There is no doubt that PDF files are the preferred format for consistency across devices and platforms. It avoids problems such as misplaced layout, misplaced text or font exceptions, ensuring that the file remains the same when opened anywhere. However, this advantage can become a disadvantage when major modifications are required.

This article will guide you how to convert PDFs to Word documents on your Mac, thus overcoming this limitation.

Convert PDF to Word using preview

Preview is usually my preferred application for viewing images and screenshots, but less known is that it is also particularly useful in changing file formats. Yes, without having to work on a browser-based file converter or other methods, you can open a PDF file and convert it directly with preview. Here is a step-by-step guide:

1. Double-click the file to open in preview. If it does not open automatically in preview, right-click it, hover over Open with, and select Preview.
2. Click File > Export in the menu bar.
3. Click the "Format" drop-down menu and select "Word".

Remember, this method requires Microsoft Word to be installed to work properly. If this method does not work, you may need to try other methods in this guide or use the traditional copy-paste method. For plain text PDFs, you can directly select all text in the PDF and copy and paste it into your Word document.

Tip: If the text in the PDF is merged with the image, or (especially!) the document is in physical form, you may need to use a third-party application for conversion. For this case, I recommend Prizmo, which is very convenient when you need to make the text searchable.

1. Download and open Prizmo.
2. Click "New Document" and add the PDF that needs to be OCRed.
3. Press OCR > Identify.
4. Press the Share button in the upper right corner and select the format to save the file.

Convert PDF to Word using Google Docs

Today, you will most likely have a Gmail account. This means you have access to Google Suites – Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Drive and other collaboration tools. With Google Docs, you can quickly convert PDFs on your Mac to Word. The operation method is as follows:

1. Go to your Google Drive (drive.google.com) and drag and drop your PDF. Alternatively, click New > Upload File.
2. Open the file in your browser and click "Open with Google Docs".
3. Click File > Download > Microsoft Word (.docx).

Your file will be automatically downloaded to your computer in .docx format and can be opened directly using Word.

Edit PDF without converting to Word

Convert PDF to Word just to edit files? If you are using a great PDF editor, you can make any changes directly in the PDF. I recommend Nitro PDF Pro.

1. Open your file using Nitro PDF Pro.
2. Select the text you want and press the "Correct Text" button.
3. Edit text and save changes.

Of course, you can also export PDFs to Word (File > Export > Microsoft Word Document). But overall, Nitro PDF Pro is my preferred tool because it integrates all the features I need to handle PDF on macOS, including merge, conversion, optical character recognition, and all the main features Adobe Acrobat and preview offer.

Here you can create fillable forms, resize images, and even protect your PDFs with encryption. Rather than using a separate app for all of these features, I chose Nitro PDF to minimize software confusion.

Convert PDF to Word using Adobe Acrobat Pro

Adobe Acrobat Pro is a reliable and trustworthy platform for handling PDF editing. It has some similar tools to native macOS application preview, but it has a more comprehensive suite of plug-ins that enhance its capabilities. You can do almost anything on PDFs on the platform, including using layers to make your design more meticulous, place watermarks, and even format text extensively. It is also especially convenient if you have a lot of non-text items on your PDF, as it handles various elements without any problem.

Of course, it can also export PDFs to various file formats, including Microsoft Word - if you need it - and the old 1997-2003 format. The operation method is as follows:

1. Open your PDF using Adobe Acrobat Pro.
2. Click File > Export PDF, hover over Microsoft Word, and select the Word document version.

Export PDFs on your Mac to Word in just two steps.

Convert PDF to Word using Automator

I'm not sure if you're the same as me, but I occasionally open the app folder on my MacBook and see a lot of cool native apps that I don't even know exist. I can track stocks through the stock app and I can play high quality chess games without downloading anything or accessing the browser, which is awesome. You may also see an app called Automator that depicts a robot holding a baton of some sort.

Its role is to automatically execute repetitive tasks and execute custom scripts. One of the things it can do is extract text from the PDF into plain text or rich text formats, which you can then use to convert the PDF to Word document on your Mac. The operation method is as follows:

1. Use Spotlight Search or open Automator by going to Finder>Applications.
2. Click "Application" and click "Select".
3. Search for "Extract PDF Text" and double-click the result, then drag and drop your file above the "Extract PDF Text" window.
4. Select your output, add a header or footer if needed, and click Run.
5. The text file should appear in the "Save Output to" location of your choice. Copy and paste the text into your Word document and get it done.

This method is especially useful if you are dealing with PDFs that contain a lot of text. Admittedly, this is not the best way to convert files, so I prefer to use TextSniper instead of doing a lot on Automator.

The best part about TextSniper is that the location of the text doesn't matter – the app can convert it into editable text wherever it is. The menu bar icon allows you to capture text with simple keyboard shortcuts or button clicks and mouse drags. It's as simple as taking a screenshot to copy the text and pasting it wherever you need it - in this case, a Word document.

Exporting PDFs to Word on Mac will improve your editing workflow

It's very convenient to understand how to convert PDF to Word, especially if you want to reformat text and update graphics, but there are also some third-party applications that can make this process easier. Extract text from visuals with TextSniper, scan with Prizmo and make any document OCR functionality, and edit your PDF to perfection with Nitro PDF Pro, you can take document management to the next level.

All of these apps, as well as over 250 other native apps on macOS and iOS, are available through Setapp – an all-in-one platform that provides subscriptions to useful ideas, organizations, optimizations and other applications you will find useful in your daily life. Start your 7-day free trial now and see how your personal and professional life can benefit from Setapp.

FAQ

Why convert PDF?

If you need to make extensive changes, such as reformatting the entire content or changing images and charts, PDFs can't meet these requirements, which means converting them to a more easily processed format like .docx will be more efficient. Of course, once you make all the necessary changes, you can easily convert your Word document back to PDF.

How to convert PDF to Word document without using software on Mac?

To convert a PDF to a Word document without external software, you can export it as a .docx file using the preview application, or use Automator to extract text from the PDF to a .txt and paste it into a Word file. While these methods can be transformed, third-party applications may have more features. TextSniper helps you extract text from visuals, Prizmo will scan PDFs and make any document OCR functionality, and Nitro PDF Pro will help you edit PDFs to perfection.

How to convert PDF to text on Mac?

Copy and paste text directly into a Word document or other text-based platform is the easiest way to convert PDF to text. Alternatively, use Automator ("Extract PDF Text" feature). However, third-party applications like TextSniper can make the process easier by accurately capturing large chunks of text. No need to rely on the clipboard to transfer text means you won't accidentally copy other content and overwrite what is currently saved with Command C. Instead, it's more like instantly elevating text from one place to another.

What is the best PDF to Word converter on Mac?

The two best PDF to Word converters on Mac include the proven Adobe Acrobat Pro and Nitro PDF Pro – a comprehensive application that converts any PDF to optical character recognition documents and converts PDF to other file formats such as Word. The advantage of Nitro is that it has most of the features of Adobe, but it is much cheaper.

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