PDF Conversion Issues

How to Fix Arabic Text Formatting Problems When Converting PDFs

Camila Milosovich Oct 23, 2026 868 views

Question details

Users experience overlapping words, reversed text, or incorrect letter shapes when converting Arabic PDFs to editable formats.

How to Fix Arabic Text Formatting Problems When Converting PDFs

Product: PDF Converter
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Converting Arabic or right-to-left (RTL) language PDFs into editable formats like Word or PowerPoint.
Observed behavior: The converted text exhibits severe formatting errors, including reversed text direction, disjointed Arabic letters, and overlapping words.

Before you start

Ensure that your target application, such as Microsoft Word or WPS Writer, has Arabic language support installed and right-to-left (RTL) text direction enabled.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Advanced OCR with Arabic Language Settings

Configuring the correct language settings before running OCR ensures that right-to-left scripts are recognized properly.

Many standard PDF converters default to English or left-to-right (LTR) reading orders. By manually specifying the Arabic language before conversion, the OCR engine applies the correct rendering rules for cursive, RTL scripts.

Update your software

Ensure you are using the latest version of your PDF converter or Adobe Acrobat, as older versions may lack robust RTL script support.

Select the document language

Before exporting or running OCR, navigate to the recognition or export settings and explicitly set the primary document language to 'Arabic'.

Export the PDF

Choose your target format (such as Word or PowerPoint) and proceed with the conversion. The software will now apply Arabic text rules during the extraction.

Use Advanced OCR with Arabic Language Settings

Scanned Documents: Highly complex or low-resolution scanned PDFs may still require manual correction after conversion, even with correct language settings.

Solution 2

Verify Source Text Selectability

Checking if the text is embedded as fonts or flattened as images can dictate the most effective conversion approach.

Advanced PDF Tools

Convert and Edit Arabic PDFs Seamlessly with WPS Office

WPS Office provides a powerful PDF toolkit that supports high-quality conversion to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. With robust language support, you can easily handle complex formatting and right-to-left scripts.

1. Open WPS Office: Launch WPS Office and navigate to the PDF tab.
2. Select PDF to Word: Click on 'PDF to Word' in the top toolbar to open the conversion tool.
3. Add your file: Import your Arabic PDF file and ensure the output format is set to DOCX.
4. Convert and edit: Click 'Convert' and open the resulting document directly in WPS Writer to review or edit.

Accurate PDF to Word and PowerPoint conversionPreserves original document layout and formattingHighly compatible with Microsoft Office formats (.docx, .pptx)Built-in support for right-to-left text editing

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do Arabic letters appear disconnected after converting a PDF to Word?

This happens because the conversion tool failed to recognize the right-to-left cursive nature of Arabic, treating each character as a standalone letter. Using an OCR tool specifically set to Arabic resolves this.

Can I fix reversed Arabic text without converting the PDF again?

Yes. In Microsoft Word or WPS Writer, you can select the affected text and enable the 'Right-to-Left Text Direction' button in the Paragraph settings. However, re-converting with the proper Arabic language settings is usually faster for large documents.

Does WPS Office support editing Arabic text directly in PDFs?

Yes, WPS Office supports right-to-left languages. You can add, edit, and format Arabic text naturally within both its Writer and PDF editing modules.

PDF Troubleshooting