In June, rumors claimed that the next version of Microsoft Word, Word 2013, would allow users to edit PDF files. Microsoft confirmed these rumors when it launched the preview version of Office 2013, which included Word 2013. This week, Microsoft talked more about how Word 2013 can convert PDF files into editable Word documents while still trying to retain the original layout of the PDF file. In a post on the official Microsoft Word blog, Microsoft says Word 2013 accomplishes this task with a new feature called PDF Reflow.

The goal of PDF Reflow is to convert PDF content into Word documents that contain the original layout intent and that flow correctly across pages when you edit or read. In other words, when you convert a PDF in Word, the elements in the document should act as if you created them in Word. A list from a PDF, for instance, will act just like any other list in Word: hit Enter at the end of a bulleted paragraph and a new bullet will be created.

The PDF Reflow feature is not intended as a replacement for a reader, such as Windows 8's Reader, but rather is a converter that gives you a new level of access to your content. It works with any PDF, but because we re-layout the contents, the results are best with documents that are mostly textual, such as legal and business documents. If a PDF contains mostly images and diagrams, as in a presentation or a brochure, converting it has a much higher likelihood of issues like the one in the columns example above.

For example, take a look at the document below. Some of the text in the first column wraps to the next line differently and a line from the top of the original second column moved to the end of the first. All the original content is there, but because the PDF reflow process values the ability to edit the content over picture-perfect alignment, some of the content repositions.