PDF to Word

[JDArt]

Is it possible to convert a PDF file to a Word document? If so, how?

The PDF was created with Acrobat Pro from a Word file.

[Max@Home]

Originally Posted by JDArt

Is it possible to convert a PDF file to a Word document? If so, how?

The PDF was created with Acrobat Pro from a Word file.

...not really, in the process of making a PDF much 'Word make-up' info is lost.

You can however (with Acrobat Standard and Pro) cut and paste the PDF text to an empty word document, saves at least typing all the text again...

...€0.02...

Kindest regards,

Max@Home

[Rense]

In fact it is possible.
I use nuance pdf convertor for this.

Send me the pdf and I will sent you the word file

[Alfred D.]

You can 'Save as...' a PDF as a Postscript document. Dunno, though, how to turn that into a Word doc...

[Alfred D.]

"deskUNPDF" (for MacOSX) converts PDFs to Word (a.o.).
OSX Word files can be opened and edited in MS Office for Windows (Word) and in MS Office for OSX (Word).

[00silvergt]

This is a B!tc# to do...If you are using professional, use the paper capture feature in Acrobat. Then you will save what it captured into the clipboard. This is provided that the PDF is not text searchable. If it is, then it is a little easier. move the cursor so it highlights the text. If you can't highlight, then it is an image based PDF and you will need to use the OCR feature, called Paper capture. Run the paper capture and save what it captures to the clipboard. In Word, you will go to edit, paste special and unformatted text. You will now have to format the document manually for best result. If you can highlight the text, then in Acrobat, Edit, Select all. Go to Word and go to Paste Special, then unformatted text.

Be weary of pasting text from a foreign source, meaning not from Word and more specifically, not from the same exact version of Word as yours. Even more specifically than that, be careful that the all the templates are the same from the source of the document as yours. So being a PDF, this can't be more foreign than word, always paste special. Try not to cut corners by posting formatting data from a foreign source, this will eventually cause document corruption leading to loss of data or Word locking up. Ever wonder why Word locks up when saving...document corruption is the leading cause of this.

[Austen]

I don't have the PDF-To-Word software so what I do is to just select the text in the PDF document and then paste it into a word processor.

Yes, it's messy, the formatting will be lost, but it generally works, columns permitting !!!

One problem is however, that some PDF documents you come across are not actually "documents-made-up-of-words", but rather just a "picture" of words.

This is what happens when I scan-to-PDF using my scanner ..........

In this instance an (imperfect) option is to put the document in a scanner and use OCR software.........Scanners (usually) come with OCR software of varying *cough* abilities .........


Austen.

[00silvergt]

Originally Posted by Austen

I don't have the PDF-To-Word software so what I do is to just select the text in the PDF document and then paste it into a word processor.

Yes, it's messy, the formatting will be lost, but it generally works, columns permitting !!!

One problem is however, that some PDF documents you come across are not actually "documents-made-up-of-words", but rather just a "picture" of words.

This is what happens when I scan-to-PDF using my scanner ..........

In this instance an (imperfect) option is to put the document in a scanner and use OCR software.........Scanners (usually) come with OCR software of varying *cough* abilities .........


Austen.

Austin, the key is, and you touched on it, would be to paste it without any of the formatting at all, hence paste special, then unformatted text. I can not emphasize enough the importance of this. Introducing foreign formatting to a Word document can be detrimental and for a law firm as the one I support this means money! As you said the formatting will be messed up anyway, so why not just do without it.

PDF converters can be a nightmare. Also highlighting and pasting would only work if the PDF is text based or text searchable. If the PDF is image based, e.g. someone scanned it without having the correct setup and/or doesn't know what they are doing or if the content came from some printed material. You will then need the full version of Acrobat, Acrobat Professional, not reader and use the paper capture. Then it will find all the text and you will have to copy it to the clipboard(Edit, Copy) and then paste it on to Word, but again use Paste Special, then choose unformatted text. This also goes for pasting text from the internet or any other sources into Word. Word is very picky and if the templates are even remotely different, you can be introducing data that will corrupt your documents.

[etmkmetc]

The program to use is called ABBYY PDF Transformer.
I have used this excellent piece of software, it can handle graphics and insert them as image boxes into the word document also.

regards
Keith

[JDArt]

Thanks, everyone. I'm going to try some of these miracle pdf to word apps and see which one works best.

[mcbit]

I may be missing something but there is an export as Word Document feature in Acrobat Pro

[ELSELS]

Originally Posted by JDArt

Thanks, everyone. I'm going to try some of these miracle pdf to word apps and see which one works best.

I have used: " Smart PDF Converter "

Thanks-
God Bless,
Ed

[00silvergt]

Originally Posted by mcbit

I may be missing something but there is an export as Word Document feature in Acrobat Pro

Sorry, I don't understand, but are you asking if there is a feature or are you telling us there is a feature? If it is the former then the answer is yes, in a way...it was called Paper capture in the old version, on 7 and beyond it is called Recognize text using OCR for image based PDF's and then copy and paste with text based PDF's. If the latter, I didn't know about this feature, explain. The only thing I knew was to export comments to Word.

[Songman45]

Originally Posted by mcbit

I may be missing something but there is an export as Word Document feature in Acrobat Pro

I think what you might be missing is that the document was originally a word document, converted to PDF by Acrobat Pro. The OP most likely was not the originator or either but is holding the PDF file and now wants to convert it.

[mcbit]

there is an export as Word Document feature in Acrobat Pro

Don't think it was a question 00

I think what you might be missing is that the document was originally a word document, converted to PDF by Acrobat Pro. The OP most likely was not the originator or either but is holding the PDF file and now wants to convert it.

Songman45, that's exactly what I understood!

See below, I use it all the time.