You’re working on a report in Word when you realize a PDF you have would fit in perfectly. What do you do? Copy and paste the whole thing? No way! There are better methods, each with its own advantages.
Though PDFs and Word documents are different file types, there are ways to combine them. In this article, I’ll explain how to insert a PDF into Word as a linked object, converted Word document, and image.
How To Insert A PDF Into Word
As An Object
You can embed PDF as a clickable object within your text, which is great when you just want to reference it. Here’s how:
In a Word document, click where you want the PDF to go.
Click Insert.
Click the Object icon in the Text area.
Click Create from File.
- Click Browse…
Find the PDF you want to insert and click Insert.
Click OK.
You’ll see a clickable icon where you clicked within the document. Double-click it.
It may open automatically in a PDF-viewing program, or it may ask for your permission first. If the latter happens, click Open.
As A Converted Word Document
You can turn a PDF into a Word document, making it fit in seamlessly with other text. This option also allows you to edit a PDF. Below are two methods:
With Word
You can convert a PDF into a Word document by opening it in Word. Here’s how:
In Word, go to File > Open.
Click Browse.
Find and open the PDF file.
Your file will become an editable Word document.
With PDFelement
You can also convert PDFs into Word documents with PDFelement, which Windows users can try by downloading the free version here.
Once you’ve downloaded PDFelement, follow these steps:
In PDFelement, click Open files.
Click Convert.
Click To Word.
If you get this notification (using the free version of PDFelement), click Continue to try.
Click Save.
Click Open.
Double-click the new Word document.
It will open in Word.
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Just FYI, if you try PDFelement but don’t like it, you may prefer iSkysoft PDF Editor Pro.
As An Image
When you insert PDF into Word as an image, you preserve its exact appearance. This is handy if it has a complex layout.
Before you can do this, you have to convert it into an image format, such as JPG. Below are a couple of ways to do this and what to do afterward.
With The Adobe Acrobat Website
Adobe Acrobat lets you convert PDFs into JPGs for free here. You’ll have to sign in or create an account to use the feature.
Just FYI, you can only use features like this for free a limited number of times before Adobe Acrobat won’t let you continue without a paid subscription.
Follow these steps:
Once you’re in, click Select a file.
Find the PDF file and open it.
Under Convert to, select an image format.
Set Image quality to whatever you want.
Click Convert to JPG.
Click Download.
If using Chrome, right-click the downloaded file at the bottom of the screen.
Click Show in folder.
Right-click the file.
Click Extract All…
Click Extract.
In Word, click where you want the image to go.
Click the Pictures icon.
Click This Device.
Find and insert the new image file(s).
*Note: If you converted a multiple-page PDF, there will be a separate image file for each page. For each page, click where you want it to go and repeat Step 16.
- You’ll see the whole PDF page wherever you clicked before.
With PDFCandy
You can also change PDFs to image files for free with PDFCandy. According to an error message I got, unregistered visitors are allowed to do two tasks per every two hours.
Go here.
Click + Add file.
Find and open the PDF.
Choose the quality level.
Click Convert PDF.
Click Download file.
Repeat steps 11-16 from the Adobe Acrobat website method.
That’s How To Insert A PDF Into Word
Knowing how to insert a PDF into Word enables you to easily use old documents in new contexts. I’ve covered three main ways to do it: as a clickable icon, as a converted Word file, and as an image.
How to insert a PDF into Word so that it occupies the whole page?
You can convert a PDF into a Word document. In some versions of Word, you can do this simply by opening the PDF. You can also use PDFelement to convert the file and open it in Word.
How to insert multiple PDF pages into a Word document?
You can insert multiple PDF pages as images into a Word document. To do so, first convert a PDF into an image file (or files, in the case of a multiple-page PDF) using PDF Candy. In Word, go to Insert > Pictures > This Device and insert the images.
The clickable icon option is handy when you just want to reference another document. If you want to incorporate a PDF’s contents into a Word document, it’s better to insert it as a converted Word document or image.
The Word document method allows you to edit the PDF, whereas the image method is better for preserving its exact appearance.
For all these operations, you can use PDFElement.
A good alternative to PDFElement is iSkySoft Editor – check out our review of the software here.
Did you enjoy this tutorial? If so, please share it! Please also share your thoughts or concerns in the comments.
And the very last tip: Word has its perks, but what about email? Click here to learn how to insert a PDF (and other things) into a Gmail email.
