Top 10 Best PDF to Word Converter For Mac in 2024(Free and Paid)

Let’s easily convert PDF to Word on Mac.

PDF files are commonly used for sharing documents online and creating a professional impression. But editing them isn’t easy. Hence, the need to convert PDF to Word occurs. To do this job, you can find hundreds of PDF to Word converter options. But which ones are the best?

Fortunately, we’ve got the answer, and here we will enlist the best PDF to Word converter for Mac, both free and paid, including PDFelement Pro, Adobe Acrobat, and more.

Best PDF to Word Converter For Mac 2024

Part 1. How we picked the top PDF to Word converter for Mac

Finding the best tool to convert PDF to Word on mac wasn’t easy. But we did the job by keeping certain points in mind, and they are:

1. They should be accurate in converting PDF to word
2. Should offer advanced functions like OCR (to read text from images)
3. Can handle PDF workflow
4. Most importantly, it should be compatible with Mac.

These points helped narrow down the list and outlined the best Mac PDF converter tools, both offline and online.

Part 2: Top 5 PDF to Word Converter for Mac

1. PDFelement Pro for Mac – Complete PDF to Word Converter

PDFelement Pro is just about everything a PDF converter tool should be. It gives complete control over PDF files. Moreover, like other photo or video editing tools, it is neither expensive nor complex. PDFelement is just the best pdf to word converter for Mac users. Using it, you can convert several file types like PPT, Excel, Text, etc., to PDF format on Mac.

You can also edit the PDF document, add watermark, split it, and do a lot more. This best PDF to word converter also helps directly editing unprotected PDFs and editing OCR documents. But to use the OCR feature, you need to do an extra download. This is a bit of a hassle, but otherwise, everything PDFelement Pro has to offer is amazing.

What we like

• Office-style interface
• One tool to create, convert, and edit PDFs.
• OCR feature

What we didn’t like

• Huge Toolbar buttons

2. Adobe Acrobat DC – Best PDF file Converter for Mac

PDF (Portable Document Format) was created by Adobe in the 1990s, and Word was created by Microsoft. Both the formats are different yet; AdobeMicrosoft created word Acrobat DC is a powerful tool for converting PDF to Word on any platform.

This mac PDF converter offers a slew of advanced PDF editing features and is very easy to use. The icons are clear, Adobe created PDF (Portable Document Format), and Adobe even provided tutorials to make the tool easy. Using the excellent PDF to Word converter, you can edit PDF, change text, add text, save PDFs to different file formats.

What we like

• Convert photos clicked by phone into PDF with the desktop app
• Cloud-based sharing and commenting
• Helps convert PDF files into different editable formats.

What we didn’t like

• Premium service is expensive

3. ABBY FineReader – Best PDF and OCR Converter for Mac

Convert PDFs and scanned documents with accuracy using ABBYY FineReader Pro. The interface of this Mac PDF to Word converter is minimalist and straightforward. The main menu is divided into three separate panes, one for converting existing files, another for creating new files from the scanner, and the third for comparing documents. Each section offers great features, and this makes editing using FineReader simple. But there’s PDF to word converter lacks, and that is the full-text multi-file indexing features. If you are okay with it, then ABBY is a superb OCR and PDF editing tool.

What we like

• Highest quality and accurate OCR editor
• Allows exporting the file to different formats
• Intuitive interface and unique document comparison feature

What we didn’t like

• No full-text indexing feature

4. PDFpen Pro – Easy to use PDF Editor for Mac

Markup PDFs with highlights, comments, and drawings using PDFpenPro powerful PDF editor for Mac. This tool gives you all the power to edit and convert PDF documents normally considered read-only. Using this safe to use the tool, you can highlight, draw, and make notes. Moreover, you can scan and OCR your paper documents; this will make the text searchable in an image too. PDFpen also allows redacting a text with a block or by erasing it. To do so, you just need to select the text, choose the right redaction option, and move ahead.

What we like

• Included PDF markup and editing options
• Securely redact personal information
• Useful for scanning and OCR documents

What we didn’t like

• The correct font is not used when we edit text.

5. Foxit PhantomPDF Mac – Advanced PDF to Word Converter

When we are required to create new documents from existing pages, things get complicated. But with Foxit PhantomPDF, you can manipulate PDF files and pages. This amazing PDF editing and converter tool makes organizing workflow easy. Using it, you can merge PDF documents, split PDFs, drag and drop pages within a document, crop, delete, swap, add and rotate PDF pages. Moreover, you can annotate, share, and collaborate with PDF. With an excellent layout using Foxit PhantomPDF becomes easy. But the tabbed options for edit modes are a deal-breaker.

What we like

• Offers advanced features
• Create and edit PDF documents and fillable forms
• Convert paper into editable and searchable PDF

What we didn’t like

• Cannot access various options easily.

Part 3. Best Free PDF to Word Converter for Mac

All the PDF to Word Converter tools we discussed above are the best, but they are offline. This means to use them; you need to download them. But, when you are using the public system or a friend’s Mac, then things get weird, true?

Worry not, we have a solution for this too. Use the best free PDF to word converter for mac users online. They can be used on any platform, be it Mac, Windows, or any. To use them, all you need is a browser.

Note: Since all the below-mentioned mac PDF converters are online, you don’t need to download them. To use them, you just need a browser and an active internet connection. These free PDF converters will also not offer as many features as the PDFelement Pro, Adobe Acrobat DC and other paid PDF editing tools have to offer.

