How to Edit a PDF Document in Word 2013

This is a frequent question, which is asked by many when it comes to Microsoft Word features. Keep reading and very soon you will know exactly how you can edit a PDF file in a Word document.

When it comes to editing PDF files, then you usually have to go through the process of downloading the documents, printing them out and filling them out by hand. However, that is what used to be done. Thanks to Word 2013, you can both open and edit a PDF file. However, there are still features that don’t convert from PDF to DOC, but the process has begun and will hopefully improve in the future.

Microsoft Word 2013 is the first version that lets you open a PDF file, edit and resave it as a PDF.

Opening A PDF File

Microsoft Word 2013 allows you to open and edit a PDF file just like you would with any other file. Here’s how:

–          Click File and select Open from the left panel.

–          You can now use Recent Documents or your system’s folder structure to find the PDF file you wish to open. The PDF files will be displayed on Word, therefore you will not need to change the PDF format.

–          Select the file and click on Open.

–          Word will display the following information (below), then click OK.

–          If Microsoft Word shows the Protected View bar above the document, then click Enable Editing.

–          The image below shows the results of opening a previously blank PDF file and adding a bit of text. If you open this file using Adobe Reader (also known as Adobe’s free viewer) you can’t edit the file. In order to edit the file, you would need Adobe Acrobat, which is pricey software.

–          Using Microsoft Word 2013, you can open and edit the file pretty much like you would with any other Word file.

Saving A PDF File

–          Once you have edited the file, you can save it either as a Word document of a PDF file. When it comes to which, then there is no right or wrong answer; it depends on how you are intending to use the file. However, saving it as both PDF and Word is recommend.

–          When you save the file, Microsoft Word will return to its usual ‘.docx’ format. Here’s how to save the file to a PDF format:

1)      Click on the File tab and choose Save As.

2)      Choose a location to save the new file.

3)      Just before clicking Save, you should notice Word has ‘default’ to its format.

4)      From the Save As Type drop down, you need to choose PDF (as shown below)

–          Microsoft Word will keep the documents author and it is your choice to delete or change that option.

–          Click Save.

And you’re done!

In addition, if you wish to publish online or print, then using the Standard Optimization setting to retain the highest quality is recommending. When you don’t need to retain the same high quality resolution, then you can choose Minimum Size. This will reduce the file’s size a bit.