PDF is the most common file type that can be easily shared and opened in any operating system. Still, editing PDF files is quite tricky. That is when Microsoft Word comes in handy. All you have to do is convert your PDF file into DOC or DOCX, make all necessary changes, and turn it back to the original format.

But how to turn PDF into Word? Today, we’ll show how to do that with Preview, Google Drive, Automator, and some dedicated PDF converters.

1. Preview 

Consider copying and pasting as a low-tech approach? Sometimes, it works surprisingly well, especially when the PDF is primarily text-based. Other times, it’s a real hassle — it all depends on the type of PDF file you have.

In any case, with such minimal effort involved, this method is worth a shot. Follow these steps to try it out:

  1. Right-click your PDF file, go to Open With, and choose Preview.
  2. Select the text you want to copy and hit Command‐C.
  3. Navigate to Pages or Microsoft Word on Mac and paste the text into the document with Command‐V.
  4. Save the file as DOC or DOCX (go to File > Export To > Word if you use Pages). That’s all!
Tip

Use Command‐A for Select All if you want to copy the entire document content all at once.

2. Google Docs

Google Docs is a popular web-based editing tool that comes in handy if you need to turn PDF Files into DOCX. Here’s how to use it:

  1. Go to Google Drive and log in to your Google account.
  2. Click the gear icon and choose Settings.
  3. Select the box next to “Convert uploaded files to Google Docs editor format” in the General tab.
  4. Upload the PDF file to Google Drive (press “+ New” button and select “File upload”).
  5. Hit Open. Your file will now be opened with Google Docs.
  6. Head over to the File menu, select Download, and opt for Microsoft Word (DOCX). The file will appear in your Downloads folder as a Word document.
Note

If a PDF file includes images, Google Docs might remove them from the final DOCX document. This method is preferable only for a text-based PDF file.

Google Docs can also be the answer to how to convert Word to PDF on Mac. The main downside to this method is that it requires an internet connection.

3. Automator

Automator is a built-in macOS utility developed for simple repetitive tasks like renaming files or resizing images. It helps make the same changes to multiple files at a time by creating a custom workflow.

Just like Preview, Automator can’t convert PDF to Word. But it is powerful enough to extract the text from your PDF and turn it into a plain or rich text format (RTF). Then, you can edit it in any text editor. To use Automator and transform PDF to Word, follow these steps:

  1. Open Automator from the Application folder.
  2. Choose Workflow as a type for your document.
  3. Drag and drop your PDF file.
  4. In the left-side Actions section, go to Library > PDFs > Extract PDF Text.
  5. Drag this action to the right pane underneath your PDF document.
  6. Opt for Rich Text instead of Plain text to keep the formatting.
  7. Define where to save the extracted text file.
  8. Hit the Run button located in the upper-right corner of the window, and get your PDF file converted to a text document.

Now, you can go to the folder you chose and find your converted file.

4. Third-party converters

Using a dedicated converter is the way to go if you have tons of PDFs with lots of graphics and different types of text blocks to convert. But what’s the best one to choose?

By far, the highest quality solution is Adobe Acrobat by Adobe. It’s no surprise that the company has a tool to solve all your PDF editing needs, as they created this format. This tool can convert PDFs into almost all sorts of file types — from DOCX to RTF and beyond. Even if your document contains any scanned text, Acrobat will recognize it automatically.

The alternatives that will help convert PDF to Word are PDFelement and Smallpdf. Both these services have free trials, so you can find out whether the tool works for you before purchasing.

Need extra help with your Mac performance?

If Microsoft Word glitches or runs sluggishly, deep Mac cleaning may help you fix the issue. Every computer needs it from time to time. System junk, temporary files, and old cache — all these can decrease performance a lot. Luckily, there are tools to help you out.

To keep my Mac safe from months-old clutter, I use CleanMyMac. This powerful junk cleaner offers a bunch of features to solve Mac-specific issues. ProductHunt even called CleanMyMac “Marie Kondo for your Mac.” That fact alone says a lot!

Here’s how to speed up the system with its help:

  1. Download CleanMyMac here.
  2. Open the app and go to Cleanup.
  3. Click Scan and wait for a few seconds.
  4. Hit the Clean button to get rid of items that slow down your Mac.

If Microsoft Word still malfunctions, I recommend using the Applications feature in CleanMyMac to reset the app.

Turning PDF to Word is a piece of cake if you have the right tool at hand. If you need to convert text-based PDF, using Preview, Automator, or Google Docs would be enough. But if you regularly deal with image-heavy files, consider using dedicated PDF converters like Adobe Acrobat Exporter.