2 Easy Ways to Open a Scanned Doc in MS Word

PDF download Download Article
Convert a scan into a Word document with this easy-to-use guide
PDF download Download Article

Do you want to edit that PDF in Word? You can open the PDF using Word's built-in settings or, If you have a Microsoft account and a smartphone, you can also use the free Microsoft Lens app to scan your document and save it as a Word file in your OneDrive cloud storage. This wikiHow teaches you how to convert a scanned document into an editable Word document on your Windows PC, Mac, or smartphone.

Things You Should Know

  • If you have a PDF on your computer, you can open it within Word by going to "File > Open > OK."
  • Use the Microsoft Lens app from your Android, iPhone, or iPad to scan documents and open them in Word.
  • If the doc you scanned is not PDF format, convert it first to be able to open it in Word.
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Opening PDF in Word

PDF download Download Article
  1. You can only do this in newer versions of Word (including anything newer than Word 2010). If you have Word 2010 or older, those are no longer supported versions, and importing a PDF into Word isn't possible.
    • Make sure the document you have is in PDF format .
    • Opening a PDF in Word works best if the PDF is mostly text.
  2. The File tab is either at the top of your screen (Macs) or right above your document space (Windows).
    • Doing this will open your file manager.
    Advertisement
  3. Double-clicking the file once you find it will open it.
  4. Word will begin converting the scanned PDF into a Word document.
    • This process can take several minutes if your PDF has lots of text or images. [1]
  5. Converting scanned files into Word documents isn't an exact science; you may have to add missing words, remove excess spaces, and fix typos before your Word document is ready to go.
  6. Once you're ready to save the converted document as its own Word file, do the following:
    • Windows — Press Ctrl + S , then enter a file name, select a save location, and click Save .
    • Mac — Press ⌘ Command + S , then enter a file name, select a save location from the "Where" drop-down box, and click Save .
    7. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Scanning With & Using Microsoft Lens

PDF download Download Article
  1. Tap the Microsoft Lens app icon, which resembles a red and white app with a camera iris and the letter "L" in the center of the icon.
    • Microsoft Lens is a free smartphone app that allows you to take pictures of documents and turn them into PDFs. This will be super useful if you have a piece of paper that you want to edit in Word. In that case, you can take a picture of the paper, turn it into a PDF, and open it in Word.
    • If you don't have Microsoft Lens installed, you can download it from the Google Play Store for Android or from the App Store on iPhone .
  2. If this is your first time opening Microsoft Lens, tap Allow or OK when prompted to allow Microsoft Lens to access your phone's files.
  3. It's a tab at the bottom of the screen.
  4. Position the document that you want to scan inside the camera's view.
    • Make sure your document is well-lit and positioned on a dark background so the camera can pick up as much detail as possible.
  5. It's a red circle at the bottom of the screen. This will take a photo of the document's page.
    • Tap Confirm if the capture is ok. Tap Retake if the document wasn't captured correctly.
  6. It's in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
    • You can scan more pages by tapping the camera with the plus icon in the bottom left corner of your screen.
  7. You'll find this option in the "SAVE TO" section.
    • On Android, tap the box next to Word and then tap SAVE at the bottom of the screen [2] .
  8. If you haven't already, enter your Microsoft account email address and password. Once signed in, your Word document will be uploaded to your OneDrive account.
    • This must be the account that you use to log into Microsoft Word as well.
    • You're done using your phone.
  9. It's the blue app with a white document and the letter "W" in the icon.
  10. It's on the left side of the window below the "New" section.
    • On Mac, simply click the folder icon that says Open on the left-hand side of the window.
  11. It's in the menu on the left side of the window and will prompt your OneDrive to open on the right side of the window.
    • If you don't see the OneDrive option, click + Add a Place , then click OneDrive and sign in with your Microsoft account.
  12. Click on the "Documents" folder, then click the "Microsoft/Office Lens" folder. This is on the right pane of the window.
  13. This opens the document you scanned using Microsoft Lens on your phone or tablet in Microsoft Word.
    14. Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    Does anything here cost money? Is there any chance of getting a virus on my computer while downloading these things?
    Community Answer
    Some cost money, some don't. The free ones run a risk of infection, but you should have an anti-virus program installed anyway.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 2 Helpful 12
  • Question
    I followed the instructions for enabling document imaging in Word 2007, but did not find the imaging program listed under Microsoft Office Tools, then what went wrong, and how can I do it correctly?
    Community Answer
    Microsoft (for some reason) didn't enable document imaging in Word 2007 for 64-bit computers.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 29 Helpful 32
  • Question
    Will everything I scan become editable?
    Community Answer
    Indeed, it will. Just follow these simple steps: Go to onlineocr.net or if your file is more than 5mb, use you can use pdf2doc.com. Upload your file to these websites. When the file get uploaded, select doc or docx format and click 'Convert'. It is a time-consuming process, especially if your file size is big. The moment it completes the conversion, click download the file. After downloading the file, go to your downloads and open the file which will automatically in MS Word. Now here you can edit your file and use it your way.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 39 Helpful 39
See more answers
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      6 Quick Ways to Scan Documents to PDF on Mobile or Desktop
      How to
      Edit a Scanned Document
      4 Simple Ways to Scan and Save Documents
      How to
      Scan a Poem
      How to
      Digitally Scan 35mm Slides
      Create Custom Symbol Characters You Can Use in Word
      3 Quick Ways to Convert a DOC or DOCX File to a JPEG
      Easily Add Page Numbers to a Word Document on Any Platform
      How to
      Add Check Boxes to Word: 10 Simple Steps
      How to
      Remove a Blank Page in Word
      3 Simple Ways to Insert a Hyperlink in Microsoft Word
      How to
      Add Backgrounds in Microsoft Word: Watermarks, Images, & Colors
      3 Easy Ways to Delete a Horizontal Line in a Word Document
      How to
      Print Avery Labels in Microsoft Word on PC or Mac
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/scan-and-edit-a-document-7a07a4bd-aca5-4ec5-ba73-4589ac8b9eed#ID0EBBD=Newer_versions
      2. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/microsoft-lens-for-android-ec124207-0049-4201-afaf-b5874a8e6f2b

      About This Article

      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 2,605,789 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Yalew Mekonnen

        May 26, 2017

        "I Googled to get an app that can convert my scanned files to Word. There I got your site and learned Windows did it ..." more
        Rated this article:
      More reader stories Hide reader stories
      Share your story

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement