The Adobe offering is a web app and therefore works in Mac OS X, iOS, Windows, or Linux, and can convert the PDF file into a DOC, DOCX, RTF, or even Excel XLSX files. Visit Adobe Acrobat Exporter Online for $25 per year. Editing a PDF often requires special software. And this is where Microsoft Word can really come in handy. A great way to make changes to PDFs.

Agree or disagree, working with a PDF document on a Mac isn’t that easy compared to handling other types of files such as Word or Pages. That’s why we often want to convert PDFs into Word docs and make them editable.

So, what is the best way to convert PDF to Word on macOS? Well, it depends. Whether it’s a scanned PDF, whether it contains sensitive data, whether you want to do this in batch, etc. all matter.

In this article, we are going to show you 5 different methods. Each method has its own pros and cons, so you know its best use case.

Read on to find out which method fits you the best!

1. Mac Automator App

Automator, one of Mac’s pre-installed apps, is originally developed to build custom workflows to perform various tasks. Many of you may don’t know that the app can actually convert a PDF file into an editable document. More specifically, to convert your PDF file into a Plain Text or Rich Text format which can be opened in Office Word or Pages app.

All you need to do is open Automator (find it in Applications or Launchpad), select Workflow and load the PDF file you want to convert, specify the desired output format and the app will turn your PDF text into plain or rich text format. This video shows how:

Pros:

• Free to use.
• Quick and simple, no need to download any third-party apps.

Cons:

• Limited output options (text format only).
• Don’t support batch conversion.
• Can’t handle scanned PDF files.

2. Google Docs (OCR Supported)

This is one of our favorite methods. Google Drive is very powerful and convenient to deal with documents as well as for work collaboration purposes. One of its features is to convert PDF file to Word document (.doc, .docx). Also, it supports Optical Character Recognition (OCR), a technology that enables you to extract texts from a scanned PDF or image.

To convert a normal PDF to Word, watch this YouTube tutorial:

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If you your document is a scanned PDF or image, be sure to check off an option in Settings before you upload your file for conversion. To do so, go to Google Drive homepage > click the gear icon on top right > check “Convert uploads” option. That’s it.

Pros:

• OCR integrated, able to convert scanned PDFs.
• Quick, no need to download any third-party apps.

Cons:

• Don’t support batch conversion. Time-consuming to convert many files at once.
• Formatting of output files is sometimes messy.
• You’ll have to register a Google account (for those of you who don’t have one).

3. Online PDF to Word Conversion Tools

You should have tried or heard about online PDF to Word converters, we have to warn you though, some are pretty bad especially those services that don’t have any privacy policies or disclaimers. Watch out for these websites that you can’t find any information regarding how they are going to deal with users’ documents uploaded to their remote servers.

We don’t recommend using this option if your PDF files contain business confidential or personal privates. That said, online conversion services are convenient to convert a few handy PDFs into Word docs so you can edit them right away. The process generally involves three steps: upload, select, convert. Here are a few popular options:

• OnlineOCR (for converting scanned PDFs)

Pros:

• Quick, simple and time-saving.
• Flexible output options.
• Some services support OCR conversion.

Cons:

• Security concerns, because you’ll have to upload your files to their servers.
• The conversion quality of some services is not good.
• Limitations such as file size, sign-up needed, etc.

4. Third-party PDF to Word Converter Software

For individuals and small business owners who need to handle documents on a regular basis, this is the option we recommend. Sure, desktop Mac PDF converter software is usually not free (though some may provide demos), and you need to spend time downloading, installing and learning how to use it. The benefits are enormous and obvious, primarily, it’s safer. If your documents are complex (with lots of elements), the conversion quality from desktop software is much better than that from other alternatives.

What’s the best PDF to Word converter app for Mac? We found PDFelement incredibly easy to use. It’s more than a converter, you can also use it to directly edit any PDF files even if they are scanned ones.

