How to Convert PDF to Word on Mac - 5 Easy and Practical Options

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How to convert PDF to Word on Mac or Windows computers? For a Windows user, the first solution you think of is probably using the built-in Microsoft Office program. But what about Mac users? There are many easy ways to convert PDF to Word on Mac including using EasePDF online converter, Google Docs, Mac Preview, PDFelement, and Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. Today we'll introduce these solutions step by step.

Option 1. EasePDF Online PDF to Word Converter

The first solution we highly recommend is to convert PDF to Word on Mac for free online with EasePDF Online PDF to Word Converter. In this way, you can quickly convert PDF files into editable Word documents on your Mac in a few seconds for free without registration or download any software, especially when you're doing a one-time conversion. It's very easy to use with the user-friendly interface, later we’ll see how it works.

EasePDF is regarded as the most popular and recommended option for converting PDF to Word conversion on Mac, as it can help you solve all your PDF file editing needs easily and conveniently. Main features of EasePDF include:

  • Allows you to import files from Dropbox and Google Drive
  • Enables you to extract all PDF elements like texts, images, tables, graphics, and layouts and convert to a Word document
  • Saves your PDF files to Excel, PPT, JPG and HTML
  • Makes it easy to leave comments, notes, and highlight text on PDF files
  • Has a user-friendly interface and offers best user experience for free
  • Supports Mac OS Big Sur 11.6

Now, let's see how to use EasePDF online PDF to Word Converter to convert PDF file to Word on Mac without hassle.

Step 1. Upload your PDF file in 3 ways.

You can click on the "Add File(s)" button to add a PDF file from your local computer or device, or you can simply drag the PDF file and drop it to the uploading area. EasePDF supports bulk conversion for free, so you can add more than one PDF file at one time. If the PDF you want to convert is on your Google Drive or Dropbox, you can click the cloud drives' icon below to import those files online.

EasePDF Upload PDF Files

Step 2. Convert PDF to Word.

Once your PDF file is uploaded to the server, EasePDF will start converting it to Word automatically. The processing time mainly depends on the file size of your PDF. It might take longer if the file is huge, so you can compress the PDF before uploading.

Step 3. Download the converted Word document.

When the converting process is finished, there will be a download link appearing on the result page. Just click the "Download" button to save the converted Word document to your Mac computer, or exporting them to your Google Drive or Dropbox.

EasePDF PDF to Word Download

Pros:

  • 100% free.
  • Batch conversion for free.
  • No download, no registration needed.
  • Extract all elements from PDF to Word.
  • Integrate with Google Drive and Dropbox.

Cons:

  • Ads

Option 2. Google Docs

Another tool to convert PDF to Word on Mac for free online is Google Docs. Google Docs is not only an online word reader and processor, but it can also be used as an online document converter. You can open a document in Google Docs and download it as Word, RTF, PDF, TXT, HTML, etc. However, this option is recommended for text-only PDFs. Here we'll show you how to convert PDF to Word with Google Docs.

Step 1. Go to Google Docs and log in with your Google account. If you don't have one, just create your Google account.

Step 2. Upload your PDF to Google Docs. Click the little file icon on the middle right of the interface, then choose "Upload" to add a PDF from your local device. If the PDF is already on your Google Drive, just choose "My Drive" to access it.

Google Docs Add File

Step 3. Open PDF with Google Docs. Once the PDF is uploaded to Google Docs, it will be open with your web browser. Click on the little triangle tab beside "Open with Google Docs", and choose "Google Docs" on the drop-down list. Now the PDF will be opened in Google Docs online editor.

Open PDF With Google Docs

Step 4. Save PDF as Word. Go to the "File" menu on the top bar and choose "Download", then select "Microsoft Word (.docx)" as the output format. Google Docs will convert PDF to a Word document and save it to your Mac computer immediately.

Google Docs Download PDF As Word

Pros:

  • 100% free.
  • Works better on plain-text PDF.
  • Works online, no need to install any program.
  • OCR supported, able to convert scanned PDFs.

Cons:

  • Don't support batch conversion.
  • Can't extract images from PDF to Word.
  • Can't preserve the original table sheets.

Option 3. Copy and Paste With Mac Preview

If you want to covert a plain-text PDF to Word on Mac, you can simply copy the text with Mac Preview and paste them to a new Word document. Of course, you can't copy from a scanned PDF in this way.

