If you have Microsoft Word on your Mac, you can convert a PDF without any extra software: open Word, choose File > Open, select the PDF, and let Word turn it into an editable document, then save it as a .docx file. Without Word, the free options are Google Docs (which converts and downloads a .docx) or copying the text out of Preview. Preview can’t save a PDF as a Word file. Text-heavy PDFs convert well; complex layouts and scanned pages need more cleanup.
Which method should you use?
| Method | What you need | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Word for Mac | A current Microsoft 365 version of Word and an internet connection | Most documents, when you already have Word |
| Google Docs | A free Google account | Simple, text-based PDFs when you don’t have Word |
| Adobe Acrobat | An Acrobat subscription, or Adobe’s online converter | Complex layouts and scanned pages |
| Preview copy and paste | Nothing extra | Grabbing a few paragraphs of text |
| Automator | Nothing extra | Pulling all the text out of a long PDF |
Convert a PDF with Word for Mac
- Open Microsoft Word.
- Choose File > Open from the menu bar.
- Find the PDF. If you only see cloud locations, select On My Mac to browse your folders.
- Select the PDF, then select Open. Word shows its progress while it converts the file.
- When the document opens, click inside a paragraph and type a character to confirm the text is editable.
- Choose File > Save As, pick Word Document (.docx) under File Format, and select Save.
Word creates a new document and leaves the original PDF unchanged. Compare the two side by side before you send the Word version to anyone. Page breaks, tables, columns, and footnotes are the parts most likely to shift.
If the PDF won’t open or convert, update Word with Help > Check for Updates, make sure you’re online, and check that optional connected experiences are turned on in Word’s privacy settings. Word for Mac relies on those for PDF conversion. Our guide to editing a PDF in Word covers what to do once the file is open.
Convert a PDF with Google Docs (free)
- Go to Google Drive in your browser and sign in.
- Select New > File upload and choose the PDF.
- Right-click the uploaded PDF and choose Open with > Google Docs. Google creates a new, editable document.
- Choose File > Download > Microsoft Word (.docx). The file lands in your Downloads folder.
Google Docs is good at pulling out text, including text in many scanned PDFs, but it often drops or rearranges images, columns, and page layout. Use it when the words matter more than the design.
Convert a PDF with Adobe Acrobat
With a paid Acrobat subscription, open the PDF in Acrobat, choose the Export a PDF tool, select Microsoft Word and then Word Document, and select Export. Acrobat can recognize text on scanned pages during the export, which makes it the strongest option for difficult files.
Adobe also offers a free online PDF to Word converter. It may ask you to sign in before you download the result, and it sends your file to Adobe’s servers, so think twice before using it for private documents.
Copy text from Preview into Word
Preview is fine when you only need part of the text. It won’t keep layout, tables, or images.
- Open the PDF in Preview.
- Choose Tools > Text Selection.
- Drag across the text you want, or press Command+A to select all text on the page.
- Press Command+C to copy.
- Switch to a Word document and press Command+V to paste.
If you can’t select any text, the PDF is probably a scanned image. Try Word, Google Docs, or Acrobat instead.
Extract all the text with Automator
Automator comes with macOS and can save a PDF’s text as a Rich Text file that Word opens.
- Open Automator from the Applications folder and choose Workflow.
- In the Library list, find Ask for Finder Items and drag it into the workflow area.
- Find Extract PDF Text and drag it below the first action.
- In Extract PDF Text, choose Rich Text and pick where to save the output.
- Select Run, choose your PDF, and open the new .rtf file in Word. Save it as a .docx if you want to keep it in Word format.
Protect private files
Online converters upload your file to someone else’s server. For contracts, tax forms, medical records, or anything else sensitive, use Word for Mac or Acrobat on your own computer, or check the service’s privacy policy first. If the PDF is password-protected, you’ll need the password or an unlocked copy from its owner before any method can convert it.
Fix common conversion problems
- The text shows as a picture: The PDF is a scan. Use a tool with text recognition, such as Acrobat or Google Docs, then proofread carefully.
- Tables fall apart: Rebuild the table in Word, or copy it separately. Our guide to copying a table from a PDF to Word can help.
- Fonts or spacing look off: The converter substituted fonts. Select the text and apply one font and spacing setting to the whole document.
- You have the original Word file: Edit that instead. It will always keep its layout better than a converted PDF.
Common questions
Can Pages convert a PDF to Word?
No. Pages can’t open PDF files, so it can’t convert them. Pages can export its own documents to Word format, but you’d first need the content in Pages some other way, such as by pasting text copied from Preview.
Is there a free way that doesn’t upload my file?
Yes. Copying text from Preview and extracting it with Automator both run entirely on your Mac. Neither keeps the original layout, so expect to reformat the text in Word.
Working on a Windows PC instead? See our main guide to converting a PDF to Word. When your edits are done, you can save the Word document as a PDF again.
Matt has been writing about Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products since the days of Windows XP. He spends much of his time writing for sites like WindowBrain.com