Learn how to open a PDF in Word.

A woman in an office learns how to open a PDF in Word.

Discover two simple options for opening a PDF file in Microsoft Word so you can edit or make changes to the document.

Within any business, it’s not uncommon to have different types of file formats for your documents. Generally speaking, many programs have the capability to open and view files in non-native formats. However, in cases where you want to edit, you may need to convert file formats in order to be able to. If you want to open a PDF file in Microsoft Word so you can edit, first you’ll need to convert it to a Word document.

Can you open a PDF in Word to edit it?

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to open and edit a PDF file in Word, you can easily do it.

First, you will need to open the PDF file you wish to edit in Word. The program will make a copy of the PDF and convert it to a Word document, trying to match the layout and formatting of the original PDF as best as possible.

Options for how to open a PDF in Word.

There may be times when you need to keep all your work files together under one single Word document. If you need to open PDFs in Word, there are various methods you can use.

How to open a PDF in Word directly.

To open a PDF in Word, you can follow these steps:

  1. Open Word.
  2. Choose the Blank Document option from the home screen.
  3. In the upper-left corner of the window, select the File tab. This will open a dropdown menu.
  4. Click Open.
  5. Navigate through your folders and select the PDF file that you want to open in Word.
  6. You can now edit the PDF the way you’d like in Word.
  7. Once you’re done, you can click File > Save As to save it.

How to open a PDF in Word by converting the file.

The simplest way to convert a PDF to a Word document is to use an online tool. Then you can open the new document format in Word, where you can make edits. To convert a PDF to a Word document, you can follow these simple steps:

  1. Go to Adobe Acrobat online services.
  2. On the home screen, click Tools > Export PDF.
  3. Drag and drop the PDF file you want to convert to the drop zone. You can also click Add a file from your device to choose the PDF file.
  4. After you have added the file, check that the Export to section has Microsoft Word selected.
  5. Click Export to DOCX to start the conversion process.

Once the conversion is complete, you can freely edit the new document. Keep in mind, though, that whichever method you use, the conversion from a PDF to Word format works best with text-based files. Word will attempt to match the original font, layout, and other specifications as closely as possible, but sometimes graphics can become skewed or even uneditable in the new document.

When you’re finished viewing and editing, make sure to save it. This will save the document in the new Word format — meaning you’ll still have the original PDF saved as well for future reference.

Opening PDFs in Word without converting them.

If you want to open a PDF file without having to convert it to a Word document, you can open the file directly from where you have it stored. For example, you can double-click the PDF file on your desktop or your Documents folder.

This will only work for you if you only want to open the PDF file and not edit it. If you wish to edit the file, you can open it in Word.

Once I open a PDF in Word, can I convert it to a PDF again?

Once you open a PDF file in Word, you may realize you want to make some changes, but then you need to convert it back to a PDF.

You can easily do this using the convert Word to PDF tool by following these steps:

  1. Navigate to the Word to PDF tool in Adobe Acrobat online services.
  2. Click the Select a file button, or drag and drop the Word doc into the drop zone.
  3. Select the DOC or DOCX file you want to convert to the PDF format.
  4. Watch Adobe automatically convert the file.
  5. Download the new PDF.

Make your PDF attractive using Adobe Acrobat.

PDFs are ideal for preserving your files’ appearance on any device. You can make your PDFs crisp, visually engaging, and easily shareable using Adobe Acrobat. This solution allows you to edit text and images right inside your PDFs, organize pages, and add features like sticky notes, highlights, and drawings.

More resources to work with your Word and PDF files.

Now you’ve learned how to open and edit PDFs in Word, here are additional ways to work with Word and PDF files:

Discover everything you can do with Adobe Acrobat online services to open, convert, edit, and organize your documents.