Program to convert PDF to Word

Are you looking for a program to convert PDF to Word that is able to preserve the original structure of documents after transforming them into DOC or DOCX files? I would say then that you have landed on the right guide at the right time. In fact, with this tutorial of mine today, I’m going to show you the best solutions of this type.

In the following lines, therefore, you will find those that, in my opinion, represent the most useful software, both for Windows and for macOS, which you can use to convert PDF to Word file. I anticipate immediately that there are various solutions at no cost or that in any case, despite being paid, you can try without spending even a cent for a limited period of time. And if you need to intervene from mobile, know that you can also do everything from Android and iOS / iPadOS, using one of the many apps suitable for the purpose.

If, on the other hand, your need is to transform PDF files that have been digitized (badly) as images into editable texts, know that to do this you will necessarily have to take advantage of the OCR technology for optical character recognition, which allows you to cope. to this need. To find out more, please continue reading: you will find everything explained in detail below.

Index

• Preliminary information
• Free program to convert PDF to word
  • Doxillion Document Converter (Windows / macOS)
  • Word (Windows / macOS)
  • Adobe Acrobat DC (Windows / macOS)
• Program to convert PDF to editable word for free
  • PDFelement (Windows / macOS)
  • Free Online OCR (Online)
• Program to convert PDF to Word for free online
  • iLovePDF
  • PDF Candy
• App to convert PDF to Word

Preliminary information

Before getting to the heart of the tutorial, there are some clarifications about converting PDF to Word files that it is my duty to do. As I mentioned at the beginning, keep in mind that, although they have been converted to DOC or DOCX (i.e. the native formats of Word), not all files that were originally PDFs can be edited at will.

To be more precise, PDFs that were originally scanned as images can only be edited by adding new elements to them, but without directly affecting the text. The situation is different for PDFs composed of texts: these can be edited freely, by inserting new elements but also and above all by modifying existing ones, like normal Word files.

To generate documents with editable text starting from paper documents or PDF scanned as images, it is essential to resort to the use of programs with support for OCR technology (acronym for “optical character recognition”), ie tools capable of carrying out optical character recognition and thus generate editable text documents.

Free program to convert PDF to word

Having made the necessary clarifications above, I would say that we can finally get to the heart of the tutorial and find out which program to convert PDF to Word can do the most for you. You will find listed below those that, in my humble opinion, represent the most interesting in the category and that can be used for free, both on  Windows and on macOS.

Word (Windows / macOS)

To turn your PDF files into DOC or DOCX documents, you can also use Word itself. Perhaps not everyone knows, in fact, but starting from the 2013 version of Microsoft Office, the famous word processor included in the well-known office suite is able to import PDFs and edit them, just like common Word files. This way, you can select any PDF, edit its content (a basic OCR feature is included) and save it as a Word file.

Microsoft Office, which is available for both Windows and macOS, is not free, but you can still use it at no cost for a 30-day trial period. To find out how to download it for free, follow the instructions on what to do that I gave you in my guide focused on how to download Office for free.

That said, to use the program for the purpose of this guide, start it by selecting the link attached to the Start menu (if you are using Windows) or by clicking on the relative icon that you find in the Launchpad (on macOS), then click on the File menu located at the top left, select the Open item from the latter and open the PDF document of your interest.

Then, click on the OK button (to accept any alterations to the layout of the file), select the  Save As item from the File menu  and save the file by choosing the DOC or DOCX format.

Doxillion Document Converter (Windows / macOS)

Another piece of software that I recommend you consider is called Doxillion Document Converter. It is a free program (for personal use), available for both Windows and macOS and very easy to use, thanks to which you can convert various types of documents from one format to another and which, of course, also allows you to transform PDF to Word file. Note that if the software is used for commercial purposes, the appropriate license must be purchased (at a cost of $ 19.99).

To download the Doxillion Document Converter on your PC, go to the program’s website and click on the Download Now button (in the case of Windows) or on the Download Mac button (in the case of macOS). Once the download is complete, if you are using Windows, open the .exe file obtained and, in the window that is shown on the screen, click on the Yes button. Then select the item I accept the license terms and complete the setup by clicking on the Next button.

Instead, if you are using macOS, extract the ZIP archive obtained in a folder of your choice, open the .dmg package inside it and, in the window that appears on the desktop, click the Agree button. Then drag the program icon to the Mac Applications folder, right-click on it and select the Open item twice in a row, to start the software, however, going around the limitations imposed by Apple on non-certified developers (an operation that must be carried out on first start only).

