The advantage of PDF documents over other text file formats is that the former can be opened from any computer without any changes happening to the layout; it’s for this reason that this file extension is so popular with users for saving projects and presentations. The problem arises when you want to edit a PDF: that is, you can’t. To do so, you’ll need a tool that can convert your file into an editable format. Below I introduce you to three such tools.
You might already know of several applications to transform your documents to PDF, but, if not, you’re probably copying and pasting the text from your PDF to a Word doc manually—which can be quite time consuming when you have to go back and format everything again. A gigantic waste of time, in fact.
UniPDF to Word Converter
This program converts PDF documents to display the contents of the files in an editable-format document such as DOC, TXT, or HTML. Thanks to this tool, every time you receive a protected document you can extract sections of text or correct errors in the file—all without any fuss.
Using UniPDF to Word Converter is very simple: You just have to add or drag the PDF files to the interface and select which output format you need: DOC, RTF, TXT, or HTML. You can also convert several documents at the same time and none of them will lose their structure or paragraph organization.
On the other hand, if you don’t need to make changes to the text, this tool is also capable of transforming PDFs into image formats and you can even select their resolution: PNG, JPG, TIF, BMP, GIF, PCX, or TGA.
Boxoft PDF to Word
Another free alternative with the same features is Boxoft PDF to Word, an app that also allows you to extract the text from several files simultaneously in order to create new DOC files. But what’s really great about this software is that it includes a feature called Hot Directory that can take charge of automatically converting all PDF documents as they are saved in a specific folder that you have previously selected for the job.
Another option of Boxoft PDF to Word is that it’s possible to use the program from the command line, which is ideal for writing scripts.
Convertii
Having a software on your desktop computer that can make your PDF documents editable is all fine and good, but if you happen to be out of the house or using another computer on which you don’t have administrator permissions to install programs, you can turn to an online converter.
Convertii is a webapp designed to convert all your PDF documents into editable files from inside its online platform, with no need to download any type of program. The way it works is very simple: you just have to upload the document to the webpage and type in the email address where you want to receive the resulting file.
But undoubtedly the most noteworthy thing about this website is that it’s integrated with Dropbox so you can automatically transform all the PDF files you save in a particular directory. Convertii only allows you to convert three files without registering on its website, but just by registering your email address or connecting with your Facebook, Twitter, or Google + account you can use the service with no limits.
