How to add a PDF to a Word document.

Want to add extra resources to your Word document? Learn how to attach a PDF to a Word document to combine two documents into one cohesive file.

Need to learn how to attach a PDF to a Word document? Both PDF and Word are extremely popular formats, and you may have important content in both. Because they are different formats, they open with different software. You might be wondering whether you can open a PDF in Word. If you have important documents in both formats, this article can teach you how to add a PDF to a Word document.

Why add a PDF to a Word document?

PDFs frequently house all sorts of important documents like forms, reports, portfolios, designs, and scanned documents. Adding one of these documents could improve a Word document, whether you’re sharing information with colleagues or submitting a report. The benefits of learning how to attach a PDF to a Word document include:

  1. Using both formats together without having to choose just one
  2. Adding forms and other design or format-sensitive printable documents to Word
  3. Showcasing the work of your PDF in Word
  4. Adding a scanned PDF to Word
  5. Having the flexibility to share information through multiple formats and use what your colleagues prefer

If you can add a PDF to a Word document, you can use Word without missing out on any of the many benefits of using PDFs.

Is it the same to attach a PDF to a Word document as to add it?

In this article, the terms adding and attaching are used interchangeably.

There is a slight difference between the two methods for how to add PDF to Word in the next section of this article. The first turns the PDF into an object that is within the Word document. You could say that is more like an attachment. The PDF maintains all of its formatting and design — it’s basically an image in the Word document and stays as it is. This is perfect if you want to attach the PDF not only for the content but also for the formatting.

If you only want to attach the PDF for the content and you don’t care as much about the formatting, you can use the second method from the section below. This method allows you to smoothly integrate the content from your PDF but doesn’t necessarily preserve formatting and design. It won’t look like its own document anymore. You could say that this is more like adding than attaching.

How to add a PDF to a Word document.

Keep reading to learn two different ways to attach a PDF to a Word document. Neither requires downloading any extra software, and both methods are simple. Which option you’ll choose depends on whether you want the PDF to continue to look like its own document or whether you just want its content integrated into your Word document.

How to attach a PDF to a Word document

The easiest way to attach a PDF to a Word document is to simply insert the file. While using Microsoft Word, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Word document you want to attach the PDF to.
  2. Click Insert > Object > Create from file.
  3. Browse for the PDF you want.
  4. Check Display as Icon and uncheck Link to File.
  5. Click OK.
  6. The PDF will attach directly to the Word document wherever you have your cursor. Then, you can click on the attachment to open the PDF inside of the Word document, like an appendix.

Option 2: Insert a PDF into Word by converting to Word first.

If you don’t want to attach the PDF as an object, you can convert the PDF to Word, then copy and paste the information you want from the PDF directly into the Word document. The easiest way to convert PDFs to Word is with an online PDF editor like Adobe Acrobat online services.

  1. First, visit the Acrobat online services website.
  2. Upload the PDF you want to convert.
  3. Click Export to DOCX (the file type used by Word).
  4. Download the new file.

Once your PDF is in DOCX format, you can edit, copy, and paste the information right into your Word document. Learn more about how to insert a PDF into Word.

Do more with your PDFs and Word.

Both PDFs and Word documents are standard formats in professional and school settings. They’re also great for everyday and personal use. Now that you’ve learned how to insert a PDF into a Word document, check out more ways to work with both formats:

  1. Need to convert back to a PDF? Use our tool to convert Word to PDF online.
  2. Combine Word documents once adding a PDF into one of them.
  3. Edit a PDF in Word.
  4. Duplicate pages in Word.

Discover what more you can do with Adobe Acrobat to make it easy to edit and attach PDFs to all sorts of documents.