---
title: Convert file to Word:
slug: convert-file-to-word
icon: 🆕
docTags:
createdAt: 2025-04-17T22:15:08.983Z
---
## Convert file to Word
Open your PDF in PDF Pro and click the tab, then click **To Word** . To Word is in the Convert group, at the right of the ribbon.
The **Convert PDF Document to Word** window opens. Make your selections, then click **Convert** to complete the conversion.
❶ **Output destination:** Where the Word file will be saved. Click **Browse** to choose the folder and the file name. The file is saved as a Word document (.docx). ❷ **Converter:** Choose **Auto**, **Primary**, or **Secondary**. See "Converter" below. ❸ **Information icon:** Point to the:inlineImage[]{src="https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/GcoyfTasRYQ7atUdr_M98/x8ZdIbBccj_JznI8ghZM8_i-icon.png" alt caption width="35" height="30"} to see a tip about conversion quality. See below. ❹ **Show/Hide advanced options:** Shows or hides the converter options panel on the right. ❺ **Page range: **Choose **All pages**, or choose **Selected pages** and type the pages you want, for example 1-5, 8, 11-13. ❻ **Open after conversion:** When selected, the Word document opens as soon as the conversion is finished. It is selected by default. ❼ **Converter options:** The options in this panel depend on the converter you chose in ❷. The panel in the picture shows the **Primary** converter options. ❽ **Include markup annotations: **Selected by default. Includes your markup in the Word file. See "Primary converter options" below. ❾ **Detect tables:** Not selected by default. Recreates tables as Word tables. See "Primary converter options" below. ❿ **Convert** starts the conversion. **Cancel** closes the window without converting.
:::hint{type="danger"}
**NOTE: **Converting a PDF to Word can be a complex process and may lead to issues, the most common being formatting inconsistencies. **PDF Pro **uses several methods to produce the best possible result. If you encounter quality issues, please try the recommended suggestions below.
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## Converter
There are 2 methods used to convert a PDF to Word. The system will automatically select the best option, **Auto**, but if you have issues with the conversion quality, please select the other conversion engine ( **Primary** or **Secondary**) and try the conversion again.
If you have issues with the conversion quality, please select the other conversion engine and try the conversion again.
You can also attempt to apply Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
If the PDF is a scan (a picture of a page), try applying OCR to the file and then convert it again. See OCR - Convert to text.\*
## Primary converter options:
Choose **Primary** in ❷. The options are **Flowing**, **Continuous**, and **Exact**.
### Flowing
The most useful and common type of conversion for editing. The resulting Word document looks as if it was typed naturally; the layout of the Word document is created without using text boxes. It is selected by default.
### Continuous
The converted Word document is created with text boxes grouped in blocks. The best compromise between Flowing and Exact.
### Exact
The fastest and most precise conversion mode. The resulting Word document looks like a PDF.
### Include markup annotations
Includes text markup annotations, such as highlights, underlines, and strikethroughs, in the converted Word document. It is selected by default.
Before converting, PDF Pro merges the annotations into the page content of a temporary copy, so your PDF is not changed. That covers highlights, underlines, and strikethroughs, and also shapes, drawings, typewriter text, and stamps.
In Word, they appear as part of the page. They are **not** Word comments or tracked changes.
:::hint{type="note"}
**NOTE:** Sticky notes and file attachments are not included.
:::
### Detect tables
Attempts to recognize tables in the original PDF and recreate them as editable Word tables, keeping their rows and columns. It is not selected by default.
It only finds tables that are drawn with border lines. Tables without borders are not detected. When Detect tables is off, the table lines stay as plain drawn lines.
:::hint{type="note"}
**TIP: **If your tables have no borders, try the **Secondary **converter with **Enhanced Flow**, which recreates tables whether or not they have borders.
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## Secondary converter options
Choose Secondary in ❷. The options are **Textbox**, **Flow**, and **Enhanced Flow**. There is also a **Recognize bullets** setting.
### Textbox
Keeps the original PDF layout by placing the text into individual text boxes in the Word document. The page looks like the PDF, but the text can be harder to edit. It is selected by default.
### Flow
Converts the PDF content into editable paragraphs, which makes the text easier to change in Word. The layout may differ from the original PDF.
:::hint{type="info"}
**NOTE:** **Flow** does not recognize tables. Formatting that cannot be rebuilt may look worse than it does in **Textbox** mode.
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### Enhanced Flow
Similar to **Flow**, with better recognition of the document's structure, including tables, to create a more editable Word document. It is **Flow** plus table recognition. Tables are recreated as Word tables whether or not they have borders.
### Recognize bullets
Attempts to recognize bullet points in the original PDF and convert them into Word list formatting. It is not selected by default.
### How the settings are used
:::hint{type="info"}
**NOTE:** Each set of options applies only to its own converter.
- **Auto **uses the **Primary** options.
- If you retry a conversion with the other converter, that converter uses its **default** settings, not the ones you chose before.
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## [Using Context Menu option ](docId\:gXYGg8OgffSLnM9ileFrz)
You can also convert a file to Word without opening PDF Pro, by right-clicking the file in Windows.