Convert/Import from PDF and Keep the Formatting April 10, 2007
Posted by Carthik in applications, guides, microsoft, office, ubuntu.trackback
I have often wanted to convert a PDF file to a MS Word (.doc) file or an openoffice.org file. Usually I just copy the text from the PDF file and paste it in the new word document. Soon, this gets pretty tiring.
Recently I found a way to convert a pdf file to other formats, including .doc and .odt which preserves the formatting of the text pretty well. It is not perfect preserved but it is way better than having no formatting at all.
The secret goes by the name KWord. KWord is a KDE application that has a pdf “import” feature which lets you import either entire pdf documents or just a few pages from a pdf document while preserving the formatting! Of course – this only works for pdf documents which are not scanned images of pages. I tried it out on files created using 
Start the import using the “File” -> “Import” option in the main KWord menu.
After you select the pdf file to be imported, you will see a window like the one above where you can specify the pages you want to import. I did not change the default selected options – changing them and seeing what happens is an exercise left to the reader. 🙂
Of course, if you want to install KWord on your Ubuntu system, you can run the following command from the terminal window:
$sudo apt-get install kword
Then you can launch KWord using:
$KWord &
or by clicking the entry for KWord in the menu on your desktop.
Ubuntu Blog 
This sounds useful. I’ve been trying to find a way to preserve the text alignment in particular….as it seems to forget where it was, break the sentences where they should wrap and think everything should be “left”……is this a left wing conspiracy???? lolololol
Convert/Import from PDF and Keep the Formatting
What a great thing – KWord from KDE Office seems to be the solution.
…
Wow! Really useful! You’ve saved me a lot of work with this.
This option should be implemented in OOo…
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oh freakin’ fantastic! i have been using kword pretty exclusively for six months and _never_ even thought about such a thing much less tried it out! i’m gonna go convert all my pdfs to .do^W.odt right now.
ok, maybe not all of them.
BTW, thanks.
lifesaver… cenebris is wright “This option should be implemented in OOo…”
ooh neat. thanks!
Anyone thought to let the OpenOffice peeps know about this feature, and request they add it in?
Dirk, so how’s you detective agency doing? 😉
The experiment on the cat is still in progress, although I suspect he may be dead…..judging by the smell. lol.
So far, only two people have gotten the “Dirk Gently” reference. lol. I am thinking about doing two “about me” pages…..one about me, the other about Dirk Gently, as created by the late genius known as Douglas Adams.
I’ve often wondered why pdf isn’t openable and editable in every decent word processor. It’s been the de facto document exchange format for years, and we’re only now getting around to actually being able to edit it freely? Good grief. If a dinky little prog like KWord can seem to manage it, why can’t a behemoth like OOo?
Not to slight KWord or anything. Looks like a pretty capable prog.
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convert /import and keep pdf formatting and then there it is and i can edit. terrific appreciate the info and well enoughh written awith what to do and how to do it succinct. terrific.
alll-lrighttttteeee then.
Tried importing PDF into KWord on several occasions and the result is poor formatting and it will not import images from the PDF file. Not so great I would say!
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KWord is good if the PDF document you’re converting is text-only or has only one or two images. If the PDF document is more complex than that, you’re wasting your time with KWord. Thanks carthik anyways.
KWord is good if the PDF document you’re converting is text-only or has only one or two images.
great job, but 105mb, hmm my admin will punish me 😛
“Of course – this only works for pdf documents which are not scanned images of pages.”… but that’s quite what I’m needing now, converting some scanned as images pages to text format (.odt or .doc might do.) anyone can give suggestions?
Thanks for the tip. Saved me a lot of work. I’m adding this to my personal Tip’s-n-Trick’s list.
[…] Convert/Import from PDF and Keep the Formatting « Ubuntu Blog Filed under: Misc — Tags: convert, import, kword, pdf, pdf convert, pdf import — mascha @ 14:44:22 +0000 Convert/Import from PDF and Keep the Formatting « Ubuntu Blog […]
cenebris, it is now! Try the PDF import extension for OpenOffice.org. It also supports hybrid PDFs.
OK but for small size doc and yes…………txt only. what a waste! keep on searching
Unfortunatly, the PDF Import extension is ONLY for Ooo 3 (Beta) not the current release version.
What i must send you if you need health?,
It installed along with other ~ 180 megabytes of libraries but it works like a charm, so it’s worth the waiting.
Thank you for your post
hello there… i add a text written in Greek and what i get is a mixed up words and symbols ..Tried to change the Unicode but didn’t worked … Any advices will be very useful !! thanks a lot
Hi there, great job! It is really useful indeed.
But do you have any suggestions for converting pdf files into office document, that also contains scanned pages, on a gnome desktop? I am using Ubuntu 8.1.
Thanks in advance.
And all the best. Keep up ur work.
Hello, excuse my ignorance, but could someone provide some advice as to how i install this software. from scratch please, on a PC with vista. Is that even possible?
Thanks in advance.
thanks a lot 🙂
[…] It was not bad but we were really far from what we were looking for. As second experiment (2) we tried to use Kword and we had (as html) text and pictures but there were many incongruences […]
my Kword won’t import pdf files.. even more, they do not appear when exploring the folders from “import…” option.
Do I need a plugin or something? What’s wrong with my Kword?
on ubuntu 9.10 i386 this function is not available 😦 how can I fix it?
Function no longer available?
same here: ubuntu 9.10 Karmic, the function happens to be lo longer available
How to open .pdf in KWord? eventhough the Filter is All Supported File, I can’t see my .pdf file at my /home/myname/Downloads
What version of KWord is this? Please assist us!
ooh neat. thanks!
What a great thing – KWord from KDE Office seems to be the solution.
lifesaver… cenebris is wright “This option should be implemented in OOo…”
KWord is good if the PDF document you’re converting is text-only or has only one or two images. If the PDF document is more complex than that, you’re wasting your time with KWord. Thanks carthik anyways.
KWord is not good for importing .pdf files
Hi Carthik. I use Ubuntu 10.10 and stumbled upon this post. I have just now installed KWord through Synaptic. It installed ok, but when I follow your instructions, I find that under file -> import, there is no option listed to open pdf filed. That is, the “file type” doesn’t list pdf, and hence in the folder, it doesn’t show up any pdf docs. Any suggestions? Thanks.
it doenst work anymore with kword:-( why has this import-option for pdf fils been removed?!?!
my Kword won’t import pdf files.. even more, they do not appear when exploring the folders from “import…” option.
It doesn’t work for me neither…
I can’t import any pdf files, this function dosn’t exist… why, why?
I am sorry to report that KWord 2.1.2 on Ubuntu 10.04 lucid no longer will import PDF files, even if you rename them to something other than PDF.
Bill Davis: Is that true?
I haven’t had a try with it. It’s difficult to import PDF especially import pdf to word for further editing. As fas as I know you need to find a good pdf converter or editor.
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