6. Adobe Acrobat – Online Free PDF to Word Converter

Seeing Adobe Acrobat listed as a free PDF converter online, you must be shocked. But it’s true Adobe allows you to convert PDF to Word on mac online. Using this quick and easy-to-use free PDF to Word converter for Mac, you can easily convert PDFs into Doc. Not only this but Adobe, the best PDF to Word converter, also allows converting PDFS to DOCX, the latest word format. Most importantly, you will not lose formatting when using Adobe Acrobat’s free online PDF converter.

What we like

• Convert PDFs to DOCX.
• Simple drag-and-drop working.
• The format is kept intact.

What we didn’t like

• Not completely free.

How to use it?

To use it, visit here and drag and drop the PDF you want to convert. Now just watch Acrobat converting the file to Word. Download it, and it’s all done.

7. SodaPDF – Well-Known PDF Converter

Creating and reading PDF files on Mac or Windows isn’t difficult but editing them is tedious. For this, if you want, you can pay for any PDF conversion tool and use it on your Mac or can use this online best PDF to Word converter.

What we like

• For security, the files you upload get permanently deleted after 24 hours.
• Convert PDF to a variety of formats apart from word like Excel, JPG, PPT, etc
• The layout is kept as it is.

What we didn’t like

• The conversion speed could have been better.

How to use it?

To use this free PDF to Word converter for Mac, simply copy-paste this URL into your browser. Next, open the PDF you want to convert, click Convert > select the format to which you want to convert > start the process and that’s it.

8. Smallpdf – Fastest PDF to Word Converter

Quickly convert PDF files into editable Word documents with Smallpdf. This online PDF converter is OCR enabled, and it allows saving files to PPT, Excel, and other formats. Moreover, if you want to use its offline tool, it is available, but you need to download it to use it. Which tool you use offline or online completely depends on the requirement. But trust me, both mac PDF converters work as created editors too.

What we like

• Securely convert PDF to word and in several other formats like PPT, Excel, etc.
• OCR functionality
• Upload files from Dropbox and Google Drive as well.

What we didn’t like

• Pops appearing on the website may distract you.

How to use it?

You don’t need to sign up to use this online tool, you Mac. You need to visit here, drag the PDF, and convert it into the format you want. Not only this, but you can also choose from Dropbox and Google Drive.

9. Freepdfconverter – Quickest & secure online PDF Converter

With a suite of easy-to-use tools, Freepdfconverter free pdf to word converter for Mac helps merge, split, compress, and rotate PDFs. Using this online PDF converter to get Word doc, you can encrypt files also. Freepdfconverter works on 256-bit encryption. This means the data you upload will not be shared with third parties. The files you upload for conversion are also deleted after the process is completed without retaining any reference. Since it is an online PDF to Word converter, you can use it anytime, anywhere.

What we like

• The same converter lets you merge, split, compress, and rotate PDFs.
• Military-grade 256-bit encryption.
• Files are deleted some hours after you upload them.   

What we didn’t like

• After one conversion, you either have to sign up or wait for a considerable time for the next conversion.

How to use it?

To use it, drag and drop the PDF you want to convert, or you can click the Choose PDF file button here. Once the file is added, you can convert PDF files to Word on Mac and begin extracting the text from images and scanned documents.

10. ZamZar

ZamZar is another best online PDF to Word converter that you can use on Mac or any other system. With an experience of 10+ years, ZamZar has been converting thousands of files daily in 1200+ file formats. Converting a file is always done in under 10 minutes, and if you face any problem, you can simply mail the support team. At a time, you can upload up to 50MB of a file.

What we like

• 1200+ file formats supported.
• Fast and easy conversion.
• Files are permanently deleted after 24 hours of upload.

What we didn’t like

• The interface could have been slightly better.

How to use it?

Using it is simple. Visit here. Add the file > select the format and click the Convert Now button.

Part 4. Other Ways To Convert PDF to Word for Mac –

1. Use Google Docs

Calling Google Docs yet another web-based editing tool would be an understatement. It can also help you convert PDF to Word on Mac. To use it –

1. Log in to your Google Drive using your Google account.

2. Next, click on the gear icon from the top-right side of the screen.

3. Click on Settings.

4. Click on the checkbox that says Convert uploaded files to Google Docs editor format.

5. Now, upload your desired PDF to Google Drive.

6. Click on the File menu > select Download > click on Microsoft Word (.docx)

2. Convert PDF to Word Using Preview

Let’s assume that most of your PDF is just plain and simple text. You can then open the PDF via Preview, which is already on your Mac. Next up, copy and paste the contents into your Word document.

1. Select PDF, right-click on it and select Preview.

2. Select the text from the PDF you want, and hit Command-C.

3. Go to Microsoft Word or Pages and then press Command V.

4. If you are using pages, head to File > Export To > Word, or you can directly save the file as DOC or DOCX.

3. Convert PDF to Word on Mac Using Automator

Automator is another Mac utility developed to ease repetitive tasks such as resizing images. We are not saying you will convert your PDFs to Word; however, you can extract text from your PDF and turn it into plain or rich text. Post that, you can use any of the above methods.

1. Open Automator located in your Applications folder.

2. Select Workflow as your document type.

3. Drag and drop your PDF file.

4. Under Actions on the left-hand side, select Library > PDFs > Extract PDF Text

5. Opt for Rich Text

6. Select where you want to save the extracted file

7. Hit the Run button.

FAQs: Best PDF to Word Converter For Mac