Edit and Save PDF Files in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Office allows you to save documents directly to PDF files from most applications (Word, Excel, Publisher, etc) but today, we will focus on Word. In earlier versions, you were forced to “Print a document to PDF” with third party utilities; however, having this option directly can save time when you need to share a document with a third party. Having the ability to edit a PDF file you may receive from a third party directly in Word also can avoid third party software in certain circumstances.

Edit and save PDF

To edit a PDF, simply open it in Word. This works best with PDFs that are mostly text.

1. Go to File > Open.

2. Find the PDF, and open it (you might have to select Browse and find the PDF in a folder).

3. Word tells you that it’s going to make a copy of the PDF and convert its contents into a format that Word can display. The original PDF won’t be changed at all. Select OK.

4. Make the necessary changes, then head to File > Save As. In the Save as type drop-down menu, choose PDF. Now you have an edited PDF document to share.

Note: Microsoft Word 2013 and 2016 are both capable of editing PDF documents by first converting them into Word documents. Editing works well if the PDF documents contain more text and less images.

Convert to PDF

To export or save as PDF in your Office file, on the File menu, click Export or Save As.

1. Choose File > Export > Create PDF/XPS.

2. If the properties of your Word document contains information that you do not want to be included in the PDF, in the Publish as PDF or XPS window, choose Options. Then select Document and clear Document properties. Set any other options you want, then choose OK.

3. In Publish as PDF or XPS, navigate to where you want to save the file. Also, modify the file name if you want a different name.

4. Click Publish.

Learn more about accessing PDF via Microsoft Word:
Edit a PDF
Save or convert to PDF or XPS in Project desktop