Convert PDF to Word
The text of a PDF as an editable Word document, with paragraphs and headings, extracted on your device.
- Nothing is uploaded
- Works offline after first visit
- Open source
- No watermark · limit is your device’s memory; phones hold less
Converts a PDF to an editable Word document (.docx) or plain text, rebuilding paragraphs and headings from the text layer. It is free, needs no account and adds no watermark, and your files are not uploaded: everything runs in your browser on your device. The size limit is your device’s memory, and phones hold less; give the page a short while after one visit to save itself for offline use, and then it works offline.
Done
Free, no ads. Support StayPut
Open the network tab. Your files never appear in it.
Add files and run the tool to see every request this tab makes.
Your files are processed on this device and never sent to a server. Reload the page to clear everything from memory.
How it works
- Drop a PDF, or tap to pick one.
- Choose a Word document (.docx) or plain text (.txt), and whether each PDF page should start a new page.
- Convert. A preview of the text appears and the file downloads.
In your browser, not on a server
pdf.js, the PDF engine inside Firefox, reads every positioned text run on each page. Stayput groups the runs into lines by baseline, joins lines into paragraphs from their spacing and font size, and writes the result as a .docx (a zip of standard Office XML built with fflate) or a .txt file, all in memory in your tab.
Compared with upload-based tools: Upload-based PDF to Word converters are the ones most likely to ask for your email address before the download, and the PDFs people convert are contracts, statements and CVs. Here the document is read on your device and the Word file never exists anywhere else.
Verify it yourself. Give the page a short while after one visit to save itself for offline use, then turn off Wi-Fi or switch to airplane mode and run the tool again. Or open your browser's developer tools (F12, or Cmd-Option-I on a Mac), pick the Network tab, and watch it while you convert. The panel above does the same count for you.
Questions
Can I convert an image or a scan to Word?
Yes, with Image to Word: it reads the text in JPG, PNG or WebP images with OCR and saves one .docx. For a scanned PDF, run it through OCR PDF first.
Does the Word file look like the PDF?
It keeps the text, the paragraph breaks and the headings, in reading order, as normal editable Word paragraphs. It does not reproduce the page layout: columns, tables, images, fonts and exact positions are not carried over. That is the honest limit of what runs in a browser, and it is what you need when the goal is to edit or reuse the words.
Why is my output empty or garbled?
A scanned PDF has no text layer: each page is a picture of text, so there is nothing to extract without OCR. The tool tells you when that is the case; run the file through OCR PDF first, then convert the searchable copy. Garbled text usually means the PDF embeds fonts with a custom encoding; nothing browser-side can fix that without OCR.
How are paragraphs and headings detected?
Lines are grouped by baseline and joined into paragraphs using the spacing between them, the length of the previous line and changes in font size. Lines noticeably larger than the body text become Word headings, so the document outline works.
Which programs open the .docx?
Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, Pages and any other .docx reader. The file uses the standard Office Open XML format with normal paragraph and heading styles.
Is the PDF uploaded?
No. pdf.js reads the text inside your browser and the Word file is assembled in memory in your tab. After one visit and a short wait you can convert with the network switched off.
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Guides
- How to convert a PDF to WordWord and Google Docs can both open a PDF directly. Here is how, and what to use when the result comes out messy.
- A free Smallpdf alternative with no daily limitSmallpdf's free plan has daily limits. Here is what that means, and a way around it where your files are never uploaded.
- A free Sejda alternative with no hourly task limit and no uploadSejda's free web tools stop you after 3 tasks an hour, and the PDF goes to its servers. Here is what changes when the file never leaves your device.
- A free PDF Candy alternative that doesn't upload your filesPDF Candy's free plan works, with page, hourly and batch limits, and your file goes to its servers first. Here is what changes when it never leaves your device.
- Is Smallpdf safe?Smallpdf is a reputable Swiss company with published retention rules. What changes the answer for you is which of its storage rules applies to your file.