Vimicro usb 2.0 uvc pc camera driver for mac free. Here’s a quick step by step guide on how to convert PDF to Word using PDFelement for Mac:

• Get PDFelement and install the app on your Mac.
• Launch the app, click “Add Files” to upload your PDF files. Note: you can add multiple ones.
• Enable OCR on top right corner if your PDFs are scanned.
• Next, specify output formats and options.
• Click “Convert” to continue. Wait a few seconds or minutes until the process is complete.

Pros:

• Secure, stand-alone. You can use it offline without Internet connection.
• Conversion quality tends to be higher than other options.
• Flexible, support batch and partial PDF conversion.
• OCR, customer help/support, etc. are available.

Cons:

• The app isn’t free, you have to pay.

5. Adobe Acrobat DC

The reason why we list Acrobat DC as a separate option is that we feel Acrobat is not for most business professionals as it’s over-priced, and many of its advanced functionalities won’t be used at all for most of us, and if you do need them, there are cheaper alternatives. However, if you are not price-sensitive, Adobe Acrobat is a good tool for PDF conversion, editing, and creation. To convert PDF to Word on Mac with Acrobat, follow the guide from the Adobe official website here.

Pros:

• Powerful and easy to use.
• It includes a wide range of advanced features.

Cons:

• Very expensive, especially if you go for the monthly subscription.

Conclusion

Converting PDF to Word on Mac isn’t that hard, especially with Apple Mac’s built-in Automator app. Google Docs and online PDF to Word conversion services are also handy. If you deal with business documents regularly on your Mac, and you’re paranoid about the security of other options, using a Mac PDF converter software is a great option. In addition, if you’re super savvy and have lots of advanced PDF editing/converting needs, Adobe Acrobat can be your best choice.

Anyway, that’s all we wanted to share. If you have any feedback or suggestion, e.g. you found another new awesome method, let us know and we’d be happy to add it and update the post.

Jessica is the co-founder and content manager. She has been fascinated by the startup culture in Silicon Valley and she loves building things from zero to one. When she is not writing, she loves getting close to nature and shoot photos with her iPhone and Canon EOS 80D.

2020-03-06 18:14:30 • Filed to: PDFelement for Mac How-Tos • Proven solutions

It's often essential to be able to be able to convert PDF to Word on Mac device, especially if you need to edit your PDF. Even though PDF documents are often the default format for sharing files online, unless you have the right know-how or the right software, editing a PDF document can be a challenge. The best course of action is usually to change PDF to Word on Mac. This article offers you a complete guide on how to export PDF to Word on Mac (including macOS 10.15 Catalina) with PDFelement.

Steps to Convert PDF to Word on Mac

Step 1: Open PDF

Drag and drop your PDF file into PDFelement's main window to open the file. Or click on the 'Open File..' button to select and open the PDF.

Step 2: Convert PDF to Word on Mac

Once the file has been opened in PDFelement, click on the 'File' button to enable the 'Export To' function. You can then click the 'To Word' button to choose Microsoft Word as the output format. You can rename the file and select the output folder in the pop-up window. Once you are happy with all the changes, click 'Save' and your document will be converted within a few seconds.

Step 3: Convert Scanned PDF to Word on Mac (Optional)

To convert a scanned PDF file, you need click the 'Perform OCR' button first. After recognized the scanned PDF, click on 'File' > 'Export To' and select 'To Word' in the menu bar. Then click 'Save' to start the conversion.

Video on How to Convert PDF to Word on Mac

How to Change PDF to Word on Mac with PDF Converter Pro

Another way to convert PDF to Word on Mac is to use Wondershare PDF Converter Pro for Mac. This program is effective because it comes with many features that allow you to create PDFs, convert PDFs to different formats including Word, HTML, Excel and others, and perform OCR. But perhaps the biggest advantage of the PDF Converter Pro for Mac is that it can be used to convert batch files very easily and also convert protected files. Here's how to use PDF Converter Pro for Mac to change PDF to Word on Mac.

