How to Convert PDF to Word (DOCX) - Complete Guide

Transform your PDF documents into fully editable Word (DOCX) files with FunPDF's PDF to Word converter. Whether you need to edit contracts, extract content, or recover text from PDFs, this guide covers everything you need to know.

What You Can Do

FunPDF's PDF to Word converter allows you to:

• Convert entire PDFs or specific page ranges to editable Word documents
• Preserve formatting, tables, and text layout
• Control whether to include images and their quality
• Adjust image resolution (DPI) for optimal results
• Process files up to 200MB in size
• Download DOCX files compatible with Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and LibreOffice

Step-by-Step Conversion Guide

1. Upload Your PDF File

Start by uploading your PDF to the FunPDF Editor:

Using Drag and Drop:

1. Locate your PDF file in Windows Explorer, Mac Finder, or your file manager
2. Drag the file into the FunPDF editor window
3. Drop it anywhere on the page
4. Your PDF will load automatically with thumbnail previews

Using Upload Button:

1. Open the FunPDF Editor
2. If the left sidebar is empty, click the orange "Upload PDFs" button
3. If you already have files loaded, click the gray "Add files" button at the bottom
4. Select your PDF file (up to 200MB)
5. Click "Open" to upload

After uploading, the PDF appears in the Files sidebar list. Click the file once and the page thumbnails render in the central workspace so you can preview or select specific pages.

2. Select PDF to Word Tool

1. At the top of the editor, find the toolbar labelled "Tools" (desktop) or tap the menu button on mobile
2. Click the PDF to Word pill/button in that toolbar (look for the Word icon)
3. The right-side settings panel (or mobile bottom sheet) automatically switches to PDF to Word options
4. If you're in Workflow mode, add the “Convert to Word” step instead and configure it in the right sidebar

3. Choose Pages to Convert

Convert All Pages (Default):

• Leave "All pages" selected to convert the entire document
• Best for complete document conversion

Convert Specific Pages:

1. Select "Custom ranges" option
2. Enter page numbers in the format:
   • Single pages: 1, 5, 10
   • Page ranges: 1-5, 8, 10-15
   • Mix both: 1, 3-7, 10, 15-20
3. Only specified pages will be included in the Word document

Why Select Specific Pages?

• Extract only relevant sections (chapters, specific content)
• Reduce file size by excluding unnecessary pages
• Faster processing for large PDFs
• Create focused documents from multi-purpose PDFs

4. Configure Image Settings

Keep Images Option:

Toggle "Keep images" to control image inclusion:

• Enabled (ON): Images from the PDF are included in the Word document
• Disabled (OFF): Only text is extracted, creating a text-only DOCX file

When to Disable Images:

• You only need the text content
• Want smaller Word file sizes
• Images are not relevant to your use case
• Faster processing for text-heavy documents

Image Quality (Only if Keep Images is Enabled):

Choose from three quality levels:

• High: Best clarity, larger file size - Use for professional documents, presentations, or when image detail matters
• Medium: Balanced quality and size (recommended) - Good for most documents
• Low: Fastest processing, smallest files - Acceptable for screen viewing when print quality isn't needed

DPI Settings (Only if Keep Images is Enabled):

Select resolution for images:

• 300 DPI: Best for printing, professional documents - Recommended for high-quality output
• 200 DPI: Balanced resolution - Good for most use cases
• 150 DPI: Screen viewing, web documents - Smaller file sizes

Recommendation: Start with Medium quality and 300 DPI for best results. Adjust if file size is too large.

