Free PDF to Word Converters

A PDF to Word converter does just that - it converts a PDF file, which can't be edited with most software, to a Microsoft Word format, like DOCX or DOC, which can be edited easily with many different programs.

Renaming a PDF to a Word format like DOC won't work. You'll have to use a program or service that will convert PDF to Word (or some other editable file format) before you can make changes to it. Once the changes are made, you can use a free PDF converter program to turn your Word document back into a PDF file ... if you want to.

On the other hand, if all you really want to do is view the PDF file, you don't need to do any converting. See my updated Free PDF Readers list for tools that open PDF files.

Regardless of why you'd like to do it, you can convert PDF to Word with any of these completely free programs and online services.

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UniPDF

What We Like

Intuitive, easy-to-use interface.
Even PDFs with lots of graphics convert accurately.
Multiple page documents convert successfully.

What We Don't Like

Some of the conversions options are difficult to locate.
Offers to install unneeded toolbars.
Some complex text formatting lost in conversion.

UniPDF is a free PDF to Word converter, and easily the best one I've tried. It's fast and simple to use.

Most importantly, it does an excellent job at keeping images and text where they belong once converted to DOC.

I also like that UniPDF has a straightforward interface and isn't bogged down with advertisements or confusing settings.

Batch PDF to Word conversions are also supported in UniPDF, as is TXT output if you're only interested in the text-based information in a PDF.

UniPDF also converts PDF files to popular image formats, like JPG, PNG, TIF, and more.

Read our review of UniPDF

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PDFMate PDF Converter Free

Screenshot of the PDFMate Free PDF Converter — PDFMate Free PDF Converter.

What We Like

Wizard-guided conversion process.
Batch feature that converts multiple PDFs at the same time.
OCR to convert scanned PDFs to editable files.

What We Don't Like

Attempts to install unnecessary toolbar.
Prompts user to buy full version after every conversion.
Limits OCR conversion to three pages.

PDFMate PDF Converter Free is another excellent tool that will convert PDF to Word - DOCX (the newer Microsoft Word format) at that!

I found that PDFMate PDF Converter Free did a great job when converting PDF to DOC, retaining nearly all the proper formatting and color.

Batch PDF to Word converting is supported, as well as PDF to PDF conversions, which is helpful for making changes to PDF security settings.

One drawback with this tool is that text found in the PDF will only be editable on the first three pages of the DOCX file it creates, but that may not be a concern depending on the PDF you happen to be converting to Word.

PDFMate PDF Converter Free can also convert from PDF to EPUB, HTML, JPG, SWF, and TXT.

Read our review of PDFMate PDF Converter Free

Download PDFMate PDF Converter Free

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FreeFileConvert

What We Like

Online converter doesn't require a software download.
Conversion process is simple.
Accepts uploads of up to 300MB.

What We Don't Like

Upload limited to five files at a time.
Converted file must be downloaded within 12 hours.

FreeFileConvert is a free online PDF to Word converter that supports file uploads (up to five at a time) as large as 300 MB combined size.

When you're finished converting a PDF, you can choose to download a compressed ZIP file with the converted data inside so as to download a smaller file.

In addition to DOC, FreeFileConvert supports PDF conversion to EPUB, HTML, MOBI, TXT, and lots more.

Read our review of FreeFileConvert

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Native PDF Editors

There are programs that allow you to edit PDF files directly, meaning that you don't need to convert the PDF file at all - just open it, make changes, and save. Unfortunately, none are free. Some popular ones include Adobe Acrobat, Foxit's PhantomPDF, and Nitro Pro.