Exported PDF to Word but layout is broken, any reliable online tools?

Question

I’ve been using Adobe Acrobat to export PDFs to Word, but in some cases (especially documents with tables or multiple columns), the formatting ends up completely off.

Does anyone here have recommendations for online tools that handle layout better? I've tried this PDF to word converter, which is good but doesn't support batch processing. I’m open to trying other free tools if they work reliably.

Thanks in advance!

creative explorer · Answer

@xinyi_3800 have you tried adjusting export settings? Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat. Go to File > Export To > Microsoft Word > Word Document. In the "Save As Word Document" dialog box that appears, click the "Settings..." button. This opens the "Save as DOCX Settings" dialog.

You may want to try and use the Retain Page Layout. This option attempts to preserve the visual appearance of the PDF page as closely as possible in Word. It's generally better for documents with tables, multiple columns, or intricate graphics, but can result in lots of text boxes, frames, and other complex Word formatting that makes editing difficult. You can choose whether to include these elements.

The Retain Flowing Text willmake the text editable and reflowable in Word. It's often better for documents with continuous text, but can significantly break complex layouts with multiple columns or precise image placements.

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