How to Convert a Scanned PDF to Word Document

Converting a scanned PDF to an editable Word document is possible with this free online scanning and PDF conversion service. You can convert a scanned PDF to Word for free with at least five pages of scanned PDF (the price increases for more pages). After you upload your PDF file, you can convert your file from scanned PDF to Word immediately.

Converting a scanned PDF to Word document is one of the most popular solutions. A scanned PDF contains words, but they are not editable. You have no control over the text, paragraph styles, or images in a scan PDF. If you want to edit your scanned PDF, you need to convert it to a Word file format. This article shows you how to convert a scanned PDF to Word document with the best way and professional solution.

Converting a scanned PDF to editable Word format is simple if you use the right tools. By following these step-by-step instructions you can convert a scanned PDF file in no time.

Are you tired of using online converters to convert PDF to Word? Do you want to run away from the shortcomings of the online converters? The solution is simple, that is getting yourself a suitable PDF to Word converter offline and enjoying the best way to convert PDF to Word offline. To ease your hassle, this article gives you a thorough guide on how to convert PDF to Word offline using the best PDF to Word converter offline

Method 1: How to Convert PDF to Word Offline on PC/Mac

Wondershare PDFelement – PDF Editor provides various plausible ways for users to convert PDF to Word offline. The following steps illustrate how users can convert PDF to Word offline with PDFelement.https://www.youtube.com/embed/TL21veIsTKE?rel=0&autoplay=0

Step 1. Import the PDF File

When the program opens, click the “Open File” link at the bottom to allow you to browse for the PDF file you want to convert to Word. Select the PDF file and click “Open” within the File Explorer window, and the program will automatically open the PDF file.TRY IT FREE

convert pdf to word offline

Step 2. Convert PDF to Word Offline

Now navigate to the toolbar and select the “Convert” tab. This will then provide you with several file format options that you can choose. Just ignore other formats and select the “To Word” option.

how to convert pdf to word offline

Step 3. Select Output Folder

From the subsequent “Save As” window, choose a suitable destination folder for the file awaiting conversion. You can click on the “Settings” tab to perform other relevant output settings. Once satisfied, click “Save” to confirm the chosen save path and trigger the program to convert PDF to Word.

pdf to word offline

You can also convert PDF to Word with Convert PDF button on PDFelement or convert multiple PDF files to word at the same time with its Batch PDF button.TRY IT FREE

free pdf to word converter offline

PDF to Word Converter Offline (Free Download for PC/Mac)

Converting PDF to Word has never been as easy as it is with Wondershare PDFelement – PDF Editor. The effortless and straightforward process illustrates how the design of PDFelement was tailored for a better experience of the users. If you want to convert a single PDF file or multiple PDF files seamlessly then, this program will do it for you. The program offers plenty of easy ways to convert PDF into Word or several other formats like Excel, PPT, HTML, image, and PDF/A format, which is the ISO standard PDF format for archiving and keeping electronic documents for long. Also, users can modify their conversion settings to suit their needs. For those who want to convert scanned PDF files to editable and searchable mode, this program offers an OCR option to solve their issues. PDFelement is itself an all-in-one platform, possessing an assortment of available features. Some of them include:

  • Edit PDF texts, links, and images; add watermarks, headers, and footers.
  • Annotate PDF files using comments, reviews, drawings, stamps, and text markups.
  • Fill in forms, extract data, import data, and export form data.
  • Organize PDF files by extracting, inserting, or rotating pages.
  • Combine several files to form a single PDF file.
  • Optimize PDF to the desired size without degrading the quality.
  • Share PDF files as email attachments via Dropbox, Evernote, and Google Drive.
  • Print PDF files and customize print settings to suit their need.
free pdf to word converter offline

Method 2: How to Convert PDF to Word Offline on iPhone

If you want to convert large files or multiple PDF files to word on your iPhone, the best way is to download the PDF converter app on your phone to convert PDF to Word offline. PDFelement for iOS provides Convert feature that enables you to do that. It can convert PDF to word, excel, jpg, png and more. Another benefit of using the offline PDF to Word converter app is that it also allows you to annotate, edit your PDF files.

Step 1: Install and open PDFelement on iPhone.

Step 2: Tap Convert and select the PDF file you want to convert offline. You can add the PDF file from the File app on iPhone.

Step 3: Tap the three-dot icon and then Convert > to Word.

Convert PDF to Word offline on iPhone

Method 3: How to Convert PDF to Word Offline on Android

You can convert PDF to Word offline on Android with WPS Office. WPS Office is a free office suite that enables you to edit and convert PDF, Word, Excel and other documents.

It is also a PDF reader that can view, comment PDF, and scan files to PDF. It is a complete office suite for you.

WPS Office for Android

Tip: How to Convert Scanned PDF to Word Offline

If you are looking to convert a scanned PDF to Word, just follow these simple steps and get the job done as quickly and smoothly as possible:

1. Download and install PDFelement.

2. Open PDFelement and click on the OCR PDF option on the homepage.

3. Look for the file you’d like to transform and launch.

4. There are several settings that you can change, including changing the page range that the scanner scans. Once you have adequately edited your doc, hit “Apply.”

5. Return to the homepage and click on “Open files.”

6. Select the doc that needs conversion.

7. As you can see from the “Save as type” drop-down menu, there is a range of file formats available, like the Word Document option.

8. Hit “Save” to store your alterations and create your new word document.

Convert Scanned PDF to Word

To edit a PDF, open it in Word. This works best with PDFs that are mostly text. PDFs of book chapters or something that looks like a manuscript from a copier won’t be formatted well in Word. 

