Extract the text of a PDF into an editable Word file. Layout, tables and images are not rebuilt.
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Maximum file size: 20MB
Converts to DOCX: Uploads a PDF and returns a Word document you can open and edit.
Server-side: The file is processed on our server, so this tool needs an upload rather than running in your browser.
Text-focused: How closely the layout is preserved depends on the conversion route available on the server.
.docx file.Where a full document converter is available on the server, the output keeps much of the original structure. Where it is not, the conversion falls back to extracting the text and rebuilding it as paragraphs in a Word file.
In that fallback case you get accurate, editable text, but the visual layout is not reproduced: columns become sequential paragraphs, and images, precise positioning and complex tables are lost. If your goal is to edit wording, this is usually fine. If you need a pixel-faithful copy of a designed page, no PDF-to-Word conversion will fully deliver that.
A PDF describes where marks sit on a page. It does not necessarily record that a run of text is a heading, a paragraph or a table cell. A converter has to infer that structure from position alone, which is why results vary so much between documents.
Scanned PDFs are a separate problem. A scan is an image of text, so there are no characters to extract at all. Converting one needs optical character recognition first, and our OCR tool is the right starting point for that.
This tool uploads your PDF to our server because the conversion cannot be done in the browser. The file is used to produce your download and is not kept as part of any permanent library; temporary working files are cleared automatically. Please do not upload documents you are not permitted to share. Our Privacy Policy explains this in full.
It depends on the conversion route available. Where a full document converter is present much of the structure is retained. Where it is not, the text is extracted and rebuilt as paragraphs, which gives you accurate editable text but loses the visual layout, columns, images and complex tables.
This page accepts a single PDF of up to 20 MB per conversion, and requests are limited to ten per minute from the same address.
Not usefully with this tool. A scan is an image of text, so there are no characters to extract. You need optical character recognition first, which is what our OCR tool is for.
A PDF records where marks sit on a page rather than what they mean. It does not necessarily mark a line as a heading or a table cell, so a converter has to infer that structure from position alone. That is why results vary between documents.
Yes. This conversion cannot be done in the browser, so the PDF is uploaded to our server. It is used only to produce your download and is not kept as a permanent library; temporary files are cleared automatically.
Not directly. Remove the password first using our lock and unlock tool, then convert the unprotected copy.
Keep moving through common developer workflows with PDF to Image, Compress PDF, Merge PDF. You can also browse the full Developer Tools collection or return to the all tools hub.