Today we’d like to welcome the newest member of the Acrobat.com Services family: Adobe ExportPDF. This new service is designed to export your PDF files to an editable .docx document (for Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010). The following comes from Acrobat.com Product Marketing Manager, Todd Gerber.
If you’re like me, you have a ton of useful and valuable information saved as PDFs on your laptop. And, if you’re like me, you get a little frustrated when you have to go back and edit those documents. The process is time-consuming, involves retyping your content with all the potential errors that brings, and often the results aren’t what you expected.
Not any longer. Today we announced Adobe ExportPDF, an easy-to-use, subscription-based, online PDF-to-Word converter that lets you reuse your Word content, which means you reduce errors, improve productivity and finish your projects faster than before. All you need to do is upload your PDF file to our online service via your Web browser. We turn it into a Word document that you then download and edit with ease.
Adobe ExportPDF converts PDF files to native Word 2010 or 2007 DOCX format and can convert the vast majority of PDF files around today, including those containing scanned documents. The only files that it won’t convert are PDF Portfolios, password-protected PDFs, or PDFs with permissions applied to prevent printing, copying or altering content. It will support the conversion of PDF files up to 100MB in size.
By the way, once you’ve edited your Word document, you can use Adobe CreatePDF to reconvert it to a PDF file that anyone can read using Adobe Reader. Learn more about CreatePDF here.
I expect ExportPDF will make my life easier. How about you? Annual ExportPDF subscriptions are just US$19.99 for unlimited conversions. So sign up today.
Todd Gerber, Group Product Marketing Manager, Acrobat.com Solutions
Comments
Is there a trial period? I have an end user who read this statement: “Simply download your new Word file with the same fonts, paragraph breaks, tables, images, pagination — even multi-column text” and she believes it’ll do a better job than her Acrobat Pro. I can’t see how that’s the case, but I’d like to compare.
Hi Alycia,
Thanks for the question. When you sign in, you can test the service by exporting one PDF file to Word to see how the process works. The technology we’re using for this service is based on Adobe Acrobat’s exporting functionality, so while the results may be different, it might not seem to be so for someone who already has Adobe Acrobat. Let us know here how it worked out!
Thanks,
Rebecca
I purchased Adobe ExportPDF but it did not downlod into my computer..How do I make it download?
Hi Wallace,
Adobe ExportPDF is a web-based service; that means that there’s nothing to download. Just go to http://exportpdf.adobe.com and sign in with the Adobe ID you created when you purchased your subscription (click “Sign In” in the upper right corner). Let me know if you need help navigating.
Best,
Rebecca
Adobe ExportPDF did a great job creating a Word document from one of our complex pdf’s. However, we need a way to automate converting thousands of pdf’s. Do you have a product that can do that?
Hi Rick,
Thanks for letting us know how the conversion went! At the moment, we don’t allow for processing a batch of PDF files simultaneously; we hear the request, though, and are working on getting this feature into the product. We really appreciate your feedback so we can know what features are most important – in your case, this one will be a huge timesaver. We’ll post back to the blog with our updates, so stay tuned for future release announcements!
Best,
Rebecca
I recently purchased Adobe Acrobat X Pro. What, if any, benefit is Adobe ExportPDF? Currently, I use the export feature and have the option to save to both .docx and .doc files. As I understand it, ExportPDF would limit me to exporting to docx files.
Hi Lisa,
The ExportPDF service uses the same technology that Adobe uses in Acrobat X, so on the surface there may be little reason to subscribe. I would like to point out, however, that Adobe ExportPDF is web-based, and therefore not tied to a single computer. Acrobat can live happily on your desktop computer, while ExportPDF is available anywhere you are, whether or not you bring your machine with you. It’s a quick and simple solution for recycling content in PDF files, and is super convenient for anyone who works from multiple locations. Think of it as supplementary to Acrobat; it’s up to you to decide whether it would be useful to you to have both. Thanks for your question!
