how to put a scanned pdf file into a Word doc using Microsoft 365 software with no editing or scrambling of the pdf file.

Question

I am a church secretary at a small church and have been using Word 2013 for 13 years. Every day I scan in images (pictures, text and music) and then have easily dropped the pdf files into my bulletin or monthly newsletters using Word 2013 with no issues.

We recently deleted that old software and purchased and downloaded Microsoft 365 and when I tried to do what I have always done, word kept opening the pdf in a word format totaling scrambling the text and images. I have tried to follow videos on how to put a pdf file into a word doc but the pdf does not look the way it originally did when I scanned it. It is blurry and scrambled once again. This problem is serious for me as I cannot complete my work and I am on a strict time schedule to get this done. Please respond asap...or I will have to delete this new version and go back to the old one...

Answer 1

Dear @Deborah Mumford,

I hope you’re having a good day.

Thank you for taking the time to explain your situation in detail.

What you’re experiencing is understandably frustrating, but it isn’t a mistake on your part. The behavior you’re seeing is the result of a design change in Word when moving from Word 2013 to Word included in Microsoft 365.

In Word 2013, scanned PDF files were usually treated as static objects, so when you dropped or inserted a PDF, it stayed exactly as it was scanned. In Microsoft 365, Word now assumes that when a PDF is inserted or opened, the user wants to edit the contents, so it automatically tries to convert the PDF into an editable Word document. This process works reasonably well for text‑based PDFs, but it does not work well for scanned PDFs, especially ones with images or musical notation.

Since your goal is to preserve the PDF exactly as scanned, the correct approach in Microsoft 365 is to avoid inserting the PDF directly and instead insert it as an image. This prevents Word from converting or altering it in any way.

The most reliable method is to convert the scanned PDF pages into images first and then insert those images into Word. To do this, open the scanned PDF using Microsoft Edge or Adobe Reader (do not open it in Word). From there, save each page of the PDF as an image; PNG format is strongly recommended because it preserves sharpness and works especially well for music sheets and fine text. Once the image is saved, open your Word document, go to Insert, choose Pictures from your device, and insert the image into your document. You can then adjust the layout options (for example, “In Line with Text” or “Tight”) to position it exactly where you want in your bulletin or newsletter.

By inserting the scanned content as an image, Word no longer attempts any conversion. The PDF content remains visually identical to the original scan, with no blurring, no rearranged text, and no damaged musical notation. This approach closely matches the behavior you were used to in Word 2013 and is currently the most stable way to work with scanned PDFs in Microsoft 365.

What’s important to avoid is opening the PDF directly in Word, dragging the PDF into Word expecting it to stay intact, or using commands that imply conversion. All of those actions trigger Word’s built‑in PDF reflow feature, which is what causes the distortion you’ve been seeing.

I understand this is a change to a workflow you relied on for many years, and that makes the situation particularly difficult. However, once you switch to inserting scanned PDFs as images, many organizations, churches and schools included, find the process becomes predictable and dependable again.

I hope this information helps point you in the right direction. If you run into any issues while trying the steps, or if something still doesn’t feel quite right, please don’t hesitate to reach out again. I’ll do my best to support you however I can.  

Looking forward to hearing back from you with any updates or additional details. 

Warm regards, 

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