PDF to Word converts PDF to editable Word/DOCX with AI-powered layout analysis and table recognition, built on ComPDF Conversion SDK to better preserve tables, multi-column layouts, lists, and images for downstream editing. It fits requests such as “pdf to word,” “convert pdf to docx,” “pdf to editable word,” “pdf to office,” “keep layout in word,” and “convert report to docx.” Example queries include “Convert this PDF contract to editable Word while keeping the tables intact,” “Turn this report into DOCX and preserve the multi-column layout,” and “Export this PDF to Word for further editing.”
PDF to Word converts PDF to editable Word/DOCX with AI-powered layout analysis and table recognition, built on ComPDF Conversion SDK to better preserve tables, multi-column layouts, lists, and images for downstream editing. It fits requests such as “pdf to word,” “convert pdf to docx,” “pdf to editable word,” “pdf to office,” “keep layout in word,” and “convert report to docx.” Example queries include “Convert this PDF contract to editable Word while keeping the tables intact,” “Turn this report into DOCX and preserve the multi-column layout,” and “Export this PDF to Word for further editing.”
Requires Windows or macOS. Python with ComPDFKitConversion package (pip install ComPDFKitConversion). AI model (~525MB) auto-downloaded on first run.
PDF to Word Converter
Purpose
Wraps the ComPDFKitConversion Python SDK into a reusable local conversion workflow, supporting PDF / image to Word, PPT, Excel, HTML, RTF, Image, TXT, JSON, Markdown, and CSV (10 output formats in total).
Agent Skills Standard Compatibility
This Skill uses an Anthropic Agent Skills-compatible directory structure: pdf-to-word-docx/.
The entry point is SKILL.md; helper scripts are placed in scripts/.
The document uses $ARGUMENTS and ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR} conventions for distribution and execution in Claude Code / Agent Skills-compatible environments.
Input / Output
Input: The target format (word/excel/ppt/html/rtf/image/txt/json/markdown/csv), the PDF or image path, and the output path are passed via Skill arguments or the command line. An optional PDF password and conversion parameters may also be provided.
The script reads the <key>...</key> field from license.xml and uses that key for LibraryManager.license_verify(...) authentication — it does not pass the XML file path directly to the SDK.
To use a custom license, place your own license.xml in the scripts/ directory; the script will use it directly without downloading.
During SDK initialization, the resource directory is always set to the directory containing pdf-to-word-docx.py, i.e., the scripts/ directory itself.
When --enable-ocr or --enable-ai-layout (enabled by default) is used, the Skill also requires scripts/documentai.model. If the file does not exist, the script will automatically download it from:
On startup, the script ensures scripts/license.xml exists (downloading it automatically from the ComPDF server if missing), reads the <key> field for SDK authentication, and uses the scripts/ directory as the resource path.
If --enable-ocr or --enable-ai-layout (enabled by default) is active, the script checks whether scripts/documentai.model exists; if not, it downloads the file automatically before initializing the Document AI model.
Check the return code; if it is not SUCCESS, handle license, password, resource, model, or input file issues according to the error name.
documentai.model Download Optimization
The script preferentially uses the model file pointed to by COMPDF_DOCUMENT_AI_MODEL.
The default model path is scripts/documentai.model.
During automatic download, the file is first written to documentai.model.part and then atomically renamed to the final file upon success, preventing partial file corruption.
On download failure, the script retries automatically with back-off intervals of 2s / 5s / 10s.
Invoking Directly as a Skill
In environments that support Agent Skills, the Skill can be called directly:
/pdf-to-word-docx word input.pdf output.docx
/pdf-to-word-docx excel input.pdf output.xlsx --excel-worksheet-option for-page
When the Skill receives arguments, it passes them through to the script as-is:
OCR language(s); multiple languages can be specified simultaneously. Options: auto/chinese/chinese-tra/english/korean/japanese/latin/devanagari/cyrillic/arabic/tamil/telugu/kannada/thai/greek/eslav
Parameters that default to True (--enable-ai-layout/--contain-image/--contain-annotation/--contain-page-background-image/--auto-create-folder/--json-contain-table/--txt-table-format) use BooleanOptionalAction; pass --no-xxx to disable.
Parameters that default to False (--enable-ocr/--formula-to-image/--transparent-text/--output-document-per-page/--excel-all-content/--excel-csv-format/--image-path-enhance) use store_true; passing the flag enables them.
All CLI parameter defaults are fully consistent with the SDK's ConvertOptions() defaults — omitting a parameter is equivalent to using the SDK's original default value.
Recommended Command Examples
PDF to Word (default parameters, AI layout analysis enabled)
python "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/pdf-to-word-docx.py" word input.pdf output.docx
PDF to Word, box layout, no images, no AI layout analysis
python "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/pdf-to-word-docx.py" word input.pdf output.docx --no-enable-ai-layout --no-contain-image --page-layout-mode box
PDF to Word, retain annotations and background images, one document per page
python "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/pdf-to-word-docx.py" word input.pdf output.docx --output-document-per-page
PDF to Excel, include all content and split worksheets by page
Image to Word (OCR auto-enabled, specify Chinese language)
python "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/pdf-to-word-docx.py" word input.png output.docx --ocr-language chinese
Note: For image input, the script automatically enables OCR — there is no need to pass --enable-ocr manually. To specify an OCR language, --ocr-language can still be used.
PDF with OCR enabled (multiple languages)
python "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/pdf-to-word-docx.py" word input.pdf output.docx --enable-ocr --ocr-language chinese english japanese
Trial License and Usage Limits
The scripts/license.xml auto-downloaded from the ComPDF server is a Trial License, allowing a maximum of 200 conversions.