Step 1. Open your PDF with Mac Preview. Right-click on the PDF file and choose "Open With", then select "Preview" from the menu.

Open PDF With Mac Preview

Step 2. Copy the text on the PDF. On Mac Preview, use the shortcut "Command + A" on the keyboard to select all texts on the PDF, then press "command + C" or choose "Copy" on the right-click options to copy these texts. You can also copy selective texts as you want.

Copy PDF Text on Mac Preview

Step 3. Paste the text to Word. Now create a new .doc or .docx Word document on your Mac, then right-click the mouse and choose "Paste" from the menu. Or you can use the shortcut "Command + V". That's it, all texts from your PDF have been converted to a Word document.

Tips:

Got no Word programs on your Mac computer? Don't worry, here are two easy ways to create a new Word document without the Microsoft Office program.

1.Duplicate an existing Word file on your computer, and clear all contents in it.

2.Create a new Word document online in Word Online. You can then paste the PDF texts on it and download the new Word file to your Mac.

Pros:

  • 100% free.
  • Simple and quick, no need to download another app.

Cons:

  • Only works for plain-text PDF, can't extract tables or images.
  • Can't convert scanned PDF.
  • No bulk conversion supported.

Option 4. PDFelement

Okay. Done with the free solutions, now let's see what other options we have to convert PDF to Word on Mac. The obvious choice would be downloading and installing a PDF to Word converter for Mac, which enables you not only to convert PDF but also to edit, create, compress, merge PDF on your Mac computer anytime you want. PDFelement is exactly what you need.

Step 1. Free download PDFelement for Mac and install it on your computer.

Step 2. Open your PDF. Launch PDFelement and click "Open File" to choose a PDF from your Mac computer, or you can drag and drop the PDF file you want to convert into the interface.

PDFelement Open PDF File

Step 3. Convert PDF to Word.

Click "File" on the top menu bar, then choose "Export to" and select "Word" as output format. Enter a file name and choose an output folder you want to save the converted Word document. Finally, hit the "Convert" button. Your PDF file will be changed into Word in seconds.

PDFelement Export PDF to Word

Tips: For scanned PDF conversion, go to the "Tool" menu and choose "OCR Text Recognition" before step 3. PDFelement will use the OCR technique to recognize the texts on the PDF file.

Pros:

  • Convert all PDF elements to Word in high quality.
  • OCR supported, can convert scanned PDF.
  • Batch conversion supported.
  • Higher files security.

Cons:

  • Not free.

Option 5. Adobe Acrobat Pro

Another awesome PDF to Word converter for Mac is Adobe Acrobat Pro. This is a powerful and professional PDF program that enables you to create, convert, edit and share PDFs. When converting PDF to Word, Adobe Acrobat Pro can better preserve the original layout and formatting of the PDF than most PDF converters. Now let's start the conversion.

Step 1. Right-click the PDF file you desire to convert and choose "Open With", then choose "Adobe Acrobat Pro" as the opening program.

Step 2. Select "Export PDF" in the right menu column.

Adobe Acrobat Pro Export PDF

Step 3. Choose "Microsoft Word" as your output format. You can then select a Word version according to your needs. Now click the "Export" button. Select a location where you want to save Word file, then click the "Save" button and your PDF will be converted to a Word document.

Tips:

1. Acrobat will run text recognition automatically if your PDF contains scanned text.

2. You can click on the setting cog to customize your converted Word options like layout, comments, image and recognition settings.

Pros:

  • Convert PDF to Word on Mac with high accuracy.
  • Extract images, tables, graphics, etc to Word.
  • Many other powerful PDF tools.
  • Customized output Word settings.
  • Easy to use.

Cons:

  • Not free, expensive.

Conclusion - What is the Best Way

We've listed 5 solutions of how to convert PDF to Word on Mac, each solution is practical and you can use it right now. If the PDF file you need to convert is a text-only PDF, you can simply copy and paste the text with Mac Preview, or use Google Docs to convert it as Word.

But for PDF files that contain lots of images, table sheets or graphics, you'd better choose an online PDF to Word converter like EasePDF, or use a desktop PDF to Word converter for Mac like PDFelement and Adobe Acrobat. These are the tools that can better keep those elements from the original PDF, and perform well with scanned PDF.

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