Step 1. Import PDF Files

Download and install the program on your computer. Once this is complete, launch the program and click on the '+' button at the top of the main window to import the PDF file you want to convert.

Step 2: Select the Conversion Options

Click on the 'Format' icon to select the output format (in this case you'll want to select a Word Document). You can also choose the 'Page Range' button to select the pages you would like to convert.

Step 3: Convert PDF to Word on Mac

When finished, click 'Convert' to begin the process. You can choose to cancel the process at any time. In a few seconds, the PDF will be converted into Word.

Convert PDF to Word on Mac for Free with Google Docs

Another option is the widely used program, Google Docs. It can also help you export PDF to Word on Mac. Here are the steps to follow:

• 1. Login to your Google account on the Google Docs website.
• 2. Upload the PDF document that you want to convert to Word.
• 3. Navigate to the 'File' tab. Select ' Download as' > 'Microsoft Word(.docx)' to export your PDF to a Word document.

How to Export PDF to Word on Mac with Automator

There is also another free method available for Mac users to convert PDF to word. This is the built-in Mac app Automator. It can help you convert a PDF file to plain or rich text format.

• 1. Search for 'Automator' in your Application and open it.
• 2. Search for 'Extract PDF Text', then select 'Rich Text' (RTF) or 'Plain Text' (TXT) on the right side to save your PDF. You can also set other options as needed.
• 3. Click the 'Run' button, and choose a PDF file to convert to a text document directly.

Preview Can't Convert a PDF to Word on Mac

If you are more interested in using a free PDF editor, you can try using Preview. However, despite the fact that it is an inbuilt Mac PDF editor, it tends to fall short when it comes to functionality and features. Below are a few of its best features. It allows users to edit, annotate, add images, and highlight sections of the text in a PDF file, but is a bit limited in terms of functionality. It enables users to combine files, and it is free to use. However, it can't convert PDF to Word in macOS, and it only supports converting PDF into JPEG, PNG, and TIFF.

Pros

• It's a built-in app on Mac devices.
• It enables users to combine files.
• It's free to use.
• It provides basic editing features.

Cons

• The program lack certain functions.
• The program lacks OCR feature.
• The document conversion feature is difficult to use.

PDF Expert is unable to Convert PDF to Word on Mac

PDF Expert is unable to Convert PDF to Word on Mac. However, it is still a useful PDF app for Mac. Even though it lacks eatures compared to PDFelement, it is simple and cost-efficient. It operates at a high speed and includes fairly annotation features, document signing tools, an impressive sharing feature, and form filling capabilities. It is also compatible with most Apple devices (Macs, iPads, and iPhones). However, it does not support converting a PDF document to Word format on Mac. Learn more details about PDF Expert.

Pros

• It can be used on a number of Apple devices.
• It has split-screen capabilities.
• It also offers easy file transfer options.

Cons

• It is limited in features and functionalities compared to PDFelement.
• It has limited OCR capabilities.
• It has limited image editing tools.
• It is not user-friendly for document conversion.

Why to Choose the Best PDF to Word Converter on Mac

PDFelement is regarded as the best and most recommended option for PDF to Word conversion on Mac. That's because this application has been intricately crafted to help you solve all of your PDF file editing needs with ease, convenience, and flexibility. Benefits of PDFelement include:

• Superior OCR capabilities that simplify the process of transferring any images or scanned PDF files into easily editable and searchable text formats.
• Numerous word document editing features like spell check, line mode, and paragraph mode.
• The ability to create and convert PDF files into any other document format like Word.
• Increased data security features in the form of permissions, passwords, digital signatures, text redaction, and so on.
• Makes it easy to leave comments, notes, and highlight text on PDF files.
• It has a charming and user-friendly interface.
• It supports Mac OS X 10.12 ,10.13, 10.14 and 10.15 Catalina.

Free DownloadFree Download or Buy PDFelementBuy PDFelement right now!