Best PDF to Word Converters: Free Online and Desktop Tool

Portable Document Format, shortened as PDF, is considered one of the most prevalent digital documents of our time. The stability and consistency of this format make it a top priority when transferring files. However, the fact that it’s not editable is still a huge problem for most users. This situation creates a high demand for PDF to Word conversion.

Regarding the Word document, it is a member of Microsoft Office Suite and a commonly used file format so far. These two different file formats complement each other. Several PDF to Word converters will be listed in the following paragraphs to simplify the PDF conversion process.

• SwifDoo PDF (Windows)
• Foxit PDF (Windows, Mac)
• Wondershare PDFelement (Windows, Mac)
• Adobe Acrobat (Windows, Mac, Online)
• Google Drive (Online)
• iLovePDF (Windows, Online)

PDF to Word Converters on Windows

Here are some of the best free and paid PDF to Word converters for windows 10 to convert your PDF files to Word (Doc/Docx), Excel (XLS/XLSX), PowerPoint (ppt) formats at fast speed, and vice versa.

SwifDoo PDF

Maybe you haven’t heard of this desktop PDF software on Windows. SwifDoo PDF is actually more than an ordinary PDF to Word converter. Intending to create a comprehensive PDF program, SwifDoo PDF has incorporated multiple conversion features, including PDF to PowerPoint, Excel, and other file formats.

System: Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP

Price: 30-day free trial/$20 monthly and $69 annually (up to 60% discount for newly registered users)

Pros:

• Multiple choices on PDF conversions (HTML, CAD included);
• Small memory size;
• Reasonable pricing strategy;
• Intuitive user interface;
• The batch process including printing and file converting.

Cons:

• Unable to edit PDF forms and digital signatures;
• Limited features for expired accounts.

Foxit PDF

With years of development, Foxit PDF has turned itself into an all-in-one PDF solution provider.

As a qualified PDF converter, Foxit PDF supports converting PDF to Microsoft Office file formats (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel), images, and HTML. Besides, it has integrated many other tools, such as magnifier, word count, auto-scroll, and spell check, making PDFs much more interactive.

System: Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP; Mac

Price: 14-day free trial/ $179 (one-time fee for Pro version)

Pros:

• Full-featured PDF enabling users to edit, sign, convert, and reorder PDFs;
• Able to add extensions/add-ons with different browsers;
• Mechanisms to support and simplify file sharing (via email), and integration with apps like OneNote and EverNote;
• Feature of search and replace.

Cons:

• Expensive subscription fee;
• A complex user interface requires a deep learning curve;
• Large installation package (more than 500 MB).

PDF to Word Converters on Mac

When talking about PDF conversion, some may think of the inbuilt PDF viewer on macOS, Preview. The fact is Preview cannot do with PDF to Word conversion unless you are willing to copy the text from the PDF and paste it into a Word document. This method is time-wasting and unstable when your PDF has too many pages and complicated content forms (multimedia content). That’s the main reason we need to recommend two excellent PDF converters on Mac.

PDFelement

PDFelement has developed Mac, mobile, and Windows versions to reach a broader range of audiences to meet different needs. If built-in Preview cannot solve your PDF-related tasks, try PDFelement. This comprehensive PDF to Word converter allows users to export PDFs into familiar Microsoft Office file formats, images, texts, epubs, and specific PDF/A, RTF, and HWP formats.

System: Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista; Mac

Price: 14-day free trial/$79 annually (Pro version)

Pros:

• Easy-to-use user interface;
• Useful PDF features, including editing, converting, reorganizing, and signing;
• Able to detect editable parts within a PDF document;
• Email support within 24 hours.

Cons:

• Push-up advertisements;
• Unable to batch process PDF documents;
• Relatively slow loading speed when upgrading to a newer version.

Adobe Acrobat

The next competitor everyone knows is Adobe Acrobat. Yes, PDF is the creation of Adobe, but many users think of it as a Windows-exclusive document management tool. Not really. Adobe has made itself compatible with macOS and iOS to help more users address PDF issues. As a full-fledged PDF solution, Adobe offers multiple features, including PDF to Word conversion. In addition, Adobe enables users to edit, reorder, annotate, and share PDF pages if needed.

System: iOS, Android, Windows 10/8.1/8/7, and macOS

Price: 7-day free trial/ $24.99 monthly

Pros:

• A wealth of powerful features;
• Able to track changes made to a PDF;
• Able to store your PDF documents in the cloud-storage platform;
• Compatibility with different operating systems.

Cons:

• Long download and installation process;
• Expensive subscription fees;
• Complicated user interface.

PDF to Word Converters Online

If you still haven’t found a suitable solution for PDFs, then in the final part, we’ll cover web-based tools to help you out. As the name suggests, Internet-based programs require no troublesome download and installation process but a smooth internet connection.

Online PDF to Word converters are usually free to use, but it doesn’t mean they offer free service for good.

iLovePDF

iLovePDF is one of the most popular online PDF tools and has been used by millions of users. At the same time, it provides a desktop version on the Windows system. However, personally, I love using its web-based version as the desktop version provides fewer features. Apart from being a PDF to Word converter, iLovePDF can edit, annotate, rotate, protect, and repair PDFs.

System: Online/Windows

Price: $48 annually (Premium)

Pros:

• Quick response;
• Repair damaged PDFs;
• Able to import/export PDFs from/to cloud storage platforms such as Google Drive and Dropbox;
• Strengthened files protection.

Cons:

• Two free tasks per day;
• Pushed-up advertisements for free users.

Google Drive

Google Drive is not a PDF application in a strict sense. Honestly, it is a cloud storage platform. Many people may wonder why it is listed in the recommendations. The question is easy to answer; Google Drive is an entirely free-to-use platform as long as you are a Google user. But the PDF to Word conversion is distinguished from other types of PDF tools. Let’s have a closer look at how to transform a PDF into an editable Word document:

Step 1: Log in to Google Drive with your Google account and upload a PDF file to Drive’s workplace from local folder;

Step 2: Right-click on the newly added PDF;

Step 3: Choose Open with to select Google Docs, and then your PDF will be presented as PDF;

Step 4: The last step is to click Download in the File tab, then choose Microsoft Word as the output format.

That’s all for converting a PDF to Word with Google Drive. Even if it can save your PDF as Word, this method may be to your disappointment when it comes to PDF with multimedia content.

System: Mobile, Windows, Mac

Price: Free

Pros:

• Free and easy to use, mobile-friendly;
• Compatible with many operating systems;
• Portable and can be accessed anywhere anytime when you have an Internet connection.

Cons:

• Slow loading speed;
• Limited features.

Final Thoughts

Exporting a PDF file to a Word document is not tough if you choose a reliable product. Products mentioned in this post are tested and reviewed by the editor, making them safe to use. So if you need to save your PDFs as Word files, try these power converters.

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