Editing PDFs in Word

If you use Microsoft Word on Windows, it’s probably not news to you that Word can open and let you edit PDF files, if the original document was created in Word and saved as a PDF in Word. (PDF files created by Adobe Acrobat will open in Word but the formatting will be messed up. You also could use third-party software or copy and paste text from a PDF, but would need to fix formatting issues.)

This functionality has been available on the Windows version since 2013, but only since 2018 for Mac users---and not on the 2011 version I was running, so forgive me for not knowing about this feature until recently.

I recently switched to Office 365 and discovered this feature when a client asked for help converting a PDF to an editable document. The PDF opened easily in Word, formatting looked OK, and I sent it back to her as a .docx file. (I had first emailed her instructions for doing this herself, but she declined the opportunity in favor of having me do it for her.)

Should I mention that I have been using Microsoft Word since 1985? Some old friends still remind me that back then I said that I’d invest in this startup called Microsoft but was using my saving as a down payment on a house. If only…

While we’re on the subject of file formats, did you know that Preview (a Mac app) can convert PDF documents to JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and other formats? All you need to do is open the file in Preview, and from the File menu choose Export and then choose the format you want. Preview can also convert a JPEG, PNG, or TIFF file to a PDF.