wihoho extensions

Guide · PDF

How to convert a PDF to Word without uploading it

Quick answer: Install the free ConvertLocal extension, open it, choose PDF → Word and drop in your PDF. It builds a .docx with headings, paragraphs, lists and bold or italic text on your computer, and saves it to Downloads/ConvertLocal. The PDF is never uploaded.

Most free PDF-to-Word sites upload your document to their servers. That's a problem for contracts, payslips, medical letters or anything personal. ConvertLocal does the conversion inside Chrome instead.

ConvertLocal

Step by step

  1. Add ConvertLocal to Chrome

    Install ConvertLocal from the Chrome Web Store. It's free with no account.

  2. Choose PDF → Word

    Click the ConvertLocal icon and pick PDF → Word.

  3. Drop in the PDF

    Drag the file onto the page or click to choose it. A PDF link on a website? Right-click it and choose “Convert this PDF to Word with ConvertLocal”.

  4. Download the .docx

    Click Convert. The Word file is saved to the ConvertLocal folder inside Downloads, ready to open in Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice.

Tips

Other ways to do it

Microsoft Word can open many PDFs directly (File → Open), and Google Docs can convert PDFs you upload to Drive. Both are good options if you already use them and don't mind the upload.

Add ConvertLocal to Chrome, it's free

More about ConvertLocal · Privacy policy

Questions

Can it convert scanned PDFs?

Not yet. PDF to Word needs selectable text; scanned PDFs need OCR, which isn't included yet.

Is my file uploaded?

No. The conversion runs on your computer, inside Chrome.

Is it free?

Yes. No ads and no account.

More guides