Rebecca
I want to be able to scan documents and forms,they will scan and save as pdf but will not allow editing, into my pc and be able to edit the documents or fill in blanks in the forms offline, Since export is online is there a program available to do this?
Hi Jack,
It sounds like you need Adobe Acrobat desktop software, which will allow you to convert scanned documents into fillable forms. Adobe ExportPDF will allow you to export to Microsoft Word, but won’t let you create editable (fillable) PDF forms. For more information on Adobe Acrobat, please see: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat
Hope that helps!
Best,
Rebecca
Hello:
Does this work for Word for Mac 2011? Thank you.
Hi Pamela,
Thank you for your comment. As ExportPDF is a web-based service (you sign into the service through a web browser and conduct the document conversion there), it works well on just about any platform – all you need is an internet connection and a browser. Please let me know if you need more information or assistance on this front and I’ll do my best to explain further.
Best,
Rebecca
I wonder whether ExportPDF works with other languages. I need to convert Norwegian PDF files. Good OCR requires a language-specific vocabulary to work with.
Hi there,
Adobe ExportPDF currently supports converting PDF files in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. Optical character recognition (OCR) is currently available in English only. We hope to add more languages in the future, so stay tuned!
Thanks,
Rebecca
We are not comfortable uploading some of the documents we have. Are you ever going to have a product that will have the same functionality but that would be client based?
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the question. If you need to create editable files from PDF files, but need to use locally-installed software, your best option is Adobe Acrobat. For more information, see: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat
For what it’s worth, all file activity is perfectly secure on Adobe ExportPDF and all Acrobat.com services; we use 128-bit SSL for all data. Does that do anything to ease your mind? Hope so! If not, I do recommend using Acrobat desktop software.
Best,
Rebecca
I was wondering if there is a corporate subscription, such that multiple users can use the web application with one billing?
Hi James,
At the moment, we don’t have any group subscription options; if someone needs to use the service, he or she will have to be independently subscribed. However, we do have our sights set on a corporate plan and would like to implement it in the near future. If you have more questions about subscription options, please feel free to write to us: exportpdf_feedback (at) adobe (dot) com.
Thanks!
Rebecca
Does this work better than the Export to Word function of Adobe 9 Standard?
Hi Katie,
Thanks for the question. The technology used in Adobe ExportPDF is based on Acrobat X, so any differences you’d find in the export capability between Acrobat 9 and Acrobat X would be the difference between Acrobat 9 and ExportPDF. Hope that helps!
Thanks,
Rebecca
Can you convert Adobe Export PDF Annual to a .doc instead of a .docx because allot of people cannot open .docx – only .doc files..
when I try to expert a pdf ebook to Microsoft Word, it gives me this error: The file’s security settings do not allow export. Is there a way around this?
Hi Monique,
Unfortunately, if a PDF file is in any way secured against editing, it won’t be possible to export the PDF file to Word. Some PDF files are protected by passwords or by settings that prevent changes to the document; Adobe ExportPDF honors those settings.
Best,
Rebecca
I purchased the service last Friday. However despite signing in to my Adobe account absolutely nothing happens. Can you kindly provide a step-by-step to-do manual starting with the pdf file on my laptop?
Best
Joachim
Hi Joachim,
What I can do is point you to a video that goes through the whole export process, from the PDF file to the finished Word document. Go take a look on AdobeTV: http://tv.adobe.com/watch/insights-on-acrobat-solutions/introduction-to-adobe-exportpdf/
Hope that helps! Let me know if you need any more advice.
Best regards,
Rebecca
I would like to subscribe to ExportPDF for just one year rather than an annual subscription. Can I arrange this with customer service? I have tried to talking with them but they do not know if you can cancel a subscription 364 days in advance.
