Microsoft is giving members of the Microsoft 365 Insider program who also own iPhones and iPads a new feature to test out. They can use the Word iOS app to open and convert PDF files to Word documents.
In a post on the Microsoft 365 Insider blog, the company explained the reason why this new feature is being introduced:
There are around 2.5 trillion PDFs in circulation across the web and mobile platforms. Despite being a preferred method of sharing information, managing them can be chaotic. You often need to switch between various applications to view, edit, sign, print, or transform PDFs, resulting in a fragmented user experience, increased expenses, and potential security vulnerabilities.
Members of the Insiders program with an iOS device can start to use this feature first by opening up a PDF with the iOS Files app. Then, they can tap on the Share icon that"s available in the bottom left corner of the iPhone or iPad display screen.
After that, users can tap Open in the Word app. Then, they can select the new Convert to Docx option at the bottom of the display to turn it into a Word document they can edit in the app.
In addition to the PDF to Word file conversion, the Word iOS app can be used to search for content in the PDF file by tapping on the Search icon at the top of the screen. If you want to save the file to a cloud storage service, you can tap on the three-dot menu icon ("...") at the top right corner of the screen, then tap Save As, select and tap on the cloud location you want, and then finally tap on the Save selection.
Finally, the Word iOS app can let you share a PDF file with others by tapping on the Share icon at the top of the screen. You can then add the email address of whomever you wish to share the file with and then tap on Send to do so.
Microsoft 365 Insiders who are using Version 2.86 (Build 24051517) or later can try out the new PDF features in the Word iOS app. There"s no word on when this feature will be made generally available.