How to Open a PDF in Word for Free: Edit and Convert PDF Content

Quick summary: To open a PDF in Word, go to File → Open in Microsoft Word (2013 or later) and select the PDF — Word converts it to an editable .docx automatically. On Mac, the same File → Open method works in Word for Mac (Office 365/2019). If you do not have Microsoft Office, LibreOffice Writer opens PDFs for free. The converted document is editable but may need formatting cleanup.

Microsoft Word has been able to open PDFs directly since Word 2013 — no third-party converter needed. When you open a PDF in Word, it converts the file to a .docx in the background, making the text editable. For scanned PDFs (photos of pages with no text layer), Word runs OCR before converting. You can also upload any PDF to our free AI PDF reader to extract specific content before bringing it into Word.

How to open a PDF in Word on Windows

Method 1: File → Open (recommended)

1. Open Microsoft Word (2013, 2016, 2019, or Microsoft 365).
2. Go to File → Open.
3. Browse to your PDF file and click Open.
4. Word shows a dialog: “Word will now convert your PDF to an editable Word document. The resulting Word document will be optimized to allow you to edit the text, so it might not look exactly like the original PDF.” Click OK.
5. Word converts the PDF and opens it as an editable .docx.
6. Save: File → Save As → Word Document (.docx) to save the editable version.

Tip: You can also right-click the PDF in File Explorer → “Open with” → “Word” — this does the same thing.

Method 2: Drag and drop

1. Open Microsoft Word to a blank document or the Start screen.
2. Drag the PDF file from File Explorer into the Word window.
3. Word prompts you to convert — click OK.

How to open a PDF in Word on Mac

1. Open Microsoft Word for Mac (Office 365, Office 2019, or Word 2016+).
2. Go to File → Open.
3. Navigate to the PDF and click Open.
4. Word converts the PDF — click OK at the conversion prompt.
5. Save as File → Save As → Word Document (.docx).

The Mac method works identically to Windows from Word 2016 onward.

How to open a PDF in Word for free (without Office)

LibreOffice Writer (free, all platforms)

LibreOffice Writer is a free, open-source word processor that opens PDFs:

1. Download and install LibreOffice from libreoffice.org.
2. Open LibreOffice Writer.
3. Go to File → Open and select your PDF.
4. Writer converts the PDF and displays the editable content.
5. Save: File → Save As → Microsoft Word 2007-365 (.docx) to save in Word format.

LibreOffice is completely free and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Google Docs (free, browser-based)

1. Upload the PDF to Google Drive.
2. Right-click → “Open with” → “Google Docs”.
3. Google converts it to an editable Google Doc.
4. Export: File → Download → Microsoft Word (.docx).

This produces a .docx you can open in Word. See how to convert a PDF to Google Doc for free for full details.

What to expect after opening a PDF in Word

What converts well

• Single-column text documents (reports, essays, letters)
• Numbered and bulleted lists
• Basic tables
• Embedded images (preserved as image objects)
• Headings (usually converted to Word heading styles)

What may need fixing

Issue	Cause	Fix
Text spacing off	PDF uses fixed coordinates; Word reflows text	Manually adjust paragraph spacing
Fonts substituted	Original fonts not installed on your PC	Accept the substitute or install the font
Columns merged	Word does not support multi-column text the same way	Reformat using Word’s column feature
Images shifted	Image anchoring differs between PDF and Word	Re-anchor or reposition images
Tables broken	Complex merged cells may not convert correctly	Rebuild the table if needed
Headers/footers missing	Some PDF headers are page decorations, not metadata	Re-add in Word’s Header/Footer editor

Plan 5–15 minutes of cleanup for complex PDFs. Simple text documents usually need no cleanup at all.

How to open a scanned PDF in Word

For a scanned PDF (an image of a page with no selectable text):

1. Open in Word using File → Open — same method as above.
2. Word detects that it is a scanned image and runs OCR before converting.
3. The recognized text appears as editable content in the .docx.

OCR accuracy depends on the scan quality (300 DPI or higher recommended). If OCR quality is poor, run OCR on the PDF first with a dedicated tool, then open the resulting searchable PDF in Word.

How to open a password-protected PDF in Word

Word cannot open a password-protected PDF directly. Remove the password first:

1. Remove the password — see how to remove a password from a PDF for free.
2. Then open the unlocked PDF in Word using File → Open.

Tips for better PDF-to-Word conversion

• Simple PDFs convert better. A text-heavy report converts more cleanly than a designed brochure.
• High-resolution source = better OCR. For scanned PDFs, 300 DPI minimum improves Word’s built-in OCR accuracy.
• Save immediately as .docx. The conversion creates a temporary version — save a named .docx file before editing.
• Check formatting in Print Layout view. Some conversion issues only appear in the rendered page view, not in Draft mode.
• For critical documents, proofread. OCR and font substitution can introduce subtle errors — read through the converted text before relying on it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why does my PDF look different after opening in Word?

PDF and Word use different layout models. PDF positions every character at fixed coordinates on the page; Word uses a word-processor flow with paragraphs, styles, and margins. The conversion maps one model to the other — some layout differences are unavoidable. Text-heavy documents convert cleanly; designed layouts (brochures, flyers, magazines) will look noticeably different.

Can I open a PDF in Word without converting it?

No — Word must convert the PDF to .docx format to display it. There is no “view only” mode for PDFs inside Word. If you want to view and annotate a PDF without converting, use a dedicated PDF viewer like Adobe Acrobat Reader or Preview on Mac.

Does opening a PDF in Word change the original file?

No. Word reads the PDF and creates a separate .docx version. The original PDF is untouched — it stays exactly where it was. You are working on a new copy.

Why is the text in my converted Word document garbled?

The most common causes: (1) the PDF font uses a non-standard encoding that Word could not map correctly — try opening in LibreOffice Writer instead; (2) the PDF is a scanned image at low resolution — OCR may have misread characters; (3) the PDF is encrypted or has copy-protection — Word cannot extract the text properly from protected PDFs.

What version of Word do I need to open a PDF?

Word 2013 or later on Windows, Word 2016 or later on Mac. Earlier versions do not support PDF import. If you have an older version, use LibreOffice Writer or Google Docs (both free) instead.

How do I convert a Word document back to PDF?

In Word: File → Save As → PDF (or File → Export → Create PDF/XPS on Windows). This produces a proper PDF from the Word document. See how to make a PDF for free for more methods.

Related guides

• How to insert a PDF into Word for free — embed a PDF as an object inside an existing Word document
• How to convert a PDF to Google Doc for free — open in Google Docs instead of Word
• How to edit a PDF for free — edit the PDF directly without converting to Word
• How to remove a password from a PDF for free — unlock before opening in Word
• How to OCR a PDF for free — improve OCR before importing scanned PDFs
• How to make a PDF for free — convert back from Word to PDF
• PDF to text: extract all text at once — get plain text without converting to a Word doc