Online tools New Zealand
PDF to Word Converter (Text Only)
When all you need from a PDF is the words, this tool reads the text out of the file and writes it into a Word document you can edit. It runs in your browser, so the PDF is never uploaded. It keeps the text only: layout, images, tables and fonts are not recreated. Built for New Zealand users, with nothing sent to a server.
Free, no signup Runs in your browser
Result
—Files
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Original size
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New size
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Saved
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Your files
How do I convert a PDF to Word?
Choose the PDF and download the Word file. The tool reads the PDF's text layer in your browser, groups the text into lines and paragraphs and saves it as a .docx. It keeps the words and their order, but not the layout, images or tables, and scanned PDFs without a text layer need character recognition first.
What converts well
Letters, contracts, reports, articles and books that are set in a single column convert well, because their text reads straight down the page. Headings come through as plain paragraphs, so you can restyle them in Word. Line breaks inside a paragraph are joined so that the text reflows.
If you need a perfect copy of the layout, a desktop PDF editor or the original source file is the better route.
What does not
Tables become lines of text in the order they were laid out. Multi-column pages may read across the columns. Images, charts and drawings are left out, and scans have no text to extract. Fonts and colours are not carried over.
To keep the page appearance instead, use the PDF to JPG tool.
How this is calculated
The rule, step by step, so you can check any figure by hand.
each page's text is read from the PDF's text layertext pieces are grouped into lines by their vertical position, then ordered left to rightlines are joined into paragraphs unless there is a bigger gap, or kept one per lineparagraphs are written into a .docx file, with an optional page break between pages
A PDF stores each piece of text at a position on the page, not as flowing paragraphs. Rebuilding the order and paragraphs from positions works well for ordinary text, and less well for columns, tables, headers and footers, forms and anything laid out in a complex way. The result is a clean starting point, not a copy of the layout.
A PDF made from a scan has no text layer, only a picture of the page. This tool reads the text layer only, so for a scan it finds nothing. Optical character recognition is needed to read the text from the picture, and it is not part of this tool.
A worked example
A 3-page text PDF report of about 900 words.
- Pages3
- Words foundabout 900
- Outputa .docx with the text in reading order
- Not keptfonts, images, tables, columns
An editable Word file of the text.
Check columns and tables in the result.
Privacy
The PDF is read by your browser and never sent to a server, which suits contracts and records covered by the Privacy Act 2020. The Word file is created on your device.
What it leaves out
No OCR, no images or tables, no password-protected PDFs, and no more than 200 pages at once. Always proofread the result, especially numbers.
What this calculator does not do
- Text only, no layout
- No OCR for scanned PDFs
- Password-protected PDFs cannot be opened
- Up to 200 pages
Common questions
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. It is read in your browser.
Does it keep images and tables?
No. It extracts the text only.
Why did it find no text?
The PDF is probably a scan, which needs OCR.
Will the layout match?
No. The result is the text in reading order.
Can I open the result in other programs?
Yes. A .docx opens in Word and similar programs.
Where these numbers come from
- PDF.js — Mozilla The open-source PDF reader (Apache-2.0 licence) that reads the text
- ECMA-376 — Office Open XML file formats The standard behind .docx files
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner New Zealand's privacy regulator, for the Privacy Act 2020
Method last reviewed 2026-10-28 This calculator uses fixed rules rather than rates that change, and its method is re-checked against the sources above at least once a year. Out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
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