(Article 3 in the series “How to Work With PDF Files”)
This third part of our mini-series on working with PDF files focuses on conversions.
PDF is excellent for sharing, but not always ideal for editing or further processing. Fortunately, there are several reliable ways to convert a PDF into other formats — whether you need to edit text, extract images, or analyze data.
When Converting a PDF Makes Sense – PDF conversion guide
PDF conversion is useful when you need to:
- Edit text (Word, Google Docs),
- Extract images from a PDF (JPG/PNG),
- work with tables (Excel, CSV),
- reduce file size or simplify content,
- convert the document into a format better supported by your software.
1) Convert PDF to Word (DOCX)
The Easiest Method: Word or Google Docs
- Open Word → File → Open → PDF
Word automatically converts the PDF into an editable document. - In Google Drive, upload the PDF → right‑click → Open with Google Docs.
Advantages:
- fast, no installation needed,
- great for text‑based documents.
Disadvantages:
- complex layouts (tables, columns) may shift during conversion.
2) Convert PDF to Images (JPG/PNG)
When This Is Useful
- you want to use a PDF page as an image on a website,
- you need thumbnails or previews,
- you want to share only part of a document.
How to Do It
- Windows: Snipping Tool → save as PNG/JPG,
- Online tools: search for “PDF to JPG”,
- Adobe Acrobat: Export PDF → Image → JPEG/PNG.
3) Convert PDF to Excel (XLSX/CSV)
When It Works Well
When the PDF contains real tables, not just images of tables.
Conversion Options
- Adobe Acrobat: Export PDF → Spreadsheet → Excel,
- Online converters (“PDF to Excel”),
- Power BI / Power Query: import tables from PDF (often surprisingly accurate).
Tip: If the table is only an image, you must use OCR (text recognition).
4) Convert PDF Using OCR (for Scanned PDFs)
A scanned PDF is essentially an image.
To convert it into Word or Excel, you need OCR.
Where to Use OCR
- Adobe Acrobat: Tools → Recognize Text,
- Online OCR tools,
- Mobile apps (e.g., Microsoft Lens).
The result always depends on the scan quality.
| Service | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PDF24 OCR | https://tools.pdf24.org/en/ocr-pdf | Free, unlimited, very accurate for most scanned PDFs. |
| iLovePDF – OCR PDF | https://www.ilovepdf.com/ocr | Converts scanned PDFs into searchable PDFs. |
| Free Online OCR | https://www.onlineocr.net/ | Extracts text or converts PDF to Word/Excel. |
| Adobe Acrobat Online OCR | https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/ocr.html | High‑quality OCR from Adobe, creates searchable PDFs. |
| Smallpdf OCR | https://smallpdf.com/ocr | Browser‑based OCR, good for large or low‑quality scans. |
5) Convert PDF to Plain Text (TXT)
Useful for:
- extracting text without formatting,
- content analysis,
- importing into other systems.
How to Do It
- Adobe Acrobat: Export → Text,
- Online tools: “PDF to TXT”,
- Linux/macOS:
pdftotext(part of the poppler package).
6) Convert PDF to EPUB (for e‑readers)
If you want to read the document on a Kindle or another e‑reader:
- Calibre: Convert books → EPUB/MOBI/AZW3,
- Online converters (“PDF to EPUB”).
Note: PDFs with fixed layouts may convert inaccurately, especially complex designs.
| Service | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Convertio | https://convertio.co/pdf-epub/ | Simple, fast, supports OCR. |
| FreeConvert | https://www.freeconvert.com/pdf-to-epub | Up to 1GB files, advanced e‑book settings. |
| Online-Convert | https://ebook.online-convert.com/convert-to-epub | Many customization options (font size, heuristics). |
| PDF24 Tools | https://tools.pdf24.org/en/pdf-to-epub | Free, unlimited, very user‑friendly. |
| CloudConvert | https://cloudconvert.com/pdf-to-epub | High‑quality conversions, supports many formats. |
Quick Summary
| Goal | Recommended Format | Typical Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Edit text | DOCX | Word, Google Docs |
| Extract images | JPG/PNG | Adobe Acrobat, online tools |
| Work with tables | XLSX/CSV | Adobe Acrobat, Power Query |
| Read on an e‑reader | EPUB | Calibre, online converters |
| Analyze text | TXT | pdftotext, online tools |
Illustration – Suggested Concept
A simple flat vector illustration:
A central PDF document surrounded by small icons (Word, Excel, JPG, TXT, EPUB), connected with arrows showing conversion paths.
Conclusion
Converting a PDF into other formats is fast and reliable today.
Whether you need to edit a document, extract data, or simply change how it’s displayed, there’s a tool that can do it in seconds.
This article is the third part of our PDF mini‑series. In the next installment, we can explore merging, splitting, and securing PDF files or even automating PDF workflows in everyday office tasks.