Is it possible to edit a PDF in InDesign?

You can’t edit PDF files in InDesign directly. Fortunately, you can import PDFs into InDesign and integrate parts of them into a layout or use them as a reference.

How do I turn a PDF into an editable format?

To make a PDF editable, you can use a PDF converter to convert it into editable formats, like Word and RTF. If your PDF is scanned, use an OCR program to make the scanned PDF into a searchable or editable PDF file. SwifDoo PDF and Adobe Acrobat are good choices.

No, PDFMarkz is not a free program, which requires $219 per year. You can also pay a one-time fee of $359 for lifetime use. Alternatively, you can try its 7-day free trial with limited features.

How to make a PDF interactive in InDesign?

InDesign enables you to add interactive elements, like hyperlinks, buttons, audio, and others. When you create a new document in InDesign, you can choose to add interactive buttons, forms, videos, and other elements you need. Once done, go to File > Export to select the Adobe PDF (Interactive) option. Finally, customize other export settings and click on Export to get the interactive PDF file.

3 Awesome Methods to Convert PDF to InDesign [Full Guide]

Introduction:

If you are a designer or publisher, you must be familiar with Adobe InDesign, which is a professional desktop publishing program used to create magazines, books, and other digital media. Sometimes, you may need to import a PDF into InDesign for editing. However, one of the prominent features of PDF is that it is non-editable. How can you convert PDF to InDesign? In this SwifDoo PDF guide, I’ll present you with effective ways to complete the PDF to InDesign conversion task.

Why Need to Convert PDF to InDesign

There are many benefits to converting a PDF to InDesign. If you just want to directly learn the guide for PDF to InDesign conversion, just ignore this part. If you want to learn, read the content below.

Edit and update the content in the PDF file. If there is a typo or you need to update the design, you need to make the PDF editable. Converting a PDF to InDesign can make it easier to update the content (like the text, images, or layouts) in the PDF file without the need to start from scratch. If you only want to edit the PDF file, a reliable PDF editor, like SwifDoo PDF, can meet your needs.

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Work with complex elements. If your PDF files are magazines, brochures, or books with various vector graphics and have lots of text that needs to be reflowed or reorganized, you’d better convert them to InDesign since Adobe InDesign is good at managing large amounts of text and editing vector graphics.
Converting for high-quality printing. If you want to adjust the resolution, margins, bleeds, or color profiles of the printing, InDesign can satisfy your needs for professional print production.
Apply some interactive elements. Instead of getting a static PDF file, making a document interactive is crucial for digital magazines or eBooks. In Design, you can embed interactive elements such as buttons, animations, forms, or hyperlinks.

In addition to the above benefits, converting a PDF to InDesign enables you to recreate the layouts, rebuild a new design from scratch with efficiency, and more.

Method 1. Convert PDF to InDesign with the Native Feature in Adobe InDesign

In 2025, Adobe developed a beta tool to directly convert PDF files to editable INDD files in InDesign. How can you transform a PDF file into InDesign format with the native feature in Adobe InDesign? The following tutorial can give you a hand.

Before learning the exact steps, ensure you have InDesign 2025 or a later version and a stable Internet connection. Furthermore, make sure that the PDF file is not larger than 100 MB and has fewer than 400 pages. Meanwhile, the PDF shouldn’t be damaged or password-protected. Additionally, this method cannot handle scanned PDFs. If your PDF is made from scanners, you need to OCR the PDF in advance. Now read the guide below.

Get the Best OCR Program

Step 1. Get the Beta version of InDesign from the Adobe Beta Program page or the Creative Cloud app. Then, launch this program and sign in with your Adobe account.

Step 2. Click the File tab, click Open to locate the target PDF file you need to convert, and click Open to import it.

Step 3. Once you import the PDF file into InDesign, the PDF to INDD conversion process will automatically start. You can see the conversion process bar. When the conversion process is over, you can edit the text, layouts, images, and other elements in InDesign.

Step 4. At last, click File again, select the Save As option, and choose the Adobe InDesign 2025 Document (.indd) option to save the file. Alternatively, you can select the InDesign CS4 or later (IDML) option.

Method 2. Turn PDF into InDesign with PDFMarkz

When your PDF file is large and complex, using a specific program is a more reliable approach. Among various programs, PDFMarkz is a good choice, which is available on both Windows and Mac. It is specially designed to preview and convert PDF documents into editable INDD format for InDesign.

In addition to working as a standalone program, PDFMarkz can also integrate with InDesign via scripts (like a plugin), enabling the performance of the PDF to INDD conversion with InDesign. However, PDFMarkz can’t handle interactive PDFs. Read the steps below to try to turn a PDF into the InDesign format using PDFMarkz.

Step 1. Visit the Markzware website to download PDFMarkz SE (or PDFMarkz for Mac) and follow the installation prompts on your PC.

Step 2. Run PDFMarkz and directly drag and drop the target PDF file into PDFMarkz for uploading.

Step 3. Click the InDesign icon in the Open in section, and PDFMarkz will convert the PDF to IDML and open it in the default InDesign version on your PC. If you want to choose a specific InDesign version, go to Preferences and choose one.

Step 4. Optionally, you can edit in InDesign. Finally, go to File > Save As to choose the Adobe InDesign 2025 Document (.indd) option.

Tips: To use PDFMarkz Scripts within InDesign, open the PDFMarkz program first, go to Tools > Scripts Installer, choose your InDesign version, and click the Install for InDesign option. After successful installation, run InDesign and navigate to Markzware > Convert PDF Document to import your PDF file. Then, PDFMarkz will convert the PDF file in the background. Once finished, the editable file will open in InDesign. Finally, export the file.

Method 3. Convert PDF to InDesign via Manual Conversion with OCR

The last workaround for PDF to InDesign conversion I want to introduce is manual conversion with OCR. Only two stages can complete the task. You need to use an OCR tool, such as SwifDoo PDF, to convert the PDF into Word or plain text first. Next, reformat the text in InDesign as you like. Now, let’s explore this workaround.

Stage 1. Use SwifDoo PDF to Convert PDF to Word

SwifDoo PDF is a cost-effective PDF converter, supporting converting PDF to or from Word, PPT, EPUB, Excel, and other formats. Its intuitive interface enables you to quickly master how to use it for PDF conversion.

Step 1. Launch this best PDF converter and go to the Convert tab.

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Step 2. Click on the PDF to Word option and import the target PDF document.

Step 3. Optionally, open the Format list and choose a Word format you need. Next, choose its saving path.

Step 4. Click the Start button. Next, click the Folder icon to locate the Word file.

Stage 2. Recreate the Layout in InDesign

Next, you can launch InDesign and manually reformat the text into the layout as you like. As you can see, compared with the other two methods, the last way is more complex.

To Wrap Things Up

Whether you need to convert PDF to InDesign files for any reason, this post provides three effective methods, ranging from using the beta feature in InDesign and third-party programs or plugins to a PDF converter for recreating the layout in InDesign. You can choose one from them according to your practical needs and budget. I hope this post can be helpful to you!