4 Quick Ways to Convert PDF to Word on Mac

PDF is created for viewing, while Word is designed for editing. So in special cases, we can convert PDF to Word to achieve the goal of editing PDF documents.

In this article, we will bring you the best ways to convert PDF to Word and keep the formatting, And the good news? They’re all quick, easy and free. In fact, some are built straight into macOS.

 

PDF vs Word, What’s the Difference?

First, let’s see how this two file formats differ.

PDF has become a standard format in business for its ease of sharing and viewing. One can see PDF as a paper in an electronic form, it is static and fixed. You can’t really edit and change a PDF file. 

Word is one of the most widely used format mainly for creating and editing documents. 

So, in other words, converting from PDF to Word allows you to re-editing the document when it is required.

 

Method 1: Best Way to Convert PDF to Word without Losing Formatting (Mac and Windows)

The key for PDF to Word conversion is always the formatting. Most of the online free PDF to word converters will surely falling short of your expectations. Conversion speed is equally critical, since a PDF file is always in multiple pages and the file size may come out as large. 

If you want to convert PDF to Word on Mac without losing format, you may need the help of a professional PDF to Word Converter. Cisdem PDF Converter OCR is picked as the best PDF to Word converter for both Mac and Windows. It is a program designed to convert PDF files into various formats for easy editing, reading and management, it can perform the conversion between PDF and Word format expertly, not changing the original formatting.

Partial and batch conversions. Partial conversion allows you to set PDF page or page ranges for conversion. Batch conversion allows you to add up to 100 plus PDFs for conversion each time.

Convert scanned PDF to Word. This tool comes with powerful OCR function, when you add PDF files it will recognize scanned PDF automatically and use OCR to convert it.

Get accurate results. In our test it consistently gives the best results. You’ll find the output word file and the original PDF file accurately matches.

In order to convert PDF to Word on Mac,  you can follow the steps below.

1. Download and Install Cisdem PDF Converter OCR.
   Download the free trial of Cisdem PDF Converter OCR, install the program.
   Free Download macOS 10.14 or later Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
2. Add Multiple PDFs at One Time.
   Drag and drop the PDF file to the interface of the "Converter" or you can add PDF Files by clicking the "+" icon at the bottom of the program. It supports convert multiple pdf to word at once.
   
3. Choose PDF Page Range and Select Output as Word.
   With this PDF Converter you add and convert large PDF files, and You can also choose to convert all pages or convert specified pages by filling in the page range. Also, choose Word Doc or Docx as output from the output menu.
   
4. Click “Convert” to Save PDF as Word.
   Click on the Convert button at the bottom of the interface, choose output folder to save the Word document. Once the conversion finishes, you can check the Word file in output folder.

Tips:

For more accurate and high-quality conversion, you can choose whether to prioritize text recognition or formatting in Word Setting.

Convert Scanned PDF to Word 

A scanned PDF is PDF that made up with scanned images. If PDF is a scanned PDF, the user is generally unable to search across the text, and if you use a PDF Converter to convert scanned PDF to word, all you get is a collection of images. You cannot edit it, search through it.

If you need to convert scanned PDF to word you need to download the OCR module when uploading files. and then this app will recognize scanned PDF automatically. 

If you have scanned PDF files in languages other than English you can set the language like below:

Choose OCR PDF as the output format and then click the setting button in the right.

Also, you can watch the tutorial video to convert PDF to Word on Mac now.

 

Method 2. Change PDF to Word with macOS Build-in Apps

As an Apple tech, this is the way many Mac users asks. Though, there is no direct way to convert PDF to word with Mac build in apps, but there are some solutions that will lead to the same results.

Convert PDF to Word on Mac Using Preview

You can also convert PDF to word with the built-in Preview app. If your PDF has simple formatting you can use preview to export PDF files as word document.  

And one thing worth to mention is that for macOS Monterey or later users, preview comes with a Live Text feature which similar to OCR function that can help you turn scanned PDF files to searchable and editable word documents. 

All you have to do for the conversion of your PDF to Word with the help of Preview is:

1. Open PDF with macOS Preview.
2. Select and Copy the text that you need to edit on Word.
   
3. If your files is a scanned PDF or images. please hover the pointer over the text, then drag it to select it. Control-click your selection. and Choose “Copy”. 
   
4. Open a blank document on Pages or Microsoft Word. Click on the "Add Page" icon and paste the contents using Cmd+V.
5. Save the file as a doc or docx file. 
6. Do editing for the output file. 