5. Start the Conversion

1. Review your settings:

   • Page range selected
   • Keep images option configured
   • Image quality and DPI set (if keeping images)

2. Click the "Convert to Word" button

3. Processing begins automatically:

   • Small files (≤10MB): Convert instantly on our servers with immediate results
   • Large files (10MB - 200MB): Upload for background processing with real-time progress bar

4. Watch the progress indicator:

   • Displays status such as "Preparing", "Processing", or "Finalizing"
   • Shows a spinner for synchronous jobs or textual progress for background jobs
   • You can cancel while it is running

6. Download Your Word Document

Once conversion completes:

1. A download card appears showing:

   • Output filename
   • File size
   • Page count

2. Click "Download DOCX" or "Download" button

3. The Word document saves to your default downloads folder

4. Open the file in:

   • Microsoft Word (Windows, Mac)
   • Google Docs (Upload to Google Drive, then open)
   • LibreOffice Writer (Free alternative)
   • Apple Pages (Mac)
   • Any software supporting DOCX format

Understanding Conversion Quality

What's Preserved

✅ Text content - All text extracted accurately ✅ Paragraph structure - Maintains spacing and breaks ✅ Tables - Converted to editable Word tables ✅ Headings and lists - Formatting preserved ✅ Basic formatting - Bold, italic, underline ✅ Layout structure - General document flow

What May Change

⚠️ Fonts - Exact fonts may be substituted if not available in Word ⚠️ Complex layouts - Multi-column or intricate designs may need adjustment ⚠️ Special graphics - Vector graphics may be rasterized ⚠️ Form fields - PDF forms convert to static text, not interactive fields

Tips for Best Results

Simple Documents Convert Best:

• Plain text documents with basic formatting
• Business letters, contracts, reports
• Academic papers and articles
• Meeting minutes and memos

Complex Documents May Need Editing:

• Magazines with multi-column layouts
• Brochures with intricate designs
• PDFs with embedded special fonts
• Documents with complex graphics

Common Use Cases

Edit PDF Contracts and Agreements

1. Upload the PDF contract
2. Convert all pages
3. Keep images enabled (for signatures/logos)
4. Use High quality for professional appearance
5. Download and edit terms in Word

Extract Specific Chapters from Reports

1. Upload the full PDF report
2. Use custom ranges to select chapter pages (e.g., "10-25" for Chapter 2)
3. Configure image settings based on content
4. Download only the chapter you need

Recover Text from PDFs (No Original File)

1. Upload the PDF
2. Disable "Keep images" if you only need text
3. Convert all pages
4. Download text-only Word document for reuse

Prepare Documents for Translation

1. Upload PDF in source language
2. Convert with all settings default
3. Download Word file
4. Send DOCX to translator (easier to work with than PDF)

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Problem: Conversion Failed or Error Message

Possible Causes:

• PDF file is corrupted or damaged
• File exceeds 200MB limit
• PDF uses unsupported encryption
• Internet connection interrupted

Solutions:

1. Try opening the PDF on your computer to verify it's not corrupted
2. Check file size - must be under 200MB
3. If password-protected, use Decrypt PDF tool first
4. Check your internet connection and retry
5. Try a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)

Problem: Password Protected PDF Won't Convert

Cause: Encrypted PDFs cannot be converted directly

Solution:

1. Use FunPDF's Decrypt PDF tool first
2. Enter the PDF password to unlock
3. Download the decrypted PDF
4. Then convert the unlocked file to Word

Problem: Fonts Look Different in Word

Cause: Original PDF fonts may not be available on your system

Explanation:

• PDFs can embed custom fonts
• Word uses fonts installed on your computer
• If the exact font isn't available, Word substitutes similar fonts

Solutions:

1. Install the original fonts on your system if available
2. Manually change fonts in Word after conversion
3. Accept font substitution for most documents (formatting still preserved)
4. For critical documents, use High image quality to preserve visual appearance

Problem: Layout Doesn't Match PDF Exactly

Cause: PDF and Word use different layout engines

Explanation:

• PDFs use fixed positioning (pixels)
• Word uses flow-based layouts (paragraphs)
• Complex designs may not translate perfectly

Solutions:

