PDF to Word Converter

Drag & drop your PDF or pick a file. This tool extracts text + images client-side and creates a Word (.doc) file.

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How Our PDF Conversion Works

Browser-Based vs. Server Conversion

Our converter offers two distinct ways to process your files, each with different advantages. The browser-based conversion happens directly on your computer using your web browser's capabilities. This means your document never leaves your device, ensuring maximum privacy. However, this method works best with standard PDFs containing selectable text. For more complex documents—like scanned PDFs, password-protected files, or documents with intricate layouts—our server-based converter provides additional processing power and advanced features. You get to choose which method works best for your specific document and privacy needs.

Understanding Different PDF Types

Not all PDFs are created equal, and understanding what kind of PDF you have helps explain why conversion results vary. "Native" PDFs created from word processors contain actual text that our tool can extract and preserve. "Scanned" PDFs are essentially photographs of pages—the text appears visually but isn't actually editable text in the file. "Protected" PDFs have security restrictions that prevent extraction. "Complex" PDFs with multi-column layouts, text boxes, or overlapping images present formatting challenges. Knowing your PDF type helps set realistic expectations and guides you to the right conversion approach.

What Happens During Conversion

When you convert a PDF using our tool, several processes happen behind the scenes. First, the system analyzes the document structure to identify text, images, and layout elements. Text is extracted character by character while preserving formatting like bold, italics, and font sizes. Images are identified and prepared for inclusion in the output. Layout information is processed to maintain paragraph structure and page organization. For browser-based conversions, all this happens locally using your computer's resources. For server conversions, this processing happens on our secure servers with additional computational power to handle more complex documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Several factors can cause conversion issues. The most common reason is that your PDF is scanned—meaning it contains images of text rather than actual editable text. Browser-based converters can't read text from images. Other causes include password protection, corrupted files, or extremely complex layouts. If your PDF fails to convert, first check if you can select text in it (try highlighting a word). If you can't select text, it's likely scanned and needs our Image to Text (OCR) tool. If it's password-protected, remove the password before converting. For complex documents, try our server-based converter for better results.

Browser-based conversion: Completely private. Your PDF never leaves your computer. The entire conversion happens in your web browser using your device's processing power. Once you close the tab, all temporary data is cleared.

Server-based conversion: Your file uploads to our secure server for processing. We automatically delete uploaded files within 1 hour, and converted files within 24 hours. We don't store, share, or analyze your documents for any purpose beyond conversion. For maximum privacy with sensitive documents, use the browser-based option. For complex documents that need server processing, rest assured we handle your files with strict security measures and automatic deletion policies.

Yes, we preserve most formatting elements, but the results depend on your PDF's complexity and which converter you use. Browser-based conversion maintains paragraphs, basic text formatting (bold, italics, font sizes), and images in their original positions. It handles page breaks and simple layouts well. Server-based conversion offers enhanced formatting preservation, including tables, multi-column layouts, text boxes, and complex positioning. If you have a document with intricate design elements, the server option typically provides better formatting accuracy. For simple documents like letters or reports, both methods preserve formatting effectively.

Think of browser conversion like using a kitchen appliance at home—it's convenient, private, and works well for everyday tasks. Server conversion is like using a professional kitchen—more powerful, handles complex tasks, but requires bringing your ingredients to the professional space. Browser conversion works locally on your device, offers maximum privacy, processes instantly, but has limitations with complex or scanned PDFs. Server conversion handles any PDF type (including scanned), preserves complex formatting better, works with larger files, but requires uploading your document. Choose browser for privacy with standard PDFs; choose server for challenging documents or better formatting.

Here's a simple test: Open your PDF and try to select a word with your mouse. If you can highlight and copy text, it contains real text. If you can't select individual words—if you drag your mouse and it selects a rectangle or nothing at all—it's scanned. Scanned PDFs are essentially photographs of pages, often created by scanning physical documents. Another clue: Zoom in very close on text in a scanned PDF, and you'll see it becomes fuzzy or pixelated, while text in native PDFs remains sharp at any zoom level. If you determine your PDF is scanned, use our OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tool instead for text extraction.

Browser conversion: Best for PDFs under 50MB. Works with standard PDF files (not scanned). Processes most text-based documents quickly.

Server conversion: Handles files up to 200MB. Works with all PDF types including scanned, protected (after password removal), and complex layouts. Also processes PDF/A (archival format) and PDF/X (print format) variants.

Both methods support standard PDF features like embedded fonts, images, and hyperlinks. Very old PDF versions (before PDF 1.4) might have compatibility issues. If you have an extremely large document or unusual PDF variant, the server converter typically provides better results.

Yes, both conversion methods allow page selection. When you upload your PDF, you'll see thumbnails of all pages. You can select individual pages by clicking on them, select a range of pages, or choose "select all" for the entire document. This is useful when you only need certain sections—like converting just the introduction and conclusion of a long report, or extracting specific charts from a document. Each selected page processes separately, and you'll receive output for only those pages. This saves time and keeps your converted files focused on exactly what you need.

Images are preserved and included in your converted document. Photographs, charts, diagrams, and illustrations convert along with the text. In browser conversion, images maintain their original quality and position relative to the text. In server conversion, images receive additional optimization—they may be slightly compressed to reduce file size while maintaining visual quality. If your PDF contains very high-resolution images, the server converter might resize them to reasonable dimensions for the output format. All images retain their original aspect ratios and positioning. If you need to extract images separately from your PDF, we recommend using our dedicated PDF Image Extractor tool.

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Secure & Private

Your files are encrypted and automatically deleted after processing.

Works Everywhere

Access our converter on any device, anytime, anywhere.