Convert to Word module

The To Word module converts a PDF (or a selection of its pages) into an editable document in Microsoft Word format (.docx), Rich Text Format (.rtf) or HTML (.html). It is an export operation: the PDF document currently open is not modified, only a new file is created on disk. You reach this module from the Conversion category of the Dashboard.

Pages to convert

The Pages to convert section offers three selection modes:

All pages

Converts the whole document. This is the default mode.

Selected pages

Converts only the pages ticked in the preview grid to the left of the module. A counter states the number of pages ticked.

If you click thumbnails while another mode is active, the module automatically switches to Selected pages to reflect your intent. If the selection is empty, an error message is shown and the Convert button stays disabled.

Custom range

A text field appears in which you can enter a list of numbers and ranges: 1, 3-5, 8. The syntax accepts individual pages (separated by commas) and ranges (separated by a hyphen).

Output format

The Output format section offers three targets:

Word (`.docx`)

The standard Microsoft Word format, perfectly supported by Word, Pages, LibreOffice Writer, Google Docs and most text editors. It is the recommended format for general office use.

Rich Text (`.rtf`)

A universal, lightweight format readable by almost every word processor (including TextEdit on macOS). To be preferred for maximum compatibility, at the cost of a few advanced features that are not preserved (some complex styles, sophisticated headers and footers).

Web (`.html`)

HTML format, usable in a web browser or as a basis for publishing the content online. Images are embedded in the file and the formatting stays faithful to the original PDF.

Running the conversion

Click the Convert button at the bottom of the panel. An "Export operation" dialog reminds you that:

This action will export the converted file directly into the folder of your choice. The current document will stay open and unchanged.

Confirm with I understand to open a macOS save panel. The folder proposed is the one set in Settings > Files > Default folder, and the file name reuses the original PDF name, simply replacing the extension.

While converting, the button reads "Converting…" and stays disabled. If the operation fails (for example because of unreadable content or a write error), an error message is shown at the end of processing.

Conversion quality

PDF → Word conversion remains a difficult exercise by nature: a PDF does not, strictly speaking, contain a structure of paragraphs or tables; it describes a visual layout of characters, lines and frames. HtkPDF reconstructs the editable structure as best it can, but some aspects may need touching up in the target word processor:

Column layout: documents in two or more columns may be rendered as a single column, the text being read from left to right line by line;
Tables: depending on the complexity of the original table, cells may be rendered as a Word table or as a series of paragraphs aligned with tabs;
Floating images: images are kept but their anchoring may differ from the original layout;
Fonts: if the PDF's font is not installed on the machine, the word processor will substitute a close font, which may shift the pagination;
Scanned PDFs (without a text layer): the conversion will only be able to extract images. To retrieve the text, first use the Text extraction module with the OCR option, then paste the resulting text into a Word document.

Returning to the Dashboard

Once the conversion has finished successfully, the module closes automatically and the Dashboard is shown again. The original PDF has undergone no change.

Note: for critical conversions (highly structured documents, complex forms), always compare the result with the original before sending the converted file. The PDF remains the reference format; the DOCX produced should be considered a starting point for editing.

Screenshots

1 screenshot — click to enlarge