How to Convert a PDF to ODT (OpenDocument Text)

To convert a PDF to ODT, upload your PDF to an online converter or open it directly in LibreOffice Writer, then save or export the result as an OpenDocument Text (.odt) file. You end up with a fully editable document you can rework in LibreOffice, Apache OpenOffice, or any program that reads the open ODF standard.

ODT is the native format of free, open-source office suites, so turning a locked PDF into ODT is the fastest way to start editing without paying for new software. Below you'll find the cleanest methods, the pitfalls that actually trip people up, and how to keep your layout looking right.

Key takeaways

• A PDF is built to display, not to edit; converting it to ODT turns fixed pages back into flowing, editable text.
• The two reliable routes are an online pdf to odt converter and opening the PDF directly in LibreOffice.
• Text-based PDFs convert cleanly; scanned or image-only PDFs need OCR (optical character recognition) first, or you'll get pictures of text you can't edit.
• Complex layouts (multi-column pages, dense tables, custom fonts) are where conversions wobble most, so always review the result.
• ODT is interchangeable with DOCX and RTF, so you're never locked into a single editor.

What ODT actually is (and why it matters)

ODT stands for OpenDocument Text. It's part of the OpenDocument Format (ODF), an open standard used natively by LibreOffice Writer and Apache OpenOffice Writer. Because the format is open, no single company controls it, and many programs can read and write it freely.

That's the key difference from a PDF. PDF, first released by Adobe in 1993 out of John Warnock's "Camelot" project and adopted as an open ISO standard (32000-1) in 2008, was designed to lock a page in place so it looks identical on every device. ODT does the opposite: it stores text as editable content that reflows when you type. Converting from one to the other means rebuilding a frozen page into something you can rewrite from scratch.

Practically, that's why no conversion is perfectly automatic. A converter has to read a finished page, work out which marks were headings, paragraphs, cells, or images, and reassemble them as living elements. The simpler your PDF, the closer that reconstruction lands to the original.

Method 1: Use an online PDF to ODT converter

An online converter is the quickest path if you don't already have an office suite open, or if you want to skip LibreOffice's habit of opening PDFs as a drawing rather than a flowing document.

1. Open your PDF in the editor. Go to our PDF editor and upload the file you want to convert. Your file is processed on our server and isn't stored long-term.
2. Let it parse the document. The tool reads the text, fonts, images, and tables and rebuilds them as editable elements rather than a flat picture of a page.
3. Review the editable result. Check that headings, paragraphs, and tables landed where you expect. This is the moment to fix stray spacing or a misplaced image before you export.
4. Export as ODT. Choose OpenDocument Text (.odt) as your output format and download the file.
5. Open it in LibreOffice or OpenOffice to confirm everything looks right and make any final edits.

The realistic failure mode: online converters struggle with the same thing every tool struggles with — heavily designed layouts. Multi-column newsletters, forms with overlapping boxes, and PDFs that embed unusual fonts can come across with shifted text or merged columns. Simple reports, letters, and contracts convert almost perfectly; magazine-style pages will need cleanup afterward.

Method 2: Open the PDF directly in LibreOffice

If you already have LibreOffice installed, you can skip the converter entirely. This is the most direct answer to how to convert a PDF to ODT for LibreOffice.

1. Open LibreOffice (the Start Center).
2. Go to File > Open and select your PDF.
3. LibreOffice opens the PDF in Draw, where every page becomes an editable canvas and each chunk of text sits in its own box.
4. Edit what you need, then go to File > Save As (or Export).
5. Choose ODF Text Document (.odt) as the format and save.

There's a catch worth knowing up front: LibreOffice opens PDFs in Draw, not Writer. Draw treats the page as a layout of separate boxes, which is fine for light touch-ups but awkward for rewriting long passages, because text doesn't flow from one box to the next. Delete a sentence and the lines below it won't move up to fill the gap the way they would in a normal word processor. For a true flowing document, an online converter that rebuilds paragraphs usually produces a more natural Writer file than Draw can.

Method 3: Convert through Word first

If you can't get a clean ODT directly, a two-step route often works better: convert the PDF to a Word document, then save that as ODT.

LibreOffice and OpenOffice both open .docx files and can re-save them as .odt with File > Save As. So you convert your PDF to Word, open the result in LibreOffice Writer, and export to ODT. This detour helps because Word conversion engines are mature at rebuilding flowing paragraphs and tables, and that structure carries straight over into ODT. Our guide on converting PDF to Word without losing formatting or tables walks through that first step in detail.

The one downside is the extra hop: each conversion can add minor formatting drift, so give the final ODT the same quick review you'd give any conversion.

