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PDF to ODT Converter: Turn a PDF Into an OpenDocument Text File

Convert PDF to ODT for free: upload one PDF and LibreOffice Writer imports it as an OpenDocument Text file you can open and edit. Each block of text stays where it was on the page, in its own text box, so it's better for corrections than rewriting.

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How to Convert PDF to ODT in 4 Steps

  1. 01Pick a PDF file, or drag it into the upload area.
  2. 02Check the preview before you convert.
  3. 03Click Convert to ODT and wait for the Writer import to finish.
  4. 04Download the ODT and open it in LibreOffice Writer.

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What the PDF to ODT Converter Does

  • Editable Writer DocumentYou get an OpenDocument Text file whose text you can edit in LibreOffice Writer and compatible editors.
  • Free ConversionConvert a PDF to ODT online. There's no desktop software to install.
  • One Document In, One File OutUpload one PDF, convert it, and download one ODT file.
  • Private ProcessingWe convert files on our own server and delete them automatically within two hours.
  • Useful for Text PDFsA PDF with selectable text gives you text boxes you can correct word by word.
  • Works in Modern BrowsersIt runs in any desktop or mobile browser.

Converting a PDF to ODT: What Writer Imports and What It Cannot

PDF files keep a document's appearance fixed, and that's what makes them hard to edit. Converting PDF to ODT gets you an OpenDocument Text file that opens in LibreOffice Writer, where you can fix the words.

This converter runs LibreOffice's Writer PDF import on our server. You don't need an account, or any office software for the conversion itself.

Convert PDF to an ODT File

How to convert PDF to ODT

  1. Pick one PDF of up to 25 MB, or drag it onto the upload area.
  2. Check the page preview.
  3. Click Convert to ODT and wait while Writer imports the file.
  4. Download the ODT and open it in LibreOffice Writer.
PDF to ODT converter with test2.pdf uploaded and the Convert to ODT button
A PDF uploaded and ready to convert to ODT.

What an ODT file is

ODT is the text document format of OpenDocument, an OASIS standard that's also published as ISO/IEC 26300. LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice use it as their default format, and Microsoft Word opens it too.

Once you've finished editing, turn the document back into a fixed PDF with our ODT to PDF converter.

How Writer lays out the imported PDF

Writer's PDF import keeps the look of each page. Every line or block of text goes into its own text box, at the position it had in the PDF, along with the images and shapes.

Click into a text box and you can change words, fix typos or update a date. Text doesn't flow from one box to the next, though, so adding a long paragraph means resizing boxes or shoving the ones below out of the way.

Pictures come through untouched. In our October 2026 test, a report's 400 by 300 pixel photo arrived as the very same 121,036-byte JPEG, and its caption sat in its own text box, ready to edit.

A two-column résumé shows where this matters. Our guide to converting a resume PDF to Word for ATS lists where its dates and sidebar end up in the text order, in Word and in ODT.

If you need the words as one flowing text to paste into a new document, use PDF to TXT instead. For slide decks, PDF to ODP gives you an Impress presentation.

Can I get my original document back from a hybrid PDF?

Not with this converter, but LibreOffice itself can do it. A hybrid PDF (what LibreOffice writes when you tick Embed OpenDocument file on export) carries the full original document inside it, and our tool ignores that copy.

In October 2026 we exported a short newsletter from Writer as a 36.6 KB hybrid PDF. Our PDF to ODT turned it into 4 positioned text boxes, with one paragraph split across two of them. Opened by LibreOffice without the forced PDF import, the same PDF gave back the original: a heading and 2 flowing paragraphs, and no text boxes.

So if the PDF came from LibreOffice, try opening it in LibreOffice first. It opens a hybrid PDF as the original, editable document.

Scanned, locked and complex PDFs

The converter doesn't run OCR. A scanned or photographed PDF holds images of text, so the ODT gets pictures and no editable words; make the text searchable with OCR PDF first.

A PDF that needs a password to open can't be imported, so take the password off with one of our PDF security tools. A damaged file may open again after a pass through our tools to repair and optimize PDFs.

Fonts that aren't installed on our server get replaced with similar ones, and that can push a line past the edge of its box. Check page breaks, tables and links in the ODT before you share it. Your PDF and the ODT are deleted from our server automatically within two hours.

What happened when we tested PDF to ODT

We converted test2.pdf, a small 909 B test file with one page and one line of text. Back came test2_PDFToODT.odt, 11.7 KB, 0.8 seconds after we clicked Convert to ODT on our local test server.

Inside the ODT, that line sat in a single text box anchored to page 1, right where it was in the PDF. Tested in October 2026.

PDF to ODT result screen after converting test2.pdf, with a Download button
The results screen after converting test2.pdf to ODT.

Frequently Asked Questions about converting PDF to ODT

Can I convert a scanned PDF to editable ODT?

Not directly. This tool doesn't run OCR, so a scanned PDF gives you images, not text. Run it through OCR PDF first.

Which program opens an ODT file?

LibreOffice Writer and Apache OpenOffice open ODT files, and so does Microsoft Word.

Will the ODT look exactly like the PDF?

Close to it, since each text block keeps its position. Missing fonts get replaced, and complex layouts, forms and graphics may need cleanup.

Why can't I add text that flows to the next page?

Writer imports the PDF as positioned text boxes, not as one running text. For flowing text, copy the words from PDF to TXT into a new document.

Is the conversion free?

Yes. There's no charge, no account and no watermark.