You received a PDF on WhatsApp or by email and need to change a few lines: a CV, a contract, a form. On a computer this is easy, but on a phone most people think they need a paid app. You don't. Any recent phone browser can do it in under a minute.
What you need
- The PDF saved on your phone (in Files on iPhone, or in Downloads on Android).
- A browser: Safari, Chrome, Samsung Internet or Firefox.
- An app that opens Word files: Microsoft Word, Google Docs or WPS Office. All have free versions.
On iPhone or iPad
- If the PDF is in WhatsApp or Mail, open it, tap the Share button and choose Save to Files.
- Open Safari and go to the PDF to Word converter.
- Tap Select PDF files, then Browse and pick your document.
- Tap Convert to Word. After a few seconds, tap Download.
- The DOCX file is saved in Files › Downloads. Tap it, then Share › Word (or Pages) to edit it.
On Android
- Save the PDF: in WhatsApp, open the document and use ⋮ › Save or Share › Files. Email attachments usually go to Downloads.
- Open Chrome and go to the PDF to Word converter.
- Tap Select PDF files and choose the PDF in Downloads.
- Tap Convert to Word, then Download.
- Open the DOCX from the Chrome downloads bar or the Files app with Word or Google Docs.
Is my PDF a scan?
Try to select a word in the PDF with a long press. If you cannot, the pages are photos of text, not real text. A normal conversion will then give you images inside Word.
In that case, first pass the file through OCR PDF. It recognises the letters (Arabic, French, English and more) and adds a real text layer. Then convert the result to Word.
Tip: for a scan, a sharp and well-lit photo makes a big difference. Text recognition on a blurry page will contain mistakes you will have to correct.
What stays the same after conversion
| Element | Result in Word |
|---|---|
| Paragraphs and fonts | Rebuilt as normal, editable text |
| Tables | Real Word tables you can edit |
| Images and logos | Kept in place |
| Columns | Kept |
| Complex layouts (brochures, forms) | Usually good, may need small fixes |
Sending it back as a PDF
When your changes are done, convert the document back with Word to PDF. The PDF looks the same on every phone and computer, which is what employers and administrations expect.
Is it safe?
Your file travels over an encrypted connection and is deleted from our server automatically after an hour. After downloading you can also tap Delete from server to remove it immediately. No account is needed, so nothing links the document to you.