Now that you see the Doxillion Document Converter main window, click on the Add file (s) button located in the upper left part of it and select the PDF you want to transform into Word. Subsequently, specify the location in which to save the output file, by clicking on the Browse button, located under the Output folder item, at the bottom.

Finally, select the .doc or .docx format from the Output format drop-down menu, click on the Document Settings button to make any adjustments to the final file and start the conversion procedure by pressing the Convert button at the bottom right.

Adobe Acrobat DC (Windows / macOS)

Adobe Acrobat DC is another program to convert PDF to Word that I strongly suggest you consider. This is the official application to create and edit PDF distributed by the Adobe software house, the same company that developed the PDF format. It acts as an advanced viewer for the aforementioned file type and also includes many tools and functions useful for editing PDFs, exporting them, compiling them etc. Basically, it is free, but some functions are reserved for subscribers of the Pro version, which requires the subscription of a subscription that starts at 18.29 euros/month (after a free 7-day trial).

To download Adobe Acrobat DC on your computer, go to the program’s website and click on the Download Acrobat Reader button. When the download is complete, if you are using Windows, open the .exe file obtained and click on the Yes button in the window that appears on the desktop. Subsequently, wait for the download of the components to make the program work is started and completed, then press the Finish button.

If you are using macOS, on the other hand, open the .dmg package obtained and double-click on the .pkg file in the window that appears. Then, click on the Continue button (twice in a row), type in your Apple account password and click on the Install Software button. Then complete the setup by clicking on the Close button.

Now that, regardless of the operating system used, you see the Acrobat Reader DC window on the screen, choose whether to make the software the default reader for PDFs, then click on the File menu located at the top left, then on the Open item attached to it and select the PDF you are interested in taking action.

After opening the PDF document, select the Tools tab at the top, click on the Open button that you find under the heading Export PDF, choose the Microsoft Word Document (* docx) option or the Microsoft Word 97-2003 Document (* doc) option that you find in the Convert to the drop-down menu and click on the Export to Word button.

Program to convert PDF to editable word for free

If you are looking for a program to convert PDF to Word capable of making the output file editable in all respects, you can rely on solutions that, using OCR technology, are useful for this purpose. You will find some reported below.

PDFelement (Windows / macOS)

PDFelement is a program for Windows and macOS that allows you to view, edit, create and convert PDFs in an extremely simple way. Among the various features offered, it also allows you to recognize texts through OCR technology, which is why I chose to tell you about it. Basically it is free, but it imprints a watermark on the output documents and provides other limitations, which can be circumvented by switching to the paid version of the program (with prices starting from 77.23 euros/year and 165.64 euros one-off).

To download PDFelement on your computer, go to the program’s website and click on the Download button for Windows (if you are using Windows) or on the Download button for Mac OS (if you are using macOS).

When the download is complete, if you are using Windows, open the .exe file obtained and click on the Yes button in the window that appears on the desktop. Then, click on the OK button, select the item I accept the terms of the license agreement and click on the Next button (three consecutive times). Then complete the setup by clicking on the Finish button.

Now that you see the main window of PDFelement, click on the File menu located at the top left, select the Open item, press the Browse button and open the PDF document in relation to which you are interested in going to act.

Then, select the Convert tab that you find at the top of the program window and click on the OCR button, in order to start the procedure for optical character recognition. If you see a warning that you need to download the optical character recognition component, you agree.

At this point, select the Editable text option in the further window that opens, make sure that the language shown next to the wording Current Language (below) is the right one (otherwise press the Change Languages button to change it), then define the range of pages on which to act, by clicking on the heading Customize Pages, and press the OK button.

Then export the editable Word file you just obtained by clicking again on the Convert tab and then on the In Word button attached to it.

If you are using macOS, on the other hand, open the .dmg package obtained and click on the Accept button in the window that opens on the desktop. Then drag the program icon to the Mac Applications folder, right-click on it and select the Open item twice in a row, in order to start the application, however, going around the limitations desired by Apple against non-certified developers (an operation that must be performed only at the first start).

After viewing the software window on your desktop, open the PDF of your interest by clicking on the File menu at the top left and then on the Open item. Next, click on the Tools button located in the side menu and select the OCR text recognition option from the latter. If in doing so you see a warning appear indicating that you need to download the component for optical character recognition, please agree.

