What to Check After Converting PDF to Word
A PDF converted to Word (.docx) is generated automatically, so it cannot be promised to match the original exactly. This guide lists what to check in the file you receive, in order. It is based on running this site's PDF to Word on a test PDF and opening the inside of the Word file it produced.
Last updated: 2026-10-22
How does this tool put a PDF into Word?
According to the on-screen note, tables become Word tables, text becomes one paragraph per line, and stamps or logos become pictures in the same place. We converted a 2-page test statement and opened the resulting Word file (13 KB): it contained 2 tables, 3 merged cells and the text, such as the title, date and column headings, as paragraphs. Our test PDF had no stamp picture, so picture position was not checked this time.
Steps to check the result
- Add the PDF to PDF to Word. You will see the page count and size, for example "Done · 2 pages · 13 KB". Check that the page count matches the original.
- Click Download Word file (or Download Word files as ZIP for several files).
- Open the file in Word with the original PDF beside it. Check that the text at the top, such as the title, date and name, is there.
- Check the tables: the number of columns, merged cells such as title cells, and borders.
- Compare amounts, dates and names with the original character by character. For tables with totals, see How to check a converted table.
- If there is a stamp or logo, check its position and size.
- Open the print preview and see whether pages break in roughly the same places as the original.
Why might positions shift slightly?
The on-screen note says positions may shift slightly if a font is missing on your PC or line spacing differs. If so, install the original font or adjust line spacing and table width in Word.
When this does not work
- Scanned (image) PDFs are not converted. A test scanned PDF returned "scanned (image) PDF, cannot be converted". The tool reads only PDFs that contain text. → How to tell a scanned PDF from a text PDF
- If scanned pages are mixed into a multi-page PDF, they are left out and the result line shows "(N scanned or empty pages left out)".
- Our check looked at the inside of the Word file (how many tables and paragraphs it has). How it looks in the actual Word application was not something we checked, so please open the file in Word and look.
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