3 Free Ways to Convert JPEG Into an Editable Word Document

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities.

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Don't you wish you could open a JPEG image in Microsoft Word and make changes to the text? While that might seem impossible, we've actually found two easy ways to get the job done—one is to scan for text using an online OCR tool, and the other is to simply "print" the JPEG to a PDF and then convert it to a Word document that you can edit. This wikiHow article teaches you how to easily convert a JPEG into an editable Word document.

Use an online service, like OnlineOCR, to convert your images into editable Word documents. Simply visit the website and select your JPEG to convert it to a PDF. On Mac or Windows computers, use Preview or Photos to change your JPEG to a PDF. Once the file has been converted, open it in Word to edit the text.

Using OnlineOCR

• You can also use other online services if you don't want to use OnlineOCR. Try Small PDF or a similar PDF converter.

Click Select file… . It's in the lower-left side of the webpage. Doing so opens a File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) window in which you can select your JPEG file.

Select your JPEG file. Go to the folder in which your JPEG is stored, then click once the JPEG file you want to convert.

• On a Mac, you may click Choose here.

Select a language. If you want to use a language other than the one listed in the middle text box, click the current language and then click the language you want to use.

Make sure you're converting to a Word document. If the third text box doesn't have "Microsoft Word (docx)" written in it, click the text box and then click Microsoft Word (docx) in the drop-down menu.

Click CONVERT . It's on the far-right side of the page. Doing so prompts OnlineOCR to begin converting your JPEG file into a Word document.

• Depending on your browser's settings, you may need to select a save location or confirm the download before the file will download.

• This is necessary because, since you downloaded the Word document from the Internet, Word views it as potentially dangerous.
• Remember to save any changes you make by pressing Ctrl + S (Windows) or ⌘ Command + S (Mac).

Using a PDF on Windows

Open the JPEG file you want to convert. Double-click the JPEG file to do so. This will open the JPEG file in the Photos app.

• Don't panic if you don't have a printer attached to your computer—you won't actually be printing anything.

Click the "Printer" drop-down box. This is at the top of the Print window. A drop-down menu will appear.

Enter a name. In the "Name" text field, type in the name you want to use for your converted document.

Click Save . It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so saves a PDF version of your JPEG file in your selected folder.

• If you don't see Open with in the drop-down menu, click anywhere to close the drop-down menu, then click once the PDF to select it before you right-click it again.

• This may take a few minutes.

• If your document isn't entirely editable or a large group of the document's text is inaccurate, you might want to use Online OCR instead.

Using a PDF on Mac

Select your JPEG file. Go to the folder location of the JPEG file that you want to convert, then click once the file to select it.

Select Open With . This is in the File drop-down menu. Selecting it prompts a pop-out menu to appear.

Click Export as PDF… . This is in the drop-down menu. Clicking it prompts a new window to appear. [2] X Research source

Select a save location. Click the "Where" drop-down box, then click the name of the folder in which you want to save your converted PDF.

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Select your new PDF. Go to the folder in which you saved the PDF version of your JPEG file, then click the PDF to select it.

• If you don't see Word here, you can still open the PDF by opening Word, clicking File, clicking Open, and selecting the PDF in the Finder window that appears.

• This may take a few minutes.

• If your document isn't entirely editable or a large group of the document's text is inaccurate, you might want to use Online OCR instead.

Expert Q&A

The higher the quality of the JPEG file, the better results you'll have when converting it to a Word document.

OCR technology isn't perfect, so you may need to make some adjustments to your Word document before it resembles accurately the JPEG file's contents.

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