RiverDIY / PDF tools / PDF to Word and other documents
Convert a PDF into an editable document
Turn a PDF back into a document you can edit: Word, OpenDocument, Rich Text, a web page, Markdown or plain text. RiverDIY rebuilds the headings, paragraphs, bold and italic text, fonts, lists, tables, newspaper columns and pictures, on your own device.
How it works
Three steps, and your file never leaves this device.
- Choose the PDF.
- Pick the format: Word (.docx) opens in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice.
- Download the document and edit it.
Questions
Good to know
How close to the original will it be?
Text, headings, paragraphs, bold and italic, font names and sizes, line spacing, bullet and numbered lists, pictures and charts come across. Newsletter and magazine pages keep their columns, side-by-side blocks such as a masthead stay side by side, and pictures that text wraps around still float. The text flows like a normal document instead of being pinned in place, so you can edit it easily. Decorative boxes and lines are left out.
Does it keep tables?
Yes, as real editable tables, with the header row repeated on every page and numbers right-aligned. Very large tables work too: a 100-row, 100-column table converts in well under a second. Word allows at most 63 columns in one table, so wider tables are split into side-by-side parts that repeat the first column.
Which format should I choose?
Word (.docx) for Microsoft Word, Google Docs or Apple Pages. OpenDocument (.odt) for LibreOffice. Rich Text (.rtf) for almost any editor. HTML to publish on a website. Markdown for notes apps and developers. Plain text when you only need the words.
What about scanned PDFs?
A scan is a photograph of text, so there are no letters inside the file to copy. RiverDIY tells you which pages are scans and adds them to the document as pictures. Reading text out of pictures (OCR) is planned.
Are headers and page numbers removed?
By default, yes: text that repeats at the top or bottom of most pages, and bare page numbers, are left out so the document reads cleanly. Untick the option to keep them.
What does it cost?
You see page 1 of the result free. To download the whole file you pay once for it: US$2 a page, never more than US$10 per 100 pages (1 page US$2, 5 to 100 pages US$10, 101 to 200 pages US$20). One payment covers every format of that file on your device.
Do you see my PDF when I pay?
No. The conversion happens in your browser before you pay. We receive only the file's fingerprint (a SHA-256 code that cannot be turned back into the file) and its page count, so the payment matches that one file.
What if the result is not right?
E-mail support@riverthought.com within 14 days with your order number and we will refund you.