Hi Gordan,
You can certainly subscribe for just one year, and you need not cancel the subscription in advance; just turn off the Auto-Renew option. You can do this by signing into your account at the Adobe Store (with the same login information you use at Acrobat.com or ExportPDF), clicking on your name in the upper right corner, and choosing “My Account”; you’ll be taken to a page where you can manage subscription information.
Hope that helps!
Best,
Rebecca
I can’t locate the subscription page. I get to https://www.acrobat.com/exportpdf/en/convert-pdf-to-word.html, and hit the “subscribe” button, but it only takes me to the main Adobe Store site. How can I get to the page on which I can place a subscription, pay, and obtain a login so that I can use the service?
With the severity of our security needs, is there a document that states how the PDF that is uploaded is handled? instant deletion after conversion and resending it back to the end user? is it automated? Monitored? Please advise. Bank\Hospital\Legal documents must have a fully understood and followable workflow to track where theyre going, and if converted, what happens to the original and how quickly.
thanks!
Aaron
Hi Aaron,
Thanks for the question. Adobe ExportPDF doesn’t store a version of your file on our servers; it’s simply converted, turned around and passed back to you as a *.docx file. For more information about security with the Acrobat.com services, please see: http://www.adobe.com/acom/systemreqs/
Thanks!
Rebecca
I have purchased Adobe Export and when I sign in and then click on ‘export to word’ in an opened pdf file, all I get is a blank, grey screen. There is no conversion. Does this program actually do anything, or am I doing something wrong? Please advise – thank you.
Hi Ron,
What browser are you using? I recommend trying a different browser; if you get the same result, send us an email by clicking on the Help menu in ExportPDF and clicking on “Send Feedback”. If this isn’t a browser issue, we’ll need more information from you to help figure out the problem.
Thanks for your patience!
Rebecca
Hi Rebecca,
We have tried other conversion products with poor results when it comes to preserving Word styles, formatting and things like tabs and margins. The documents may initially look fine when first converted but formatting falls apart when you begin to edit. I’m wondering how well ExportPDF handles page layout, styles formatting and tabs.
Thanks,
Don
Hi Don,
Thanks for the question; the answer is actually probably longer than you’d expect. The Adobe ExportPDF service was built with the same conversion technology used in Acrobat X (the most recent version), and no one handles PDF files quite like Adobe Acrobat. The short answer, therefore, is that ExportPDF does the best possible job with conversions to Word.
That said, if you’ve got a particularly complex document to convert, it can be difficult to get a PDF-to-Word conversion that puts every one of your tabs and margins in exactly the right place. The reason for this is that PDF files aren’t actually text documents; they function more like images of a document that you’ve created in software such as Word or InDesign. The Word document, then, will likely be as close a representation of the original file as it’s possible to get. If the original author uses Adobe Acrobat, there are ways to create PDF files that translate well back and forth from editable content to frozen PDF content; however, not all PDF files are made this way, or even with Adobe software at all – and these PDF files, while technically PDF documents, aren’t as easy to work with. (I’m not sure whether or not you’ll be able to store a Word style in a PDF document at all; that’s a very good question. Don’t quote me on this, but I’m not aware of any way to do that, as manipulating text or even holding onto that kind of metadata is not exactly what a PDF file is meant for.)
Now, ExportPDF almost always does a perfectly brilliant job of handing you a document that looks the way you want it to look; but like I say above, I’d just urge you to be aware of the fact that the quality of the Word file is often based on the quality of the PDF file. I hope that this isn’t too obtuse; remember, you can test the product with one conversion before making any purchases, so I encourage you to do so. Let me know how it goes!
Best regards,
Rebecca
Rebecca,
For the most part adobe export has been working out well. I’ve converted a couple of PDF’s to word documents, very large 200+ page documents I might add. I need the documents’ format to be exactly how they are in the PDF because I need to add specific data to each page of these documents, so it will take a while if things aren’t the way they should be. My point is, one of the documents made the bottom of most pages into a footer, which should not be. This makes a mess of everything because when I add this information it will not move with the rest of the text, and everything will get messed up.