  1. Go to File > Open.
  2. Find the PDF and open it (you might have to select Browse and find the PDF in a folder).
  3. Word tells you that it’s going to make a copy of the PDF and convert its contents into a format that Word can display. The original PDF won’t be changed at all. Select OK
  4. After your edits, you save it as a Word doc or a PDF. In the Save menu, choose which in the Save as dropdown menu and select OK

Note: The converted document might not have a perfect page-to-page correspondence with the original. For example, lines and pages may break at different locations.

PDFelement

Best for offering good features and functionalities to edit PDFs and add forms.

PDFelement Pricing: It has two pricing plans for individuals i.e. PDF element Pro ($79 per year) and PDFelement Standard ($59 per year). For teams, PDFelement Pro is available for $109 per user per year. You can get a quote for PDFelement Business.

PDFelement

PDFelement is the easy-to-use tool for creating, editing, converting, and signing PDF documents. It supports Windows and Mac platforms. It is available in three solutions, PDFelement Standard, PDFelement Pro, and PDFelement Business. The mobile app is available for iOS and Android devices.

Features:

  • PDFelement provides functionalities for converting scanned documents into editable PDFs.
  • It has functionalities for creating PDFs, editing text & images in PDFs, securing & signing PDF files, converting PDFs, and filling out PDF forms.
  • It can compress and optimize documents.
  • It supports Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
  • It provides features for adding a digital signature.

Verdict: PDFelement can help you with one-on-one technical support. It offers perpetual licensing and hence can be the perfect solution for individuals and enterprises.

Qoppa PDF Studio

Best for being a PDF Editor that can be used across most computing platforms such as Windows, macOS, Linux, and more.

PDF Studio Pricing: $89 One-Time Fee for 2 computers. Volume, Education & Non-Profit Discount available.

PDF Studio

An easy-to-use, full-featured PDF editing software that is a reliable alternative to Adobe® Acrobat® and provides all PDF functions needed at a fraction of the cost. PDF Studio maintains full compatibility with the PDF Standard.

Features:

  • Create, Upload, or Scan to PDF
  • Annotate and Markup PDFs
  • Convert From Multiple Formats
  • Create & Fill Forms
  • Merge & Split
  • Secure PDFs
  • Batch Processing
  • OCR (Make PDF Searchable)

Verdict: This powerful PDF editor allows you to easily create, scan or convert documents to PDF as well as markup and edit existing PDFs.

At a fraction of the price as Adobe® Acrobat®, it also comes with very advanced features such as permanent redaction, imposition, file size reduction, preflight and even page resize! This editor can be used on multiple computing platforms such as Windows, macOS, Linux.

Convert PDF to Word (Steps)

In the steps below, I am using a PC with the Microsoft 365 subscription. To learn about the latest version of Microsoft Office, check it out here.

1. Open Microsoft Word

Hit the Windows key type Word and hit Enter to open Microsoft Word

Because we are using Microsoft Word as our PDF converter, you need to start with Microsoft Word open. Doing so, you will not need any third-party applications or software programs to make this work.

The fastest way to open Microsoft Word on a PC is to hit the Windows key, type Word, and hit Enter.

To learn more Windows 10 shortcuts like this that will save you time, read our guide here.

2. Launch the Open File dialog box

Hit Control plus F12 to open the Save As dialog box

The fastest way to get at the Open Dialog box is to hit Ctrl + F12 on your keyboard. This immediately launches the open file dialog box in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. So it is a universal Microsoft Office keyboard shortcut.

Alternatively, you can click the File tab in Word and then click Open and Browse.

3. Locate the PDF file on your computer

Use the open dialog box to find the PDF file you want to convert to Word on your computer

Use the File Explorer dialog box to find the PDF file you want to convert and select it.

To learn how to shortcut the File Explorer using your Windows 10 shortcuts, read our guide here.

4. Click Open, then click OK

Once you find and select your PDF file, click Open

Once you find your file, select it with your mouse and click on Open.

You will then receive the following message:

“Word will now convert your PDF to an editable Word document. This may take a while. The resulting Word document will be optimized to allow you to edit the text, so it might not look exactly like the original PDF, especially if the original file contained lots of graphics.”

Click OK to continue.

5. Review your newly created Word document

Review your new Word document to make sure it converted properly

Depending on how many graphics were in your original file, Word can do a great or mediocre job at the conversion.

If your PDF file was previously created in Microsoft Word, and then saved as a PDF (for details, read our guide here), Word will do a great job converting your document.


See my comments below on what types of content work best when converting PDF to Word.

6. Save your Word document

Hit F12 to open the Save As dialog box in Microsoft Word

Before you get too excited about your new editable Word document, don’t forget to save it to your computer.

The fastest way to save a file on your computer is by hitting F12 to open the Save As dialog box. This allows you to not only rename your file (if you want to), but also to choose where you want to save it on your computer.

If your new Word document does not have a table of contents, this would be a great time to add one to make your document easier to read and navigate.

Conclusion

After scanning a pdf file, the majority of people attempt to edit the contents of their scanned scans by opening the file in a PDF editor. While this is a perfectly understandable response, it is one that often results in poor-quality work, frustration, and disappointment. The reason for this being that most PDF editing software are incapable of correctly converting scanned pdfs.

Converting a scanned PDF to Word document is something that you may want to do for a number of reasons. You may have received an important document in the form of a PDF that you need to edit and change before sending it on to your client or boss. That’s very easy to do, but if you don’t have the right technology, or even the right applications installed on your computer, you can quickly find yourself staring at the document with no idea how to proceed.

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