PDFs are a great way to share documents because the format can be read by mostly anyone. It's generally used with digital manuals, sales receipts, manuscripts, and so on — documents that aren't meant for editing. Think of PDFs as digital printouts with pretty designs.
However, there may be times when you need that document in another format other than a PDF. For instance, a potential employer may want to read your resume. Originally saved as a PDF, they may prefer to view it in Word rather than Adobe's software. Here, we'll walk you through a few of the ways you can convert PDFs to Word documents that you can then edit.
Convert PDF to Word with Adobe Acrobat
Using Acrobat is the best way to make sure the document's format remains as accurate as possible. However, you'll need the paid version of Acrobat to use this method. Adobe currently offers a free, seven-day trial of Adobe Acrobat Document Cloud (DC), which you can use for one-time conversions.
Note: This trial is designed to prevent you from signing up for it repeatedly, so think of it as a one-time-only option.
If you need to make conversions on a regular basis, you'll want to pay for the full version, which runs approximately $15 a month with an annual commitment or as part of an Adobe Creative Cloud package. You cannot use Acrobat Reader DC to convert PDFs.
Step 1: Open the PDF you'd like to convert in Acrobat. Depending on your preferences, PDF files may automatically open in Acrobat. Alternatively, if you already have Acrobat open, click the Tools tab along the top.
Step 2: Select Export PDF, which is listed on the right. It's also a shortcut found under Create and edit on the Tools panel.