I’ve tried adding my own headers and footers at the first page but that didn’t change anything. I also re-converted the same PDF and got the same results. Is there anything I can do to fix this or am I going to have to go through the entire document and fix everything manually?
Thanks,
Jared
Hi Jared,
I’m glad to hear that ExportPDF has been (for the most part!) working for you. In the case of the document that winds up giving you an extraneous footer, I’m afraid there must be some component in the PDF file that indicates a footer. As our FAQ states:
“Adobe ExportPDF is capable of exporting high quality information, but the quality of your Word document depends on the quality of the PDF file you start with. For instance, if your PDF file was originally authored in Microsoft Word and converted to PDF using the PDF Maker functionality in Adobe Acrobat® software, your PDF file contains a rich set of information that can be captured by Adobe ExportPDF. This includes relative positioning of tables, images, and even multicolumn text, as well as page, paragraph, and font attributes. If your PDF file was originally authored using simpler PDF generation methods, such as “print to PDF” or “scan to PDF” options, Adobe ExportPDF will convert any recognizable text and then use sophisticated conversion intelligence to preserve as much of the page layout as possible.”
The technology used in ExportPDF is the same as in the latest version of Acrobat, so it is the best available; however, there’s only so much to be done with PDF files that contain limited information from which ExportPDF can draw to produce a Word document. There may be settings in Word that you can use to mitigate the errors, but I’m afraid there’s no preparatory work to be done with the PDF file itself.
Best of luck!
Rebecca
I was just wondering does the Adobe ExportPDF work with MacBook Pro? Microsoft office 2011? Because i purchased one but i’m not sure if it works with Microsoft office 2011 for mac?
Hi Rona,
Adobe ExportPDF works in most browsers, whether or not you’re on a Mac. The output is a *.docx file, which should work with Microsoft Word 2011. If you’re not sure, sign up for a free Adobe ID; you can test the service with one file conversion.
Best,
Rebecca
Goodmorning,
Would it be possible if you can give me directions on how to use it. Probably, i was doing it the wrong way or i was not sure on how to use it because it keeps directing me to the abobe website to buy it. Thank you.
If I buy AdobeExportPDF am I able to use it on any computer in the office?
Hi Linda,
Thanks for your question. Adobe ExportPDF is a web-based conversion service, so it’s available for you to use from any computer that has internet access and uses supported browsers. Do note, however: while you yourself may use ExportPDF on any computer, the account is under your name and therefore only you may use it; it would be a violation of our Terms of Use for more than one person to use a single account at Adobe ExportPDF. Let me know if you need me to clarify.
Thanks!
Rebecca
Hi I have purchased the adobe exportPDF and when I go to sign into adobe exportPDF I can get into it but I don’t know where to go from here. Is there instructions regarding how to use the software once you sign in.
Regards,
Marisa Sanders
Hi Marisa,
Once you sign into the service, you should see a rectangular button that says “Export PDF to Word”; you can also click on the icon immediately above that button. It should be the only button available to be clicked; let me know if you continue to have trouble.
Rebecca
Will I be able to use ExportPDF with OpenOffice shareware?
Hi Rob,
Adobe ExportPDF allows you to upload a PDF file and convert it to *.docx format. If you can use *.docx files with OpenOffice, then these files should work just fine.
Rebecca
Will this convert bitmapped or object based PDFs?
I understand that I can test the service by signing in but, where do I sign in?
Hi Pete,
Adobe ExportPDF converts PDF files to Microsoft Word files (*.docx); it can certainly handle images, but is primarily meant as a conversion tool for text-based PDF files. To sign into the service, click on “Sign In” in the upper right corner of the homepage at https://www.acrobat.com/exportpdf/en/convert-pdf-to-word.html (just under the dark grey banner).
Good luck!
Rebecca