The script uses a SHA-256 fingerprint to detect whether the current License is the default trial key; no usage limit applies when using any other License.
After each successful conversion using the trial License, the script prints the current used/remaining count to stderr, for example:
When the trial License has expired (SDK authentication fails), the error message also includes a purchase link.
After purchasing a full License, place a custom license.xml containing the new <key> in scripts/ (overwriting the auto-downloaded trial file) — no script modifications or counter file cleanup are required.
Confirmed Facts
ComPDFKitConversion has been successfully installed on the local machine.
The installed package provides 10 conversion methods including CPDFConversion.start_pdf_to_word/start_pdf_to_ppt/start_pdf_to_excel.
LibraryManager provides initialize, license_verify, release, set_document_ai_model, and set_ocr_language.
Official documentation confirms support for PDF to Word / Excel / PPT / HTML / RTF / Image / TXT / JSON / Markdown.
The SDK's start_pdf_to_* interfaces natively accept image file input (PNG → Word has been verified successfully).
enable_ai_layout defaults to True in the SDK; set_document_ai_model() must be called first to load the model before use, otherwise a 0xC0000005 crash will occur.
--ocr-language supports specifying multiple languages simultaneously (e.g. --ocr-language chinese english).
Risks / Notes
The official requirements page states Python >=3.6, while the demo page states <3.11, but PyPI currently provides a cp314 wheel in practice; treat the locally installable wheel as the source of truth, but always verify installation in a new environment first.
If the script cannot download license.xml from the server (network issue) and no manual file exists in scripts/, or the <key> field is empty, the script cannot complete SDK authentication and cannot perform any real conversions.
documentai.model is a large file (approximately 525 MB); there will be a noticeable download delay the first time OCR / AI layout is enabled. Because --enable-ai-layout defaults to True, the model download will be triggered on the very first run.
If the runtime environment cannot access https://download.compdf.com/skills/model/documentai.model, place documentai.model in the scripts/ directory in advance.
Do not directly apply the initialization patterns from ComPDF SDKs for other languages to the Python package; this Skill is based on the locally verified LibraryManager / CPDFConversion API.
Resource Navigation
License file: License.txt
Script: scripts/pdf-to-word-docx.py
SDK authentication file: scripts/license.xml (auto-downloaded from https://download.compdf.com/skills/license/license.xml if missing)
SDK authentication source: the <key> field in license.xml
SDK resource path: scripts/
OCR / AI layout model: scripts/documentai.model (auto-downloaded if missing)
Purchase a full License: https://www.compdf.com/contact-sales?utm_source=clawhub&utm_medium=skillhub&utm_campaign=pdf_skill_to_word&ref_platform_id=clawhub_skills
python -m pip show ComPDFKitConversion shows the installed package
Running python "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/pdf-to-word-docx.py" --help or an equivalent local command produces normal output
The script auto-downloads scripts/license.xml if missing, then extracts the license key from the <key> field for authentication
The script uses the scripts/ directory as the SDK resource path
The script recognizes all 10 target formats: word/excel/ppt/html/rtf/image/txt/json/markdown/csv
The script accepts both PDF and image files (.png/.jpg/.jpeg/.bmp/.tif/.tiff/.gif/.webp/.tga) as input
When --enable-ocr or --enable-ai-layout (enabled by default) is active and documentai.model is missing, the script auto-downloads the model
When license.xml cannot be obtained (download fails and no manual file exists) or authentication fails, a clear error is output rather than a silent failure
The 7 parameters that default to True can be disabled with --no-xxx
--ocr-language supports specifying multiple languages simultaneously
After a conversion using the trial License, the usage count increments
When the trial License reaches 200 conversions, the script refuses to convert and outputs a purchase link
When using a non-trial License, no usage limit applies
For image input, even if --enable-ocr is not passed, the script automatically enables OCR and prints a notice to stderr
For HTML output, even if --page-layout-mode is not passed, the script automatically uses box (box layout) and prints a notice to stderr
For HTML output, explicitly passing --page-layout-mode flow overrides the automatic box layout behavior
Distribution Notes
This Skill does not depend on any machine-specific absolute paths.
When distributing to other users, the following directory structure is sufficient:
Users place this directory under their own skills root directory and the Skill is ready to use.
license.xml is auto-downloaded at runtime; no need to include it in the distribution package.
Common Pitfalls
scripts/license.xml is missing and cannot be auto-downloaded (network unavailable or server error): the script will error out before authentication. If you are in an offline environment, place license.xml manually in the scripts/ directory.
scripts/license.xml is missing the <key> field or its value is empty: the script will error out before authentication.
SDK resource files required by the SDK are absent from the scripts/ directory: conversion may fail after LibraryManager.initialize().
A password-protected PDF is provided without --password: this will trigger PDF_PASSWORD_ERROR.
OCR / AI layout is enabled but documentai.model is not present locally and the network is unavailable: the model download will fail; place the file in the scripts/ directory manually in advance.
When the Excel output strategy is unclear, prefer passing --excel-worksheet-option explicitly to avoid unexpected result structures.
When converting images to other formats, the script already enables OCR automatically; if the output still contains no text, check whether documentai.model is complete and whether the OCR language matches.
Once the trial License usage limit is exhausted, a full License must be purchased to continue; purchase link: https://www.compdf.com/contact-sales?utm_source=clawhub&utm_medium=skillhub&utm_campaign=pdf_skill_to_word&ref_platform_id=clawhub_skills.
Important: Under the ComPDFKit Terms of Service, distributing the documentation, sample code, or source code of the ComPDFKit Conversion SDK to third parties is prohibited. Please ensure you have obtained a valid ComPDFKit License before using this Skill.
