You can convert PDF documents to Word (DOCX) directly in Microsoft Word itself. No need to use external software or services.
Generally, PDFs are pretty great for saving and sharing documents without worrying about formatting issues or compatibility. While PDFs make it easy to store and save, sometimes you need to edit a PDF document or extract its content into a more flexible format so that it allows you to modify the document or convert it to another format as needed.
When you want to edit a PDF document, one of the easiest ways to do this is to convert the PDF document to Word, make the required edits, and then convert it back to PDF.
For example, I recently had to claim warranty on one of my gadgets and needed to fill out the warranty form provided by the manufacturer. Since the warranty form is in PDF format, rather than using yet another application to edit it, I’ve simply converted the PDF document to Word (DOCX), made the necessary changes, and exported the document to PDF. The entire process, including filling the form, took less than two minutes.
Like me, if you need to convert a PDF to Word (DOCX), follow the steps below. They show you how to do it locally on your system using Microsoft Word. Let’s get started.
Good to know: How to merge multiple Word documents into a single PDF file
Before You Start
- The steps below will work on Word 2016, 2019, and 365.
- If your PDF document has too many graphics or complicated rich formatting, the converted document may not look exactly like the original.
Steps to Convert PDF to Word in Microsoft Word
To convert any PDF document to DOCX format, you just need to open the PDF in the Word application and then save it. Here’s how to do it.
- Press the “Windows key” to launch the Start menu.
- Search for “Word” and click the “Open” option.
- Click the “Open” option on the sidebar.
- Click the “Browse” option.
- Select the PDF file in the Open window and click “Open“.
- Click the “OK” button in the warning window.
- The PDF document opens in Word in “Protected mode“.
- Click “Enable Editing“.
- To convert it, press “Ctrl + S“.
- Go to the folder where you want to save the file.
- Type the name of your choice in the “File name” field.
- Ensure “Word Document (*.docx)” is selected in the “Save as type” dropdown menu.
- Click “Save“.
- With that, you’ve converted the PDF document to a Word document.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First, we must open the Word application. To do that, open the Start menu by pressing the “Windows key”, search for “Word”, and click on it to launch. Once it opens, click the “Open” option at the bottom of the left sidebar.
Next, click “This PC” or “Browse” on the right panel.

The above action opens the browse window. Find the PDF file you want to convert, select it, and click “Open“.

As soon as you click the “Open” button, Word will show you a warning dialog. Click the “OK” button to continue.

With that, the PDF document opens in Word in Protected Mode. Click the “Enable Editing” button shown in the option. As I said earlier, Word tries to preserve the actual PDF content layout as much as possible. However, if it contains a lot of complicated layouts, rich text, and graphics, you might have to edit the document to make it look like the original PDF document.
Once you are done with the changes, if any, press the “Ctrl + S” keyboard shortcut.
In the “Save” dialog, go to a folder where you want to save the file, type the name of your choice in the “File name” field, ensure “Word Document (*.docx)” is selected in the “Save as type” dropdown menu, and click “Save“.
That is all. It is that simple to convert any PDF document to a Word document (DOCX) using the Microsoft Word application.
If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
Good to read: Download Office 2019, Office 365, and Office 2016 ISO offline installer.
Update: The tutorial has been updated to expand and simplify the steps.
When i was converting PDF to Word it gived me a error that ‘Sorry we could’nt convert this PDF’ so what should i do.
That might be a problem with that specific PDF file. Generally, this might happen when the PDF file is digitally signed, has special fonts, custom/complexs layout, etc. In those cases, In those cases, I recommend you use Adobe Acrobat to re-save the file and try again in Word or export it from there.