Chromebooks are great for browsing and writing, less great for desktop Office work. When someone insists on a Word file, you've got a few options — none of them obvious if you've come from Windows.
Here's the path of least resistance.
Why Word on Chromebook is awkward
Microsoft pulled the Android Office apps from the Play Store for Chromebooks in 2021. The web version of Word works in Chrome but needs a Microsoft 365 subscription for full features. Google Docs opens docx files but it's not Word — and the conversion both ways loses formatting.
If you just need to produce a docx file someone else will edit, you don't need Word installed at all.
Convert in the browser
Open Flint's PDF to Word converter in Chrome. Drag the PDF onto the page from the Files app — Chromebook drag-and-drop works the same way it does on any laptop. Download the docx into Downloads or to Google Drive.
Open in Google Docs (or skip)
Double-click the docx in Files and it'll open in Google Docs, where it converts to a Google Doc — perfectly editable, though some formatting may shift. If the recipient just needs the docx file, don't bother opening it; just attach it to your email or share via Drive.
Want to stay in Docs and skip the conversion-to-Docs step? Drop the PDF straight into Google Drive and right-click > Open with > Google Docs. Quality is lower than a proper conversion but fine for short text.
If you need to round-trip back to PDF
Edit the docx in Google Docs or the web version of Word, then export. Google Docs > File > Download > PDF works fine. Or use Flint's Word to PDF for a more polished result, especially if the document has heavy formatting.
FAQ
Do I need Linux mode enabled?
No. Conversion happens server-side. Linux mode is only useful if you want to run LibreOffice locally for offline work.
Will it work offline?
Online conversion needs internet. For offline, install LibreOffice in Linux mode — it can save PDFs as Word via Draw, but quality varies.
Can I save straight to Google Drive?
Yes — Chrome lets you set the default download location to a Drive folder under Settings > Advanced > Downloads.
What about scanned PDFs?
OCR runs automatically on image-only PDFs. Output quality depends on scan clarity; proofread important ones.
ChromeOS plus a browser is genuinely all you need. Convert your PDF to Word on any Chromebook.