How to Convert PDF to Word on Mac in 3 Convenient Ways | 2025

Introduction:

If you want to make significant changes to your PDF file, one of the common ways is to export a PDF to the Word format. So, it can be a problem if you don’t know how to do that. Compared to the Windows system, many converters don’t support macOS. Don’t worry; this post has got you covered. There are several useful tools to use. This SwifDoo PDF guide elaborates on how to convert PDF to Word on Mac for free with three methods. You can either conduct the task online or offline with built-in and external tools.

How to Convert PDF to Word on Mac with Online Tool

There is no built-in app to directly convert a PDF to Word on Mac. Hence, you may need a third-party program to get the task done. Thankfully, many solutions can help you and a free online PDF to Word converter for Mac is the best go-to. Such a tool is more flexible and supports different macOS versions, removing the hassle of updating your app from time to time.

SwifDoo PDF online converter is a versatile PDF converter that supports converting PDF to DOC/DOCX, Excel, images, HTML, and files of other popular formats or vice versa. As a web-based tool, it is extensively compatible with all web browsers such as Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. 

Learn how to convert PDF to Word on Mac for free with an online program following the steps below:

Step 1: Visit the webpage of this software, and select the Products > Online Tools > PDF to Word option;

Step 2: Tap Choose File to import your desired PDF to the tool. Alternatively, just drag and drop the file to the indicated area;

Step 3: In a few seconds, the free converter can change PDF to Word on Mac precisely without corrupting formatting. Then click the Download button to save the converted Word file to your local folder.

As a proficient PDF management toolkit, the Convert feature is its meat and potatoes. It is one of the best methods for how to turn a PDF into a Word doc on Mac. The software guarantees quality and readability when performing the converting task. Furthermore, this tool can recognize scanned PDF files, making it hassle-free to convert a scanned PDF to Word with accuracy. There is no need to turn to an extra scanned PDF converter to conduct the process.

How to Convert PDF to Word on Mac in Microsoft Word

Another good PDF to Word converter for Mac is Microsoft Word. If you have installed it on your Mac, no additional thing is required. This popular word-processing program can work as a PDF converter thanks to its ability to open PDFs in Word. It can maintain the layout after the conversion so that you don’t have to adjust the formatting.

Check how to convert PDF to Word on Mac for free in Microsoft Word:

Step 1: Locate the PDF that you want to convert on your Mac and right-click on it;

Step 2: Select the Open with tab and choose Word;

Step 3: A window pops up to inform you that Word will. Then click OK to change the PDF to Word on Mac for free.

Step 4: Go to File and tap Save. Click on the drop-down arrow next to Save as type and select PDF. Then click Save to export the document to Word.

Although Microsoft Word has an accurate PDF to Word converter for Mac, it couldn’t process large PDF documents, especially those with multiple images. Given that, it might easily fail to turn a PDF into a Word doc on Mac.

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Convert a PDF File to Word on Mac in Preview

If you still try to use an in-built program as the method for how to convert PDF to Word on Mac, then Preview is the optimal choice. It is among the best PDF document annotators and viewers and can add shapes, handwrite, and crop PDF pages easily. Though it is not a direct way, it allows you to copy the PDF text without limitation. The application can recognize the text in a PDF file and help you effortlessly edit the content.

Here is the detailed guide on how to turn a PDF into a Word doc on Mac in Preview:

Step 1: Open the PDF in the PDF to Word converter for Mac;

Step 2: Click the Tools tab and choose Text Selection. Then select the text you want to copy;

Step 3: Tap Edit and choose Copy. Create a new Word document and paste the copied text into the document. Then that’s how you make the PDF into a Word document on Mac for free.

You can also edit PDFs in Preview with some basic feartures such as redacting sensitive information, highlighting a piece of text, and split PDF pages. 

Best PDF Reader & Editor for Mac

When your purpose of converting PDF to Word on Mac is to make the PDF content editable, why not turn to a PDF editor? You would also need to make edits in your daily PDF document handling. Here is a look at the lightweight, fast and easy-to-use SwifDoo PDF for Mac application. SwifDoo PDF for Mac runs smoothly and efficiently to deal with the text, image, hyperlink, and page editing and modification in PDFs. 

Key features you might want:

• Zoom, multi-screen, full-screen, and other reading modes.
• Highlight, strikethrough, undeline, add notes, type text, draw shapes, and do more to PDFs.
• Change PDF text, images, and links, and insert new. 
• Delete, add, split, and rotate pages.
• Password-protect a PDF with a permission/owner or open/user password. 

Extra Tip: How to Convert PDF to Word on Windows

Windows users may have different options to transform PDF format and the point is which one to choose from. As you’ve known how to convert PDF to Word on Mac, this part discusses the way on Windows.

SwifDoo PDF is a feasible PDF converter that can convert a PDF to a Word doc on a Windows computer while preserving the formatting. The software supports most of the popular formats, including DOC, DOCX, TXT, and EPUB. It is an easy-to-use PDF to Word converter for Windows to perform the task regardless of the file size and the processing speed impresses. This can save you from the trouble of copying and pasting the text manually.

Check out how to convert PDF to Word on Windows with SwifDoo PDF:

Step 1: After downloading and installing, launch the program. Choose PDF to Word;

Step 2: When the PDF converter window pops up, drag and drop the target PDF to the workspace;

Step 3: Tap Start to turn the PDF into a Word doc on Windows.

Verdict

This post has demonstrated three practical methods for how to convert a PDF to a Word file on Mac for free. It is never a problem to export a PDF to Word after reading the steps above. Among the mentioned PDF to Word converters for Mac, an online tool like SwifDoo PDF online converter might be the perfect solution. It can process large PDF files and straightforwardly turn a PDF into a Word doc on Mac, which improves your efficiency.

If you use a Windows computer as well, the Windows-based SwifDoo PDF is another good converter to export PDFs to Word documents swiftly, not to mention convert multiple PDFs at once.