Convert PDF to Word and vice versa in Word 2013

Our guide explains how to convert a PDF to a Word document from Word 2013 and vice versa. We’ll show you how to fix errors that occur during conversion.


1. Convert Word to PDF: To create a PDF file from a Word document


PDF files are often preferred when transferring documents, as these can be read independently of the system and the layout is retained. PDF files have the same appearance on all computers. Also, a PDF file can not be changed easily. For this reason Word offers the possibility to create a file in PDF format from a Word document.


2. Convert PDF to Word: Make a Word document from the generated PDF file


In Word 2013, you create a PDF file from your Word document by first enabling the File tab. In the menu that appears, click the Export command. In the window that appears, click on the PDF / XPS Create Document icon on the right. Do not let the "XPS" irritate you, it is a Microsoft format that is hardly used because the result can only be displayed in Internet Explorer.


3. PDF in Word: Problems importing PDF files


The Publish as PDF or XPS dialog box is displayed. By default, the PDF file is given the same name as the Word document. You can usually leave this suggestion as it is a different type of file.


4. PDF in Word: Import of scanned PDF files


If necessary, you can also change the name. To do this, type a different filename. By clicking the Publish button, your Word document will be written to a PDF file. The original Word document is retained for further use during this process.


After you have created a PDF file from your Word document, make the sample sample and create a Word document from the newly created PDF file. That's easy.


Click the File tab and click Open. Then select the folder where you saved your PDF file. The Open dialog box is displayed. In this dialog box, select the file type PDF-Files in the lower right corner. All PDF files in this folder are displayed. Select the desired PDF file, and then click the OK button. Click on the OK button to confirm the dialog boxes that are displayed after a while.


Depending on the size of the PDF document, the conversion may take some time. After successful conversion, the PDF file appears as a Word document, and you can edit the file as you wish. You are back in a "real Word document" and can apply all the familiar features of Word.


If you want to save the edited document as a PDF file again, click on Save and then select the PDF format in the dialog box that appears. However, you should now change the filename, otherwise the existing output PDF file will be overwritten.


Importing PDF files that consist of a mixture of multi-column text and graphics can lead to difficulties. Some items from the converted PDF file will not appear as expected in your Word document. You may not be able to change other items. Interactive PDF elements are not displayed at all.


It can also happen that during the conversion, text elements are interpreted as graphics and can not be edited as text. The best way to do this is to use pure texts. A small trick may help you improve the result of the conversion. Try the following: Save the result of the conversion as a Word document, and then close the document. Then reopen this document. With a little luck, the conversion result will look better.


If you want to convert text documents that were scanned as PDF to a Word document, this gives a nasty surprise. Scanning a document creates a graphic in the PDF file, but no text, even if it should look like this. You can only create an editable text using an additional OCR or OCR (optical character recognition) program.


The text recognition program used can, however, only properly convert the scanned graphics if the source material, ie the scanned document, is contrast-resistant. Pure text is very well recognized and with only few errors synonymous of simple software, which is mostly free of charge, converted. It becomes problematic if the document contains text, tables, several images, text boxes, interim headings and the like. This is usually the only way to deal with commercial OCR programs.


Lesetipp: Create flyer in Word


If the PDF file was not converted with an OCR program, the text remains an image. Word does not remember whether it is a scanned document or not, and then outputs the default dialog window for the conversion. Only when you try to edit the supposed text, you will notice that the text can not be edited.