In the additional window that appears, select the document language from the list above, adjust the page range and resampling settings using the appropriate drop-down menus, choose the Editable Text option from the Type menu and click on the Perform OCR button.

Finally, export the PDF as a Word file by clicking on the File menu, choosing the Export to item from it and selecting Word from the additional menu that appears.

Free Online OCR (Online)

If instead of installing a new program on your computer you prefer to contact an online service, I recommend you try Free Online OCR . It is a web service that allows you to transform PDFs into freely editable Word files, quickly and easily. It’s free, works from any browser and operating system, and requires no registration. Note that the maximum size allowed for uploaded files is 15 MB.

To use it, go to the Free Online OCR home page, click on the Select file button and select the PDF present on which you are interested in going to act from your PC. Then, using the first drop-down menu, indicate the language in which the text of the document is written, then choose the Microsoft Word (docx) option from the second menu.

To conclude, click on the Convert button and proceed with the download of the converted file, pressing the Download the output file button at the bottom. If before downloading the final file you want to make some changes to the text, I inform you that you can do it by intervening on the preview that is shown at the bottom of the page.

Program to convert PDF to Word for free online

Don’t want or can’t install a “traditional” program to convert PDF to Word on your computer? No problem. There are numerous free online services that allow you to achieve the same result by simply opening the browser. In the following lines you will find the ones I think are the most interesting. Try them now.

iLovePDF

The first online service I invite you to test is iLovePDF. It is a free solution that works from any browser and operating system that, without having to register, allows you to create, edit, unlock and convert PDFs. Note, however, that it allows you to upload only one file at a time and that this must have a maximum size of 100 MB. To get around this limitation, by bringing the maximum size allowed to 1GB, it is possible to subscribe to one of the paid plans (with costs starting from 6 euros/month), which also allow you to take advantage of other extra features. Also keep in mind that the service protects the privacy of users by removing all documents that are uploaded to its servers within a few hours.

To use iLovePDF, go to the web page of the service, click on the Select PDF file button and choose the PDF file of your interest. Alternatively, you can drag it to the browser window or you can upload it from Google Drive or Dropbox by clicking on the appropriate buttons.

Once uploaded, click on the Convert to Word button located at the bottom right and wait for the conversion procedure to start and complete. Subsequently, the download of the final Word file will start automatically (if not, you can force it by clicking on the Download Word button ).

PDF Candy

Another service to convert PDF to Word online that I recommend you consider is PDF Candy. Thanks to this Web service it is possible to perform various types of operations on PDF files, such as unlocking them, modifying their metadata, merging them, dividing them, etc. Of course, it also allows for conversions, otherwise I wouldn’t even be here talking to you! It’s free, works from any browser and operating system, and requires no registration. Furthermore, it does not set limits for uploading and protects the privacy of users by quickly removing the files that are uploaded to its servers.

To use PDF Candy, go to the home page of the service, click on the Add file button and select the PDF saved on your computer that you want to convert to Word. Alternatively, you can drag the document directly into the browser window or you can take it from Google Drive or Dropbox by clicking on the icon of the service you are interested in.

Then wait for the upload and transformation procedures to be started and completed, then download the final file to your computer by pressing the Download file button. You can also decide to save the returned Word document on Google Drive or Dropbox, by clicking on the appropriate icons.

App to convert PDF to Word

Are you looking for some app that allows you to convert your PDF files to Word directly and comfortably from your smartphone or tablet, without having to go through your PC? Then you can try the solutions of this type, available for both Android and iOS / iPadOS, which I have included in the list below. I sincerely hope they are able to satisfy you.

• PDF to Word Converter( Android / iOS / iPadOS ) – application that, as the name implies, allows you to convert PDF documents into editable Word files. It is free, but offers in-app purchases (with prices starting from € 5.99) to unlock some extra functions, such as the ability to convert documents that are given “at meal” faster.
• iLovePDF( Android / iOS / iPadOS ) – is the app of the online service I told you about in the previous lines and, just like the latter, it allows you to perform various operations on PDFs, including the ability to convert them into Word files. It’s free, but offers in-app purchases (with prices starting at € 5.99) to unlock extra features, such as the ability to upload large files.
• Able2Doc PDF to Word Converter( Android / iOS / iPadOS ) – another application that allows you to convert PDFs into Word files, which can be edited if necessary. It’s very easy to use and it’s free, although it offers in-app purchases (at a base cost of € 3.49) to unlock additional features, such as the ability to convert files faster.