You received a PDF and need to change the text. Retyping it is slow, and many online converters make you upload private documents to a stranger’s server. A browser tool can do the job on your own device.
What kind of PDF do you have?
This matters more than anything else:
- A “real text” PDF was made from Word, a website or a report. The text can be selected with the mouse. These convert well.
- A scanned PDF is just pictures of pages. The text cannot be selected. These need text recognition (OCR) first.
Quick test: open the PDF and try to highlight a word. If you can, it has real text.
Steps for a text PDF
- Open PDF to Word.
- Add your PDF.
- Press Convert to Word.
- Download the .docx and open it in Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice.
What is kept and what is not
Text and headings are kept in reading order. Complex layouts do not survive a conversion between these formats: multi-column pages, tables, text boxes and images are not reproduced exactly, so plan to tidy the layout in Word. For a quick copy of the words, it is very fast.
Scanned PDFs
Scans must be turned into text first:
- Convert the pages to images with PDF to JPG or PDF to PNG.
- Read the text with image to text (OCR), choosing the language of the document.
- Paste the result into a Word document.
Clear, straight, well-lit scans give the best results.
Only need the words?
If you just want the text without formatting, PDF to text gives you a plain .txt file in one step.
Other editing jobs
- Remove or reorder pages with organize PDF pages.
- Fill in or sign a form with sign PDF.
- Hide private details with redact PDF.
Everything runs in your browser, so confidential files stay on your device.