 

Use Automator if there are many pages

If you PDF file is large or have hundreds of pages, using preview to copy and paste is really time consuming, in this case you can use Mac’s build in Automator to create automated workflow for copy and pasting PDF to word in batches.

How to Convert PDF to Word on Mac with Automator?

1. Run Automator and then choose "Application". 
   
2. Choose PDFs > Extract PDF Text and drag it to the right side of the interface. In the output format choose “Plain Text”.
   
3. Head to File> Save, a Text will be created instantly. 
   

 

Method 3. Third-party Offline PDF to Word Converters 

Adobe Acrobat (macOS, Windows)

Adobe invented the PDF file format, if want to work with the best, you can have a try with Adobe Acrobat. It supports exporting PDFs as Word, Excel, HTML, PowerPoint, Text, Image and other formats. 

Steps to Convert PDF to Word on Mac with Adobe Acrobat

1. Open Adobe Acrobat and add the PDF you want to convert. 
2. In the menu choose File.
3. Then in the pop up window, choose Convert to Word, Excel or PowerPoint. 
   

 

Calibre (macOS, Windows, Linux)

Calibre is a free, open-source, ebook manger software, it can also convert between ebook formats. It’s works well even with complex PDFs. 

1. Open Calibre, then click Add books to add PDF files. If you need to add batches of PDF files you can use the down arrow beside Add books, then you’ll be able to Add multiple books from an archive.
2. After adding Ebook files, click “convert books”, and in the Output format box choose DOCX. 
   

 

Method 4: Use an Online Converter (macOS, Windows, iOS, Android)

There are many online websites that supports free PDF to word conversion. Most of them are intuitive and simple — you just need to drop your PDF onto the page and it will start the converting. Noted that most of the online sites are ad-supported, which can be a bit of a distraction, and you need to be careful where you click. Also, most of the online site have limit on the size or how many you can do in one day. If you have scanned PDF file, most of the online site will ask you to pay to change scanned PDF to word.

Online PDF Converter

Here we choose Online PDF Converter, as this site don’t require a email, and we found the site is easy to navigate and quickly converted a 6-page PDF to word in just a few seconds. 

How to Convert PDF to Word with Online PDF Converter?

1. Go to PDF Converter website.
   
2. Click Choose File to upload your PDF file.
3. Select Word to start converting PDF to word.
4. Go to your email and get the download link to download the exported word file.

FAQs

If you still have problems, read the frequently asked questions below for additional help.

How Long Does it Take to Convert PDF to Word

Unlike convert video files, convert PDF to word is very quick, usually a few seconds to a minute. if you file is large or you have multiple files to convert, it may take s several minutes. 

How to Convert a Large PDF File to Word

You can use all the above method to convert large PDF files to word. If all your PDF files is large or the PDFs are scanned PDF files we recommend you get a offline PDF to Word converter instead an online converter. 

How to Convert a PDF to Word on iPhone

There are many PDF to Word converters on the app store, you can use free apps like PDF to Word. Which allows you to convert PDF files to Word documents on your iPhone or iPad. Here is how to convert a PDF to Word on iPhone using PDF to Word - PDF Converter:

1. Open the app and select the PDF file that you want to convert.

2. Click on the “Convert to Word” button.

3. The app will convert the PDF file to Word and save it to your iPhone.

4. You can then open the Word file and edit it as needed.

Can’t I Just Change the File’s Extension to Make it Word?

No. Though changing the extension from PDF to word can can change the kind of application that defaults to opening the file, it doesn’t change the format and you will fail to open it. 

How to edit PDFs without converting them to Word first

If all you need is editing a PDF file, you can edit text and images in PDFs directly instead of converting it to Word. 

Cisdem PDFMaster is the all in one PDF editor that allows you edit or modify a PDF files just like edit a Word, you can use it to change or delete text or images in a PDF file and it also have functions like annotate PDF files, add comment to PDF, compare, OCR, crop, watermark, create form fields, redact and managing PDF pages. With this tool, there is no need to convert PDF to word for editing which may lead to formatting issue.

Why Not Open the PDF in Word or Pages Directly?

Perhaps you have already tried and found that one can’t simply attempt to open a PDF file in Word, Pages or other text editor. Cause it will simply open gibberish. For example, here’s what happens when you try to open a PDF file in text editor. 

Which Path Should I Choose?

There are so many options to convert PDF to word on Mac, We can go on and add more tools onto our recommendation list, but all the above method are always picked and recommended by our users. if you want to make your conversions easy, fast and high quality, have a try on PDF Converter OCR, the program that can kill the formatting troubles, once and for all.

Free Download macOS 10.14 or later Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7