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There is no single "insert PDF" button that suits every case. Whether you want the whole file attached, a page shown as a picture, or editable text, one of these four methods will fit.
Short answer: embed the file as an object to keep the PDF intact, insert pages as pictures to show them exactly as they look, or convert the PDF so you can edit its text. Choose by what you want to do with the content.
Which method fits your goal?
| You want to… | Use | Layout kept? | Text editable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attach the whole PDF inside the Word file | Insert as an object | Yes (shows first page or an icon) | No |
| Show specific pages exactly as they look | Pages as pictures | Yes | No |
| Edit the text from a PDF | Convert to Word and paste | Mostly (depends on the PDF) | Yes |
| Reuse a whole PDF as a Word document | Open the PDF in Word | Approximately | Yes |
Method 1: Insert the PDF as an object
This embeds the PDF file inside your Word document. In recent versions of Word:
- Place the cursor where the PDF should appear.
- Choose Insert → Object (in the Text group), then Object….
- Open the Create from File tab and click Browse to pick your PDF.
- Tick Display as icon if you prefer a small icon to a preview of the first page, then click OK.
Readers can double-click the object to open the full PDF in their PDF viewer. If you tick Link to file instead of embedding, Word stores a link, so the PDF must stay at that location.
Method 2: Insert pages as pictures
When you only need one or two pages to appear in the document, turn them into images first:
Convert the pages to images
Use PDF to JPG (or PDF to PNG), choose the pages and a resolution, and download the images. Higher resolution gives sharper text but larger files.
Insert them in Word
Choose Insert → Pictures → This Device and select the image files. Resize them to fit the page.
Method 3: Convert the PDF to Word and paste
If you want to edit the text, convert the PDF to a Word file, then copy what you need into your document. Our PDF to Word converter works best on PDFs that contain real text (you can select the words). Note that this converter sends your file to our conversion server, as described in our Privacy Policy, so avoid it for confidential documents. Scanned PDFs have no text to convert; run them through PDF OCR first.
Method 4: Open the PDF directly in Word
In Word choose File → Open and select the PDF. Word offers to convert it into an editable document. The result can differ from the original layout, especially with columns, tables and unusual fonts, so check each page. Then copy the parts you need into your own document.
Things to watch for
- File size: embedding a large PDF makes the Word file larger. Compress or split the PDF first.
- Fonts and layout: converted text may not match the original exactly. Proofread numbers and tables.
- Sharing: embedded objects need a PDF viewer on the reader’s computer. If you send the document as a PDF later, objects may show only as icons.
Quick answers
Can I insert a multi-page PDF so all pages show?
An embedded object shows only the first page (or an icon). To show every page, convert the pages to images or convert the PDF to Word.
Will inserted pictures be sharp?
Choose a high resolution when converting pages to images. Very large images increase file size, so find a balance.
Is there a way to keep the PDF clickable?
Embedding as an object keeps the full PDF available on double-click. Pictures and converted text do not keep links.
Turn PDF pages into pictures
Convert any page of your PDF to a JPG and drop it straight into Word. It runs in your browser.
Open PDF to JPG →