How to Edit PDF In Word: A Step By Step Guide

PDF is a widely used file format that helps to store, send, and share data with others. Editing content in a Microsoft Word file is a straightforward and easy process. But the question arises: how do we edit PDF in Word if we have to use Word as a pdf editor? The answer is surprising yet amusing. I can bet lots of people who work with various types of documents don’t even know that it is possible. Since you can edit a PDF file using Adobe Acrobat or any other office PDF editor, editing a PDF using the Word app takes a different approach. But before we learn how to modify a PDF file in Word, we need to understand why we should, or why we have to, edit a PDF in Word. But first, let’s understand what a PDF and a Word application are.

TL;DR Summary

Microsoft word can be used as a PDF editor tool but it has lots of limitations when it comes to editing a pdf file. A native pdf editor offers complete pdf editing experience and you can also edit scanned image pdf and other pdf files. To edit pdf in word, just open Word app go to
• File > Open > Browse navigate the PDF file in your computer. Edit the pdf file and Save edited file as a PDF file.

What is a PDF file

A PDF is a document file type; it uses the .pdf file extension, and it was developed by Adobe in 1993. The full form of PDF is Portable Document Format, and it is widely used for creating and sharing text or image data in a PDF file and sharing it as an email attachment. A PDF file can be an invoice, receipts, scanned handwritten notes, an image file, etc. If you want to learn more about the PDF file or its technical specifications, you can check the pdf.org official page.

What is Microsoft Word

Word, also known as Microsoft Word, is a famous document editor used for editing .docx files. It’s a very popular text document editing app that can be used in various ways. One way to use Microsoft Word is to edit a PDF file. We will discuss that in this blog. If you want to learn more about the Word app, you can check the official product pageMicrosoft Word.

Difference Between Editing a PDF File in PDF Editor VS Word App

Editing a PDF file in a PDF editor vs editing a PDF file in a Word app is a very different process. As you know, PDF viewers and editors are built for editing a PDF file exclusively. Whereas a Word app acts as a PDF editor with limited PDF editing functionality.

These are the major differences.

Feature	PDF Editor	Word Editor
Cost	Completely Free	Mostly Free ( But You Need Microsoft 365 Plan to use the app)
Editing Accuracy	100% Precision. Keeps the original layout	Does the basic Editing only
Fillable forms	Fully supported natively	Not supported natively
Redaction	Not available	Available
Digital Signature	Only via insert method	Natively, e-signature and other methods available
Scanned pdf edibility	Not available	Available
Formatting accuracy	Superiorly accurate	Poor
Supported PDF types	Native, Scanned PDF & Other Layouts	Only Native PDF Layouts

How to edit a PDF in Word? ( Windows machine )



Please follow these instructions to edit a PDF in Word

• Step 1

Click on the Word App icon on your desktop, or click on the Start bar in Windows and search for “Word” then click on the icon.

Now go to File > Open > Browse, and then navigate to your file..


• Step 2

In our case, we have our PDF file in the Downloads section. So click on the PDF file. Click on the PDF file and then click the Open button in the bottom left-hand corner.

Now your file will open, and a message will be shown in the app. Click on the OK red button.


• Step 3

Now click on the Enable Editing option.


• Step 4

Now you can edit any text and data in your PDF file.


• Step 5

After editing the file, click on Save and select the file type you want to save. Pick PDF and click on Save, and your edited file will be saved.



Challenges With Editing A PDF In Word?

While editing a PDF in the Word app might sound easy, it poses many challenges compared with editing a PDF file using a native PDF editor. Some major issues with editing pdf using a Word App are.

Broken layout :

When you are editing a PDF using the Word app, there is a chance that the overall PDF document layout can be broken due to Word. Microsoft Word app often breaks the layout of the actual PDF document so that you might see an inconsistent, broken layout, changed fonts, mismatched text alignment, and other issues.

Missing Data:

Due to its nature, the Word app can mess with your raw data before editing and after saving the edited file. When you open a PDF file in the Word app, it asks to convert a PDF file to Word format. Since it doesn’t directly add or remove data in a PDF file, it converts the PDF file to a Word file and then adds the data. This file conversion process corrupts the raw data, and you end up with missing data.

Limited PDF file type support:

This is one of the main factors why businesses avoid using Word as a PDF editing tool. A native PDF editor can edit various types of PDF files, including native PDFs, scanned PDFs, fillable PDF forms, scanned image PDFs, etc. At the same time, the Word app can only edit a native PDF file properly.

Conclusions

As we have discussed above, editing a PDF file in the Word app is possible and quite easy for basic editing using a native PDF file format. Whereas a native PDF editor such as Adobe Acrobat offers an immense editing experience with a plethora of features.

The choice is always up to the user, which app he wants to use for editing a PDF file. But as we all know, the Word app always has its limitations when it comes to editing a PDF file. That’s why apps like Adobe Acrobat, pdf24 and other pdf editors are good choice for editing a pdf file smoothly.

Key takeaways

• Word app can be used for editing a PDF file, but it has limited functionality.
• A native PDF editor offers complete benefits and features of a PDF editor app that are not present in the Word app.
• Microsoft Word can mess with PDF file layout and can cause data loss during the editing and conversion process.

Can we edit a PDF in Word?

Yes, you can edit a PDF file in Word or Microsoft Word effortlessly. Just open the PDF file in Word, edit the data in your file, and save it as a PDF file.

Can we edit a scanned image PDF file in Word?

No, you cannot edit a scanned image PDF file entirely in Word since the Word app doesn’t have built-in OCR functionality like a PDF editor. You can edit any data in a scanned PDF file in Word.