I need to edit a 30-page PDF and keep the layout, but the last converter mangled the tables. Has anyone actually used a reliable PDF to ODT converter they trust?
It is really annoying when tables get mangled. Honestly, I have not used a dedicated PDF to ODT converter that I fully trust for complex layouts. What I would try is opening the PDF in Microsoft Word, since many people already have it, and then choosing Save As ODT. You may still need to clean up the tables a little, but it usually beats a random online converter.
Quick question first: is the PDF real text or a scan? That changes everything.
- Open it in LibreOffice Draw, it imports PDFs natively, then save as ODT.
- Or convert to DOCX in Word first, then open in LibreOffice and save as ODT. That route kept my tables intact on a 20-page sponsor doc.
Neither is perfect with heavy layouts, but both beat most online converters I’ve tried.
I’ve had the best results opening PDFs in LibreOffice Draw, then copying the text and tables into Writer before saving as ODT. For 30 pages, check a few table-heavy pages first, and avoid online converters that promise perfect layout without OCR options, as they often scramble columns.
Honestly, I have not found any converter that reliably preserves complex tables across 30 pages. I would try opening a copy in Microsoft Word, check the tables, then save it as ODT and finish in LibreOffice. Avoid converting the whole file repeatedly, since each pass can introduce more layout errors.
@cameron2002 makes a great point about checking if it is a scan first. When I send vendor shedules, tables always get messy if I try to convert directly, so Word’s much safer for holding your margins together. What device are you trying this on?
@Rando72836 Good point on the scan question, that one catches people out. Mine is just a Windows laptop, nothing special. I would still keep a backup copy of the original PDF before touching it, then test two or three table pages before converting the lot, since that saves you redoing 30 pages.
If it’s got real tables (not scanned), I’d try LibreOffice itself, it opens PDFs and lets you export as ODT, keeps tables decent most of the time. For scanned pages forget layout, you’re redoing tables by hand anyway.
i’d use PDFcap first and export to ODT, then check the tables before doing any edits. scanned PDFs usually need OCR, and complex tables may still need a little cleanup in LibreOffice. is your PDF scanned pages or does it have selectable text?
Honestly, LibreOffice itself does a decent job if you open the PDF directly with it, it converts to ODT on import. Tables can still drift a bit though, so check page by page before editing. What kind of tables are in there, simple grids or merged cells?