Scanned PDFs need OCR first

Here's the single biggest reason conversions seem to "fail." If your PDF was created by scanning a paper document, the pages are images — pictures of text, not text itself. A normal conversion will faithfully copy those pictures into your ODT, and you'll find you can't select or edit a single word.

The fix is OCR (optical character recognition), which reads the image and recreates real, editable characters. Many online converters and LibreOffice extensions offer OCR. Run it before or during conversion, then proofread carefully, because OCR can misread blurry scans, decimal points, and unusual fonts.

A quick test to know which kind of PDF you have: open it in any reader and try to select a sentence with your cursor. If the text highlights, it's a real text PDF and will convert cleanly. If nothing highlights, you have a scan and need OCR before any converter can give you editable words.

Keeping your formatting intact

Conversions rarely come out flawless on the first pass, so a short review saves headaches later:

• Check tables first. Borders and merged cells are the most fragile part of any conversion. Confirm columns didn't collapse into one and that header rows still line up.
• Watch your fonts. If the PDF used a font your computer doesn't have, ODT substitutes a similar one, which can shift line breaks and spacing. Install the original font or pick a close replacement for a tidier result.
• Fix spacing, not whole paragraphs. Most issues are extra spaces or odd line breaks. Use Find & Replace in Writer to clean these up in seconds rather than retyping.
• Keep images in place. Most converters preserve embedded pictures, but verify none slid out of position or landed behind a block of text.

If you mainly want clean, editable text and care less about pixel-perfect layout, exporting to a simpler format can be smoother. Our guide on converting a PDF to RTF (Rich Text Format) covers a lightweight option that LibreOffice, OpenOffice, and Word all open without fuss.

When to choose ODT over DOCX

ODT and DOCX both give you an editable document, so which should you pick? It usually comes down to which programs you and your collaborators actually use.

Consideration	Choose ODT	Choose DOCX
Main editor	LibreOffice or OpenOffice	Microsoft Word
Standard	Vendor-neutral open ODF	Microsoft's format (also an ISO standard)
Sharing with	People on free office suites	Word-based workplaces or schools
Native fit	No translation on the way in	No translation if everyone uses Word
Formatting drift	Minimal in LibreOffice	Minor shifts can appear in LibreOffice

Choose ODT when your main tools are LibreOffice or OpenOffice, when you want a vendor-neutral open standard, or when you're sharing with people who use free office suites. It's the native format, so nothing gets translated on the way in.

Choose DOCX when you or your collaborators live in Microsoft Word, or when a workplace or school requires Word files. LibreOffice handles DOCX well, but small formatting differences can creep in when a file bounces back and forth between Word and Writer. The good news: you can always save from one to the other, so the choice is never permanent.

FAQ

How do I open a PDF in LibreOffice Writer?

LibreOffice opens PDFs in Draw, not Writer, by default. Go to File > Open, pick your PDF, and it loads as an editable layout in Draw. To end up with a Writer document, edit there if needed, then use File > Save As and choose ODF Text Document (.odt). For long, flowing text, converting the PDF to ODT or DOCX with a dedicated tool first usually gives a cleaner Writer file than editing box-by-box in Draw.

Can I convert a PDF to OpenOffice format too?

Yes. Apache OpenOffice uses the same OpenDocument standard, so an .odt file opens natively in OpenOffice Writer. Any pdf to openoffice conversion is really just a PDF to ODT conversion — the formats are identical. Once you have the ODT, both OpenOffice and LibreOffice read it without any extra steps.

Why is my converted ODT not editable?

Almost always because the original PDF was a scan — an image of text rather than real characters. The conversion copied those images faithfully, but there's no underlying text to edit. Run OCR (optical character recognition) on the PDF first to turn the images into editable words, then convert again and proofread the result.

Will my tables and columns survive the conversion?

Simple tables usually convert well, but complex ones — merged cells, multi-column page layouts, or borderless grids — are the most likely to shift. Always review tables right after converting and fix any collapsed columns. If tables are critical to the document, converting through Word first often preserves their structure more reliably.

Is converting a PDF to ODT free?

Yes. Opening a PDF in LibreOffice or OpenOffice and saving as ODT costs nothing, since both suites are free and open-source. Online converters, including ours, let you turn a PDF into editable text and export ODT without buying software. You'd only need a paid tool for very high-volume or specialized professional workflows.

Does converting to ODT change my original PDF?

No. Conversion creates a brand-new ODT file and leaves your original PDF untouched. You keep the fixed-layout PDF for sharing or printing and gain a separate editable copy for rewriting. It's worth keeping both until you've confirmed the converted file looks exactly the way you want.