PDF to Word

PDF to Word turns a text-based PDF into an editable .docx file. It rebuilds headings, paragraphs and bullet lists so you can edit it in Word, Pages, Google Docs or LibreOffice. Everything runs in your browser, and the PDF is never uploaded.

How to convert a PDF to Word

1. Drop your PDF onto the tool or click Choose file.
2. Keep the page box set to all pages, or type a range such as 1-3, 7, 10-. Click All pages to reset it.
3. Choose whether to detect headings and whether each PDF page starts on a new Word page. Both are on by default.
4. Click Convert to Word and wait for it to finish.
5. Download the .docx file. The original PDF is not changed.

What the converter recreates

The converter reads the PDF's text layer and rebuilds it page by page. Text on the same baseline is grouped into lines, sorted from left to right, and ordered from the top of the page down.

• Paragraphs. Wrapped lines are joined using their spacing and position, so a paragraph normally stays together instead of becoming one paragraph per line. Larger gaps start a new paragraph.
• Headings. With detection on, the tool estimates body text size and maps larger lines to Word's Heading 1, 2 or 3 styles. This gives the document a navigable structure.
• Bullet lists. Lines beginning with a bullet, dash, asterisk or number become Word bullet paragraphs, unless a numbered line is large enough to be detected as a heading. Numbered lists are turned into bullets, so restore numbering in Word if the exact sequence matters.
• Page breaks. When on, each PDF page starts on a new Word page. Turn it off for text that flows continuously.

Character formatting such as bold, italic, colour and font is not carried over; headings are detected from size alone.

What is not recreated

A PDF records where marks appear on a page, not a Word-style paragraph tree, so some parts cannot be reproduced.

• Images and graphics. Photos, logos, charts, shapes and signatures are left out. Only text is extracted.
• Tables. Cell borders are ignored, so cell text becomes ordinary lines and may run together.
• Columns and complex layouts. Multi-column pages, sidebars and text boxes are flattened into one sequence. Reading order can be mixed up when blocks sit side by side.
• Exact fonts and layout. Fonts, sizes, margins, colours, spacing and alignment are not preserved. The Word file uses default styles and may be a different length.
• Links, comments and forms. Hyperlinks are not clickable, and comments, annotations, form fields and bookmarks are omitted.
• Headers and footers. Running headers, footers and page numbers may appear as ordinary paragraphs at the start or end of each page. Delete them in Word if unwanted.

Scanned PDFs need OCR

A scanned PDF is made of pictures of pages. The text may look readable, but the file has no characters that software can select, search or copy, so this tool cannot convert it. OCR (optical character recognition) is not included.

When the selected pages have no text layer, the tool says so instead of producing an empty document. If only some pages are scans, the pages with text are converted and the scanned pages are skipped, with a warning.

To convert a scan, run OCR using scanner software, a PDF editor or an OCR service. Then check that text is selectable in a PDF reader and convert that copy. Proofread the result, because OCR makes mistakes.

What to expect from the Word file

The result is editable text, not a pixel-perfect copy. Paragraphs reflow to the page width, so line breaks and page numbers in Word differ from the PDF. A designed document may need cleanup: remove stray headers, rebuild tables, restore numbering and apply your own styles.

Heading detection is conservative. A bold heading the same size as body text may not be recognised, while a large pull quote may become a heading; both are easy to fix in Word. Formulas, unusual encodings and some non-Latin scripts may extract imperfectly.

Use the Word file when you need to edit, reuse, translate or reformat the words. Keep the PDF when appearance matters, such as a signed contract, a brochure or a form that must be printed as issued.

When to use PDF to Word

It suits text-heavy documents where the words are the valuable part: reports, articles, notes, policies, manuals, essays and drafts. It saves retyping when updating an old document, quoting a report or moving content into a template.

Converting a few relevant pages is often quicker than converting everything. If tables matter more than prose, use PDF to Excel. For clean plain text or Markdown, use PDF to Markdown.

Privacy

The PDF is opened and read by PDF.js in your browser, and the Word file is assembled in the same tab. Nothing is uploaded to a server, no account is needed, and no copy is stored after you close the page. Files never leave the browser.

Very large PDFs are held in memory while they are processed, so a desktop or laptop is better for hundreds of pages.

Related PDF tools

• PDF to Markdown extracts the text as clean Markdown for notes, documentation or a website.
• PDF to Excel is the better choice when the important content is in tables.
• Extract Pages from PDF saves only the pages you need before converting them.
• Merge PDF combines several PDFs into one file first.

PDF to Word FAQ

Is this PDF to Word converter free?

Yes. You can convert as many PDFs as you like without signing up, and the Word file has no watermark or page limit imposed by the tool.

Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?

No. The PDF is read and converted in your own browser. It is never sent to Lembog or any third party, so the tool is suitable for private documents as long as you trust the device you are using.

Why does the Word document look different from my PDF?

A PDF fixes text in place, while Word reflows it. Fonts, margins, spacing, columns and tables are rebuilt or simplified, so page breaks and line lengths change. The words are editable, but the layout is only an approximation.

Can I convert a scanned PDF to Word?

Not directly. Scanned pages contain pictures rather than a text layer, and this tool does not include OCR. Run OCR on the PDF first, check that the text is selectable, then convert the OCR'd copy.

Does it keep images and tables?

No. Images, charts, logos and drawings are left out. Tables are flattened into lines of text, and multi-column layouts become a single sequence. Rebuild those parts in Word if you need them.

Can I convert only some pages of a PDF?

Yes. Type a range such as 1-3, 7, 10- in the page box, or click All pages to switch back to the whole document. Pages are converted in their original order.

Does it work with password-protected PDFs?

No. Remove the password in a PDF reader and save an unprotected copy of a file you own, then convert that copy. The same applies to damaged PDFs that cannot be opened.

Why is the Word file empty or missing pages?

The selected pages probably have no selectable text. That usually means they are scans or images. Choose pages that contain text, or run OCR on the PDF before converting.