Business IT

Tech 101: Can I edit PDF files in Microsoft Word?

By Simon Jones on Jan 10, 2013 2:32PM
Tech 101: Can I edit PDF files in Microsoft Word?

Editor's Picks

IoT Explained: What is the Internet of Things in Australia (June 2022)

5 essential digital transformation ideas

Top 5 Benefits of Managed IT Services

Venom BlackBook Zero 15 Phantom

Office 2013 also includes the ability to “open” PDF files in Word. But here's a tip: If you’re going to need to edit a document again, save it in an editable format such as DOCX.

Office 2007 and above have had the native ability to save PDF files (and Microsoft’s rival XPS format) for “final format documents” – that is, ones you’ve finished editing and are now publishing for other people to read. 

Ever since the release of Office 2007, Microsoft’s own implementation of saving as PDF has been the fastest, and yielded the most accurate rendering of your document when compared with any add-on from Adobe or third-party utilities. 
 
Now Office 2013 also includes the ability to “open” PDF files in Word, but when Microsoft says “open” it actually means “convert”, since the PDF file is converted into a Word document for editing – sometimes, not all that successfully.
Newsletter Signup

Get the latest business tech news, reviews and guides delivered to your inbox.

I have read and accept the privacy policy and terms and conditions and by submitting my email address I agree to receive the Business IT newsletter and receive special offers on behalf of Business IT, nextmedia and its valued partners. We will not share your details with third parties.
 

Why it can be tricky editing PDF files

PDF files don’t include all the information necessary to accurately recreate an editable document,
because they weren’t designed to do that. 
 
PDF files just place characters and images onto the page; they don’t need to worry about how the text flows from one area to another because they’re not designed to work out what to do if you add, delete or edit that text. 
 
Neither do they need to know how to push text from one column to another if text is inserted or deleted, so they don’t contain any mechanism for describing that the text in the first column should be “followed” by text in the second. 
 
When Word 2013 “opens” a PDF file, it therefore has to infer plenty of this layout and flow information that just isn’t there in the PDF file. 
 
The result
If the PDF contains a relatively simple layout – a couple of columns, a heading and an image – then it can do a reasonable job. 
 
If, however, the layout is more complex – such as a magazine page with pull quotes, boxouts, tables and so on – then while the text and images may convert reasonably well, the layout may become so messed up that it would take you a couple of hours to untangle that mess.
 
What about add-on software?
Other, third-party, software such as IRIScan may suffer from the same problems.
 
These products promise that you can “edit” any PDF file, but they can’t deliver 100% fidelity because the PDF file format just doesn’t contain all the necessary information.
 
Tip: Save in DOCX if you're going to edit later
 
 
If you’re going to need to edit a document again, save it in an editable format such as DOCX. 
 
If you only want to publish the document for other people to read, then save it in a final format such as PDF or XPS. 
 
If you’re not sure whether you’ve finished editing yet, don’t throw away the DOCX file; you can always create a new PDF or XPS document from the DOCX file whenever you need, but getting back to an editable format from a final format is far more difficult and can be a time-consuming process.
 
Copyright © Alphr, Dennis Publishing
Tags:
docx edit file iriscan office office 2013 open pdf software word
By Simon Jones
Jan 10 2013
2:32PM
0 Comments

Related Articles

  • Why you need to backup your Office 365 data
  • Don't miss Australia’s premiere IoT Conference on 9th June
  • 5 essential digital transformation ideas
  • Last chance for tickets! Channel Meets: UC | Live Event
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Whatsapp Email A Friend

Most Read Articles

5 essential digital transformation ideas

5 essential digital transformation ideas

IoT Explained: What is the Internet of Things in Australia (June 2022)

IoT Explained: What is the Internet of Things in Australia (June 2022)

Top 5 Benefits of Managed IT Services

Top 5 Benefits of Managed IT Services

How to manage payment risks and fraud in 2022

How to manage payment risks and fraud in 2022

Poll

What would you like to see more of on BiT?
News
Reviews
Features
How To's
Lollies
Photo Galleries
Videos
Opinion
View poll archive
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.