The Best Solution to Convert Preview Files to Word Files on Mac

Audrey Goodwin

2022-04-22 14:06:24 • Filed to: Mac Software Comparison • Proven solutions

PDF is a portable file format that is universally recognized, no matter the application software, operating system, or hardware being used. But the even better thing about PDF documents is that you can convert them to any other file type as well. You may be wondering how to convert Preview to Word if you want to edit a PDF file as a Word document. Preview is the default PDF application for Mac, but it fails to let you edit a PDF file in the same way you would a word document or text file. For example, let's say you download an article online, and it opens in Preview. You cannot convert it to Word unless you find a third-party application to do that for you. This is where PDFelement comes in.

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Part 1. How to Convert Preview to Word on Mac
Part 2. The Best Tool to Convert Preview to Word on Mac

How to Convert Preview to Word on Mac

With that in mind, here is a step-by-step guide for how to convert Preview files to Word documents on Mac including macOS 11. As mentioned previously, you need a third-party application to do the conversion, as Preview doesn't have a "Convert" feature.

Step 1: Open the File

You can open any file format in PDFelement. After launching PDFelement, you can drag and drop the file onto the program window to open it automatically.

Step 2: Set Options for Conversion

Click the "Tool" button and select the "Batch Process" option. In the new reviewed options, click "PDF Converter". On the right side of the panel, you will notice a "Format" option. Click on this tab to specify the output format "Word" for conversion. If your PDF file is scanned file or image-based, you will need to use the "OCR Setting" to convert it into an editable word document. When you enable the OCR option, you can select the correct language of your file content in the "Document Language" option.

how to convert pdf to word on mac preview

Step 3: Convert Preview File to Word Document

Now that you've adjusted all the settings, click on "Apply". You will need to select an output folder where your new file will be saved. The process will start once you choose the folder.

The Best Tool to Convert Preview to Word on Mac

Unlike Preview, there are PDF editing tools on the market that offer the complete package for working with PDFs. That means in addition to viewing and editing PDF files, you can also convert them to other file types. PDFelement comes with a handy conversion feature and many other advanced features that can help you perform PDF-related tasks. Here are some of its key features:

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Convert PDF files to and from other file types such as Word. Use batch conversion for converting multiple documents at once.
Create fillable forms with all types of interactive form controls
Use a comprehensive annotation palette, including highlights, stamps, comments, notes, and drawing tools on PDF
Extract data from PDF files easily
Protect your PDF with password encryption. Add specific restrictions to certain parts of the document.
Edit PDF text, images, objects, and links, etc.

Tips for Converting Preview Files to Word Files on Mac

Here are some tips that will make your conversion easier.

Ensure the recipient has the latest version of Microsoft Word installed. The standard Word format is now ".docx", but not all users have Office 2007 or later versions.
If you want to keep basic formatting elements like bold, italic, or underlined fonts, convert your file to rich text format or ".RTF".
If you only need to make small changes to your PDF, you can likely do this directly in Preview and don't need to waste time converting it into a Word document just for editing.

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