1. For simple documents: Minor adjustments in Word usually sufficient
2. For complex layouts: Consider PDF to Images for exact visual match
3. Manually adjust spacing, columns, and formatting in Word as needed
4. Use Word's layout tools to reorganize content

Problem: Images Are Blurry or Low Quality

Cause: Image quality or DPI settings too low

Solutions:

1. Reconvert with High image quality setting
2. Increase DPI to 300 for best clarity
3. Note: Higher quality = larger file size
4. If original PDF has low-quality images, output quality is limited by source

Problem: Tables Aren't Editable

This Should NOT Happen - tables should convert to Word tables

If It Does:

1. Check that you're using Microsoft Word or compatible editor
2. Some PDF tables may convert as images if they're actually images in the PDF
3. Try converting just the table pages with High image quality
4. Manually recreate complex tables in Word if needed

Problem: File Size Too Large

Causes:

• Many high-resolution images
• High quality and DPI settings
• Large source PDF

Solutions:

1. Disable "Keep images" if you only need text (smallest file size)
2. Reduce image quality to Low or Medium
3. Lower DPI to 150 or 200
4. Convert only needed pages instead of entire document
5. After conversion, compress the PDF if you need to convert back

Privacy and Security

Your converted files are handled securely:

• Small files (≤10MB): Process on our servers but are never stored - convert and return immediately
• Large files (10MB - 200MB): Temporarily stored during processing, automatically deleted after 2 hours
• Encrypted transfer: All uploads use SSL/TLS encryption
• No permanent storage: Files are not saved or backed up
• No content analysis: We don't read, analyze, or log your document contents

Learn more about our data security practices.

Advanced Tips and Tricks

Batch Conversion Strategy

For multiple PDFs:

1. Convert one test file first to verify settings
2. Note the optimal settings for your document type
3. Use same settings for remaining files
4. Upload and convert one at a time for best results

Optimizing for Different Purposes

For Editing:

• Keep all images enabled
• Use Medium or High quality
• Convert all pages
• Accept larger file size for complete content

For Text Extraction:

• Disable "Keep images"
• Fastest processing
• Smallest file size
• Perfect for text reuse

For Printing:

• Enable images with High quality
• Set DPI to 300
• Ensure formatting is preserved
• Review page breaks in Word

For Sharing:

• Medium quality images
• 200 DPI resolution
• Balance file size and quality
• Compress if file is too large

When to Use PDF to Word vs Other Tools

Use PDF to Word when:

• You need to edit text content
• Tables need to be modified
• Reformatting is required
• Content will be reused in documents

Use PDF to HTML when:

• Publishing content on websites
• Need SEO-friendly format
• Want browser-viewable output

Use PDF to Images when:

• Exact visual match is critical
• Layout must not change
• Need graphics for presentations
• Sharing on social media

Use PDF to Excel when:

• Extracting table data for analysis
• Working with numbers and calculations
• Need spreadsheet format

File Size Limits and Processing Times

File Size Limits

• Maximum: 200MB per file
• Recommended: Under 50MB for fastest processing
• Small file threshold: 10MB (instant processing)

Estimated Processing Times

Small Files (< 10MB):

• Text-only PDFs: 2-5 seconds
• PDFs with images: 5-15 seconds
• Instant results, no waiting

Medium Files (10MB - 50MB):

• Progress bar shows status
• Background processing

Large Files (50MB - 200MB):

• Depends on page count and image density
• Real-time progress updates

Factors Affecting Speed

• Number of pages
• Image quantity and resolution
• Document complexity
• Internet connection speed (for upload)

Next Steps

Now that you know how to convert PDFs to Word:

• Convert PDF to Excel - Extract tables for data analysis
• Office to PDF - Convert Word documents back to PDF
• Merge PDF - Combine multiple PDFs before conversion
• Split PDF - Extract specific pages before converting
• Compress PDF - Reduce file size before conversion
• Decrypt PDF - Unlock password-protected PDFs

Ready to convert? Visit the PDF to Word tool now!