Everyday AI

How do I convert a PDF to Word, Excel or JPG, and back, for free?

Most directions are built into tools you already have. PDF to Word: open the PDF in Microsoft Word (File > Open) and it becomes an editable document, or in Google Drive right-click the PDF and choose Open with Google Docs, which also reads text from scans (files of 2 MB or less; tables and columns are not likely to survive). Word to PDF: Save As PDF in Word, where Minimum size keeps the file small and a password option encrypts it. PDF to JPG and JPG to PDF: on a Mac, open the file in Preview, choose File > Export and pick the format. PDF to Excel is the hard one: Adobe's free online converters and iLovePDF handle tables best, and both process the file on their servers (Adobe deletes it unless you sign in; iLovePDF within two hours). Rule: Word, Google Docs or Preview for anything confidential, an online converter only for a document you would be happy to email to a stranger.

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🛠 Tool

iLovePDF's converter for pulling tables out of a PDF into a spreadsheet, alongside its JPG to PDF and PDF to JPG tools.

PDF to Excel

iLovePDF Nov 2026

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