However, things have changed considerably since those days. Now, with the latest version of Microsoft Word, editing PDFs has become considerably easier. All you need is Microsoft Word 2013 or higher. If you don’t know how to edit a PDF document, just read the guide below for detailed instructions.
Step 1: Importing a PDF File in Microsoft Word
Before you can edit a PDF document, you have to open it in Microsoft’s word processor. The first step is to import a PDF file into Microsoft Word. To do this, open Microsoft Word. Then, from the top-left, click on File > Open.
You will see your recently opened documents. Click on Browse, then select the PDF file you want to import into Word. If you can’t see the file in a particular folder, make sure you’ve selected “All Files” or “PDF Files” from the drop-down menu for selecting the file type.
Step 2: Converting the File
Once you click on the PDF file and open it in Word, you will see a dialog box appear (as shown above). The message simply states that Word will now convert the document and load it, which will take slightly longer than standard documents.
It’s important to understand that you will likely lose the formatting of the original document. This includes footnotes, page breaks, columns, tables, margins, any associated track changes, or special formatting.
You might lose special font effects as well. That’s because of the functional differences between the original software program that was used to create the PDF file, as well as Microsoft Word.
Microsoft states that text documents don’t lose as much of their formatting as other PDF documents that include tables, graphs, footnotes, and charts. Such documents also take slightly longer to load.
Once the document is loaded, it’s best to check it carefully and review the formatting and adjust accordingly. For instance, the image shown below opens directly in Microsoft Word, without losing its original formatting. That’s because it doesn’t contain any special effects or unique text blocks.
Step 3: Edit Your PDF Document
Once you open the PDF file, you can edit it as you see fit. You can remove or add new information, and the document will reformat on its own as you continue to add or remove elements. You can also remove or add new graphics, tables, or other effects.
Furthermore, you also have the option of editing the margins, the page size, or altering the size of the page. For instance, in the image shown below, we have edited (highlighted) and added a new table, and made a few changes to the text.
Step 4: Editing Images in PDFs
Word also supports adding images into PDFs, and it’s incredibly intuitive. You can make a host of changes to the images, including cropping, changing its position, replacing the image, text wrapping, and a lot more. You can also edit the alt text of the image. There are a host of formatting options as well, including:
Shadows Reflections Glow Soft edges Artistic effects 3D Format and 3D rotation
Simply right-click on the image, and then choose either Size and Position or Format Picture to make the necessary changes. You can edit the image as you prefer, as shown below.
The Word PDF editor is so much more intuitive than conventional online PDF editors. Essentially, you can use Word to publish your content in PDFs. It’s an ideal choice for smaller businesses that want to print the content directly.
However, companies that use PDF files for copyright-protection may want to password-protect their documents. You can also protect the document and save it as a Read Only file, thus preventing conversions.
Step 5: Export Your PDF Document
Once you are done making the changes to your PDF document, you can simply save it and export it as a PDF document. To do this, just click on File > Save As. In the drop-down menu from Save as Type, select PDF (as shown above).
You can also optimize the PDF file. Word will show you two options:
Standard (optimized for online publishing and printing) Minimum size (optimized for publishing online)
You can also export it using another option. Go to File > Export, then select “Create PDF/XPS Document”, as shown below.
Important Things to Know About Editing PDFs in Word
Microsoft Word 2013 only converts editable text. Therefore, certain elements might not appear as you would expect, and you may not be able to edit them at all. Similarly, interactive PDF elements might not appear, too. In some cases, you might see gibberish on the screen, as Word tends to interpret specific elements as graphics.
If you are using an older version of Word, it’s best to save the PDF file as a .docx file first. However, if you are using Office 365 or a later iteration of Microsoft Word, things do get better.
The feature is still being worked on, so don’t expect the best results. It’s ideal for editing simple text PDFs. However, more complex PDFs will simply not load properly, as shown below.
While the text loads up correctly, the images and the background don’t load up correctly. This is partially due to the fact that the PDF contains multiple elements.
Microsoft Word Does a Lot More Now
Microsoft has been working hard to improve its Office suite, and Word has received a bunch of additional updates over the past few years. With an annual Office 365 subscription, you can get Microsoft Word for a fairly nominal fee.
You can also use Microsoft Word for creating a professional resume. Obviously, you should save your resume as a PDF file once you are done!
