PDF to Word Converter
Drop a text-based PDF and get an editable .docx you can revise in Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice. The pdf-inspector engine reads the text layer, then Pandoc builds a real Word document — entirely in your browser.
Click to start converting
Go to the converter — PDF to Word (docx) output selected (pdf-inspector engine)
Supported input formats
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Text-based PDF | Native digital PDFs with a real text layer — reports, contracts, papers | |
| Mixed PDF | Text pages convert; image-only pages are flagged for OCR | |
| Scanned PDF | No text layer — detected and flagged; use the OCR page instead | |
| Multi-column PDF | Reading order is rebuilt from coordinates before export |
How PDF to Word conversion works
A PDF stores painted glyphs at fixed coordinates — it has no idea what a paragraph, a heading or a table is. Converting to Word therefore means recovering structure from geometry: font sizes become heading levels, aligned boxes become table cells, and column positions decide the reading order.
Two engines run in sequence. The pdf-inspector parser (Rust compiled to WebAssembly) extracts the text layer and emits structured Markdown; Pandoc's docx writer then turns that Markdown into a genuine Word file with heading styles, numbered and bulleted lists, and table objects.
Everything happens in your browser tab. The PDF and the resulting .docx never touch a server — no uploads, no accounts, no queued jobs.
Getting the best Word output
Headings, paragraphs, lists, links, bold and italic runs and simple pipe tables all come through as real Word styles, so the document is immediately editable and consistent with Word's own theme.
Pixel-perfect page layout does not survive, and it never can: Word reflows the text with its own fonts, paper size and margins. Expect the content to be correct and the pagination to differ from the original PDF.
Complex tables with merged cells are recovered by heuristics, so skim the rows after conversion. Scanned PDFs have no text layer at all — the engine detects them and points you to the OCR page instead of producing an empty document.
PDF to Word FAQ
+Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. Both the pdf-inspector engine and the Pandoc converter run as WebAssembly inside your browser tab. The Network panel stays empty for the whole conversion.
+Is the .docx file really editable?
Yes. Pandoc writes a standard Office Open XML document with real heading and list styles, so Word, Google Docs and LibreOffice can edit it straight away — it is not an image wrapped in a Word file.
+Will the layout look exactly like the PDF?
No. The text and structure are preserved, but Word reflows content with its own fonts and margins, so pagination and exact positions differ. That is the trade-off for getting an editable file.
+Does it work with scanned PDFs?
Not directly — they carry no text layer. The engine detects them and suggests the OCR page, which recognises the page images instead of failing silently.
+Can I get HTML or Markdown instead?
Yes. The same pipeline powers the PDF to Markdown and PDF to HTML pages — the PDF is always parsed to Markdown first, then written out in the format you pick.