PDF Conversion Issues

Fix Missing Text When Converting PDF to Word or Excel

Huda Qurayshi Oct 22, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user experiences an issue where text completely disappears when converting a PDF file into a Word document or Excel spreadsheet, even though the structural tables remain visible.

Product: PDF Conversion Tools
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Converting a PDF document containing both text and tables into editable Microsoft Word or Excel formats.
Observed behavior: The resulting Word or Excel document successfully displays tables and layout lines, but the text content is entirely missing or blank.

Before you start

Ensure the PDF is not restricted by security permissions that prevent text copying, and try opening the original file in a standard PDF reader to verify the text can be manually highlighted and selected.

Solution 1Recommended

Check PDF Metadata for Unsupported Fonts

Verify if the PDF uses Type 3 fonts or a specific PDF producer that breaks standard text extraction during the conversion process.

Many PDF generators use custom or older font formats (like Type 3 fonts) that render text as vector shapes instead of readable characters. Standard conversion tools cannot extract text from these shapes.

Open the original PDF

Launch Adobe Acrobat Reader or any standard PDF viewing application and open your problematic PDF file.

Access document properties

Navigate to the top menu, click on 'File', and select 'Properties' from the dropdown menu (or simply press Ctrl+D on your keyboard).

Check the Fonts tab

Click on the 'Fonts' tab in the Document Properties window. Look through the list of fonts used in the document and check if any are labeled as 'Type 3'. If they are, this is likely causing the missing text.

Check the PDF producer

Switch over to the 'Description' tab and review the 'PDF Producer' field. Noting the software used to create the PDF can help identify if it's a known producer-specific encoding issue.

Check PDF Metadata for Unsupported Fonts

Understanding Type 3 Fonts: Type 3 fonts often draw characters as graphic shapes rather than assigning them standard unicode text codes. Because of this, standard conversion engines see them as images or empty space rather than text.

Solution 2

Use OCR to Force Text Recognition

If standard conversion fails due to unsupported fonts or image-based text, utilizing an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tool can scan and recreate the missing text accurately.

Seamless PDF Conversion

Effortlessly Convert PDFs with WPS Office OCR

Overcome missing text and formatting errors with WPS Office's built-in PDF tools. Equipped with a powerful advanced OCR engine, it accurately extracts text from difficult PDFs—including those with Type 3 fonts—and converts them into fully editable Word and Excel documents.

1. Open the PDF Toolkit: Launch WPS Office on your computer and click on the 'PDF' tab on the home screen to access the dedicated PDF tool suite.
2. Choose your conversion format: Click on 'PDF to Word' or 'PDF to Excel' located in the conversion menu, depending on your desired output.
3. Import the problematic PDF: Drag and drop your PDF file into the conversion dialog box, or click 'Add Files' to browse your computer.
4. Ensure OCR is active: Check the settings at the bottom of the dialog box to ensure the OCR function is enabled so it can successfully capture non-standard fonts.
5. Start the conversion: Click 'Start' to convert the file. Once finished, WPS Office will automatically open your newly extracted document with the text intact.

Advanced OCR technology precisely recognizes embedded and image-based textMaintains high accuracy in preserving complex formatting, tables, and document layoutsFully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) and Excel (.xlsx) file formatsAll-in-one lightweight suite for viewing, editing, and converting PDFs on multiple devices

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do tables convert successfully but the text disappears?

Tables are often drawn using standard vector lines which are easily read and replicated by conversion tools. Text, however, might be encoded using non-standard or custom fonts (like Type 3 fonts) that the converter cannot map to standard characters, causing them to be left blank.

What is a Type 3 font and why is it problematic?

Type 3 fonts are older, graphic-based font formats where characters are drawn as individual shapes rather than being linked to standard text codes. Standard conversion tools cannot automatically extract editable text from them without utilizing Optical Character Recognition (OCR).

Can I fix this missing text issue without using third-party OCR software?

If you have access to the original source document (such as the Word, Excel, or InDesign file used before it was saved as a PDF), the best solution is to change the document's font to a standard, widely-supported font like Arial or Times New Roman, and re-export the PDF.

PDF Troubleshooting