How to Insert PDF into Word: 2 Simple Methods To Follow
Microsoft Word has always been the preferred productivity tool for most people, despite the availability of alternatives such as Google Docs. And that’s because of the plethora of options the app gives you to create, edit, and format texts.
If you’ve ever wondered how to insert a PDF into Word, you’re not alone — it’s one of the most common tasks users need to accomplish. There are two different ways to go about it on the app, each of which I’ll demonstrate below. Read on to find out which method works best for your needs.
How to Insert a PDF into Word as an Editable Document
This method lets you bring PDF content into Word in an editable form. Before diving in, it’s worth clarifying a common point of confusion: using File > Open on a PDF in Word will convert that PDF into a brand-new, separate Word document — it does not insert the PDF content into an existing file you already have open. That approach is only useful if you want to repurpose an entire PDF as a standalone DOCX from scratch.
If your goal is to insert editable PDF content into an existing Word document, here are the two accurate workflows to use:
Option 1: Insert PDF content directly using Text from File
- Open the Word document you want to insert the PDF content into
- Place your cursor where you want the content to appear
- Navigate to the top menu and select Insert
- Click Object in the Text group, then select Text from File from the drop-down
- Locate the PDF file, select it, and click Insert
Word will attempt to convert the PDF’s text and place it inline in your document as editable content.
Option 2: Convert the PDF to DOCX first, then copy and paste
- Open the PDF in Word using File > Open — Word will convert it to a temporary DOCX file
- Once converted, select the pages or sections you need and copy them
- Switch to your target Word document and paste the content where needed
This is a reliable fallback if Word cannot import the PDF cleanly using Text from File. Microsoft’s official support page also provides additional guidance on working with PDFs in Word.
Important note: Either conversion method can alter formatting — tables, columns, and multi-column layouts are particularly prone to shifting. Scanned PDFs (those made from images rather than real text) may not convert to editable text at all without a separate OCR tool.
How to Insert a PDF into Word as an Object
This method is the better one, albeit a little bit more technical. It allows you to insert a PDF as an object instead of importing it as a Word document as in the previous method. With this approach, the PDF becomes part of a text-filled document without taking up much space.
Understanding how to insert a PDF into Word as an object is particularly helpful when you want to attach source files or reference documents without disrupting the flow of your main content. Here’s how it works:
- Place your cursor where you want the PDF to appear in the document
- Navigate to and select Insert in the top menu
- Next, select Object from the Text group
- Click Object from the drop-down menu that appears
- You’ll be taken to the Object window. Go to the Create From File tab in it and then click Browse
- Locate where the PDF is stored, select it, and then click Insert
From here, you’ll have two options to enable, which are:
- Link to File
- Display as Icon
Here is what each option actually does:
Embed (neither option checked): Word stores a copy of the PDF inside the Word file itself. What appears in the document will typically be either a clickable icon or a preview of only the first page — Word does not display all pages of a multi-page PDF inline. The exact appearance depends on your version of Word and whether a compatible PDF viewer is installed on your system.
Link to File: Instead of embedding a copy, Word points to the original PDF file on your computer. If the source PDF is updated later, the linked object in your Word document can reflect those changes. Keep in mind that the link will break if the original PDF is moved or renamed.
Display as Icon: Checking this option shows a small, clickable icon in place of any preview. This keeps your document tidy and is often the most reliable choice, since the icon will appear consistently regardless of Word version or PDF handler.
Troubleshooting tip: If Word shows only an icon even when you did not check Display as Icon, or if the preview fails to render, this is normal behavior that can vary by Word version and operating system. Installing a PDF application such as Adobe Acrobat Reader can sometimes improve preview rendering, but full inline display of multi-page PDFs is not guaranteed.
How to Insert a Multi-Page PDF into Word as Images
If you need every page of a PDF to appear visually inside your Word document — exactly as it looks in the original — inserting it as images is the most reliable approach. This is the right method when preserving the original layout matters more than being able to edit the text, when the PDF comes from another party and should not be altered, or when object insertion is only showing you the first page.
Here is how to do it:
- Convert the PDF pages to image files (JPG or PNG). You can do this using a free online converter, Adobe Acrobat, or a tool like Preview on Mac. If your PDF has many pages, consider splitting it into single-page PDFs first to make conversion easier.
- Open your Word document and place the cursor where you want the first page to appear
- Go to Insert in the top menu and select Pictures
- Browse to the image files you created, select them, and click Insert
- Arrange the images in page order within your document
When this method works best: Use it for reports, appendices, signed documents, or any PDF where the visual layout must be preserved exactly. It is also the safest option when the PDF contains complex design elements, custom fonts, or signatures that would be distorted by a text conversion.
Tradeoff to be aware of: Image-based pages are not editable — a reader cannot select or copy text from them. They also increase the Word file size, especially for high-resolution PDFs with many pages.
Final Notes
There you have it! Those are the two methods you can use to import or insert a PDF into Word. The first method is ideal if you only want to make some changes to the PDF in Word format, while the second method is a great way to add attachments, sources, or references to your Word documents.
Both approaches are straightforward once you know the steps. Whether you need a fully editable version or a neatly embedded object, Word gives you the flexibility to handle PDFs in whichever way suits your workflow best.
