Convert PDF to Word

Updated versions of Microsoft Word for Windows and Mac computers has a built-in PDF to Word converter! (See below for alternative instructions if your version of Word can't open PDFs).

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Instructors, Staff

Windows

  1. Open Word.
  2. Click on Open Other documents
    Screenshot of the Word recent documents window showing the Open Other Documents menu option 
  3. Click Browse to find the pdf on your computer. Then click open to open the PDF in Word and start the conversion.
    Screenshot of the Windows open file dialog window showing how to browse to the desired PDF you want to convert.
    Screenshot showing the confirmation prompt informing the user that Word will now convert the selected PDF to Word Format. User has the option to select Ok, Cancel or Help.

Mac

  1. Open Word
  2. Click File > Open
    Screenshot showing the File Menu in Word on Mac, with the Open option selected.
  3. Navigate to the PDF and click Open (if it's on your computer, and you don't see your computer folders, click On my Mac, find the file, select it, and then click Open)
     Screenshot showing the selection of the PDF file you wish to convert.
  4. A status message will display while the file is converting, and then the file will open in Word as an editable copy of the PDF.
    Screenshot of the progress window showing the conversion process status.

Alternative Instructions 

If these do not work or your version of Word, try updating Word (Windows, Mac) or try one of these options:

  • Virtual SINC Site: Use the Virtual SINC Site with the instructions above.
  • Google Drive: Upload the document to Google Drive and then click Open with Google Docs. Once the file is open as a Google Doc, click File and then click Download and then click Microsoft Word (.docx) to download a Word file version. Converting through Google Docs may not work as well as Word, especially with long documents with images.

For Microsoft’s official guidance, see Microsoft’s instructions for editing PDFs in Word 

This Content Last Updated:
02/07/2026

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This KB Article References:
This Information is Intended for:
Instructors, Staff
Estimated Read Time:
1 minutes
This Content Last Updated:
02/07/2026