PDF files are not converting to editable MS word just staying as originals

Report · May 17, 2014

Report · May 17, 2014

Hi Dianne,

Are you receiving any sort of error message when you try to convert?

Are you're converting your PDF file to Word from within Reader or using the web interface? If you haven't worked with ExportPDF before, when you convert a PDF to Word, you will have two files (the PDF and the Word doc). If you started in Reader, the PDF will continue to display in Reader after the conversion (so, the original persists). The Word document is uploaded to your Acrobat.com account. You can download the Word doc either from your acrobat.com account, or from within Reader (a link to download appears when the conversion is complete).

I hope that helps.

Best,

Sara

Report · May 18, 2014

Hello from New Zealand Sara

I have just subscribed to the convert PDF to MS Word and have tried numerous times to convert a copy of several pages extracted from a microfilm reader Samsung ViewScan into an editable MS Word document but all I get is a copy of the original PDF or complete gobble-de-gook. Perhaps the OCR capability of your converter is not very good. Please advise. I assume you are an official Adobe help person and if so I would greatly appreciate some help as I am attempting to get as many documents written by World War soldiers from NZ in a position for others to view. This is non-commercial a labour of love project. My thanks in advance,

Kiwi Bob (Robert J Cameron).

Report · May 18, 2014

I am having the very same problem. I have tried converting a rather large PDF file (with some color on the pages) but have had error messages six different times - three from within Reader, and three from the online website. Please advise.

Report · May 19, 2014

Hi Billinalaska,

Can you please tell me what error you're receiving when you try to convert your file (and whether you're able to convert other files)? There is a 100MB file size limit for converting files--but it's hard to know where the problem lies without some more specifics.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Best,

Sara

Report · May 19, 2014

Hello Sara

Many thanks for your replies.

I went through the following process a few minutes ago:

I opened the file

Selected tools

Selected the convert PDF to MS Word

Proceeded with the conversion

This took a few minutes

Received the message

"File successfully converted and saved to you online account "

Download converted file

It then gave me a save to choice which I selected

This time parts were converted but most was not

And there were numerous errors.Also a wide variety of fonts most of which I was

able to convert to Ariel Size 10 which is my normal choice

but nemerous letters I could not change.

As for the Samsung ViewScan microfilm viewer it is a beautiful piece of technology

for viewing old and poor quality microfilm.

I had not thought about checking whether it can convert to Rich Text but doubt it.

The main thing is I seem to be able to make some conversion but not complete.

Would it be OK to send you a page or two of the files I am working on?

Again I apprerciate your help.

Best wishes from Kiwiland,

Kiwi Bob

Report · May 19, 2014

Hi Robert,

That sounds like a lovely project--what a tribute! So, now that we know that files do convert, but just don't convert well, I have a better idea of where the problem lies. In cases like this, we do suggest that turning off OCR can help the file conversion. But, since your PDFs are coming from a scanner, you would end up with image content that isn't editable. The quality of the conversion definitely depends on the quality of the original file--I don't know anything about the Samsung VueScan--are you able to save to different formats there (maybe as an OCR text file)? I wish I had a better answer for you.

Best,

Sara