Description of Problem

Sometimes you may need to edit a PDF, but you don't have an adobe license that will allow you to do so. Word offers a way to edit PDFs without needing an additional license, meaning everyone can use this for free as long as you have access to Microsoft's Office Apps.

Microsoft's original guide can found here, along with the video found below: Edit a PDF - Microsoft Support

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1. Making Changes To PDF
  • Step 1: Open Word
  • Step 2: Warning About Converting To Word Doc
  • Step 3: Make Changes to PDF
• 2. Saving The Document As A PDF
  • Step 1: Ensure The Name Of The Document Has Been Changed
  • Step 2: Delete The Original PDF

1. Making Changes To PDF

Step 1: Open Word

Open Word, then select 'Open', 'Browse', select the PDF you would like to edit then select 'Open'.

Step 2: Warning About Converting To Word Doc

You may get a long warning that word will convert the PDF to an editable word document. This will not affect the original PDF, however as the warning states the resulting word document may not look exactly like the PDF you opened.

In our testing, most of the time the conversion to a word doc does not affect the PDF other than potentially a couple of line breaks. This is something to keep in mind when editing a PDF using this method, as if the document is drastically different then you may need an alternative method for editing PDFs.

Step 3: Make Changes to PDF

Make the changes you need to make, then read ahead for instructions on how to save the document back as a PDF rather than a word document.

2. Saving The Document As A PDF

Step 1: Ensure The Name Of The Document Has Been Changed

When saving the new PDF, ensure that the name has been changed. This has to be done otherwise you risk writing over the original PDF.

We strongly recommend changing the name and then checking the new PDF before deleting the original.

Step 2: Delete The Original PDF

Once you're happy with the edited version of the document, you can now delete the original. Once the original has been deleted, feel free to rename the new PDF back to whatever name you now need.

After this step is complete, you're done!