Document Conversion • OCR-powered DOCX conversion

PDF to Word API: OCR-Powered DOCX Conversion

Convert PDFs to fully editable Word documents with OCR, layout preservation, and formatting retention. No manual copying, no broken tables. Perfect for legal document editing, contract workflows, and HR automation.

No credit card required • Free tier available

8,700+ teams use xspdf

Median latency: 1.2s

99.95% uptime SLA

PDF to Word API Example

REST API

curl -X POST "https://api.xspdf.com/v1/convert/pdf-to-word" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "input_url": "https://files.example.com/report.pdf",
    "options": {
      "ocr": true,
      "preserve_layout": true,
      "output_format": "docx"
    }
  }'

Speed

1.2s

Success

99.95%

Formats

40+

1.2s

Median conversion time

99.95%

Success rate SLA

8,700+

Teams trust xspdf

OCR

Built-in text recognition

Why Converting PDFs to Word Still Breaks Your Workflow

Legal teams need to edit contracts. HR needs to update employee handbooks. Sales needs to repurpose proposals. But PDF-to-Word converters destroy formatting, break tables, and scramble scanned documents. Teams waste hours manually recreating layouts.

Broken Formatting

Tables explode, fonts change, bullets disappear. Word docs require hours of cleanup.

No OCR

Scanned PDFs convert to images embedded in Word. Text is not editable.

Manual Upload Hell

Online converters require manual uploads, captchas, and file size limits.

The hidden cost

Legal teams spend 20+ hours per month manually fixing broken Word conversions. HR delays handbooks by weeks waiting for reformatting. That is $8,000+ in lost productivity—just to edit a PDF.

One API Call. Editable DOCX. Layout Preserved.

xspdf converts PDFs to Word with OCR, layout preservation, and formatting retention. Tables stay intact, fonts are preserved, scanned text becomes editable. No manual cleanup, no broken formatting. Perfect for legal, HR, and sales workflows.

1.2s Median Conversion

Convert 50-page contracts to editable Word in under 2 seconds. Batch-process thousands in parallel.

Built-in OCR

Scanned PDFs become fully editable Word documents. No manual retyping required.

Layout Preservation

Tables, bullets, headers, and fonts stay intact. No manual cleanup needed.

Read the FAQs

Python Example

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.xspdf.com/v1/convert/pdf-to-word",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"},
    json={
        "input_url": "https://files.example.com/report.pdf",
        "options": {"ocr": True, "preserve_layout": True, "output_format": "docx"}
    }
)
docx_url = response.json()["output_url"]

Built for Document Editing Workflows

Every feature legal, HR, and sales teams need for PDF-to-Word conversion.

OCR for Scanned PDFs

Turn scanned contracts and forms into fully editable Word documents.

Table Preservation

Tables, borders, and cell formatting stay intact during conversion.

Font & Style Retention

Fonts, bold, italics, and bullet lists preserved automatically.

Header & Footer Handling

Page numbers, headers, and footers converted to Word sections.

Batch Processing

Convert 1,000s of PDFs to Word in parallel with async webhooks.

Direct S3/GCS Storage

Output DOCX files straight to your cloud storage bucket.

FAQ: PDF to Word Conversion

Common questions about converting PDFs to editable DOCX documents

Does xspdf preserve tables and formatting when converting to Word?

Yes. xspdf uses advanced layout analysis to preserve tables, borders, bullet lists, fonts, and paragraph spacing. Unlike online converters that treat PDFs as images, xspdf extracts native text and rebuilds Word structures (tables, headers, styles) programmatically. Result: DOCX files that require zero manual cleanup in 95% of cases.

Can I convert scanned PDFs to editable Word documents?

Yes. Enable OCR with "ocr": true in the API request. xspdf detects scanned pages automatically and runs optical character recognition to extract text. The output DOCX contains editable text, not embedded images. OCR supports 100+ languages and handles handwritten notes, low-quality scans, and skewed documents.

What happens to images and graphics in the PDF?

Images are extracted and embedded in the Word document at their original positions and sizes. Vector graphics (charts, logos) are converted to high-resolution PNGs to ensure compatibility with Word. If your workflow requires SVG preservation, use PDF extraction API to extract images separately.

Can I convert password-protected PDFs to Word?

Yes. Provide the PDF password in the "password" field of the API request. xspdf decrypts the PDF, converts it to Word, and returns an unprotected DOCX. If the PDF has editing restrictions (permissions), xspdf removes them during conversion. For compliance workflows, you can re-encrypt the output DOCX via our protection API.

How do I batch-convert 500 legal contracts to Word?

Submit conversions in parallel with async mode enabled. xspdf returns a job_id immediately, then sends a webhook to your callback URL when the DOCX is ready (typically 1.2s). For large batches, use our bulk endpoint: POST an array of PDF URLs and get back a manifest of DOCX outputs. No rate limits on enterprise plans. See API docs for legal workflow examples.

Still have questions? Check the full API docs.

Stop Copy-Pasting PDFs. Start Editing.

Join 8,700+ teams who replaced manual PDF copying with one API call. No broken tables, no formatting cleanup, no retyping scanned documents.