to insert a PDF page into Word. This method involves inserting the PDF as an embedded object.

Consider how to insert a PDF sheet into Word:

1. In the window of an open Word document, position the mouse cursor where you want to paste the PDF.
2. Enter the “Insert” tab.
3. Click on the “Object” button.
4. In the Insert Object window, click the Create From File tab.
5. Click the “Browse…” button to select a PDF file on your computer.
6. Click on the “OK” button.

You can choose to insert as an icon, then the object’s icon will be displayed instead of the first page from the PDF file in the Word document.

7. The contents of the first page of the PDF file appear on the Word document page.

The PDF content is pasted as an object, so you won’t be able to edit that part of the Word document.

How to insert a PDF file into Word with a linked object

Unlike the previous method, this method allows you to link the inserted object – a PDF file with the original PDF document. Therefore, any changes to the original PDF file will be automatically reflected in the Word document.

Go through the following steps:

1. Open the “Insert” tab.
2. Go to the “Text” group, click on the “Object” button.
3. In the “Insert object” window that opens, go to the “Create from file” tab.
4. Use the “Browse…” button to select a PDF file on your PC.
5. Check the box next to Link to File.
6. Click on the “OK” button.

You can also activate the “As an icon” option. In this case, instead of previewing the contents of the first page, the document page will display the object’s icon.

7. The Word document will display an icon or display the first page of the PDF file, depending on the settings you select.

In both display options, the inserted object is linked to the original PDF file. After double-clicking on an object in a Word document, the original PDF file will open in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Each time you open this Microsoft Word document, a warning window will prompt you to update the data associated with the original PDF file.

In order to maintain the connection between the two documents, you cannot move the original PDF file from its location.

How to insert text from PDF into Word

Often users need to paste text from PDF into Word. Microsoft Office Word converts PDF content to an editable format.

Do the following:

1. Enter the “Insert” tab.
2. In the Text group, click the arrow next to the Object button.
3. Select “Text from file…” from the drop-down menu.
4. In the Explorer window, select the appropriate PDF document on your computer.
5. A warning window informs you that Word is converting the PDF file into an editable document. It is possible that the original formatting will change if the file contains many images.

As a result of the conversion, the contents of the PDF file will be embedded in Word. You will be able to edit the document as you wish.

How to copy a piece of text from PDF to Word

In some cases, the user needs to copy part of the text from a PDF file in order to then paste this fragment into a Word document.

In this tutorial, the Microsoft Edge browser is used as the PDF opener. You can use another program.

Do the following:

1. Open a PDF document in an application designed to open PDF files.
2. Highlight the desired piece of text.
3. Select the copy option in the application you are using. For example, in the MS Edge browser, after right-clicking, you need to click on “Copy” in the context menu.
4. In the window of an open Word document, position the mouse pointer in a suitable place.
5. Right-click, in the context menu that opens, in the “Paste Options:” item, click on the “Paste” button.
6. The copied piece of text appears in the Word document, which you can edit.

How to insert a PDF image into Word

Now you will learn how to insert a PDF image into Word as a static image. Let’s assume that you need to insert a PDF into Word as a picture or individual images extracted from this file.

We need to perform the following algorithm of actions:

1. First of all, you need to take a snapshot (screenshot) of the page or extract an image from a PDF file. There are several ways to do this, which you can read about in a detailed article on my website.
2. After the images from the PDF appear on your computer, add these images to the Word document.

1 option:

1. In Word, position the mouse pointer in a suitable location.
2. Go to the “Insert” tab.
3. In the “Illustrations” group, click on the “Pictures” button.
4. In the drop-down menu, click on the item “This device …”.
5. Select the appropriate image from your PC in the Explorer window.
6. Click on the “Insert” button.

Option 2:

1. Open the location of the image on your computer.
2. Click on the picture with the right mouse button.
3. Select “Copy” from the context menu.
4. Click the mouse cursor at the insertion point on the page of an open Word document.
5. Click on the right mouse button, in the “Paste Options:” option, select “Paste”.

If necessary, change the size of the picture or its orientation on the page.

How to insert multiple PDF pages into Word

In order to insert multiple PDF pages into Word, you need to convert the file from one format to another format. This can be done using software installed on a computer, or you can use web applications on the Internet running on remote servers for this purpose.

After the conversion is completed, you will have an editable Word file with the contents of the original PDF document at your disposal. You can paste all or multiple pages into another Word document.

Article Conclusions

Users often use Word and PDF formats in which various documents are saved. In some situations, the user needs to insert a PDF file into a Word document. To solve this problem, there are several ways in which you can insert a PDF into a Word document as an embedded or linked object, as an image or as text.