Dev.to
6/24/2026

How I built a PDF Word converter that runs 100% in the browser (no server)"
Short summary
A developer built a privacy-first PDF-to-Word converter entirely in the browser using pdf.js and docx libraries, with no server upload. Key challenges solved: reconstructing layout and paragraphs from flat glyph positions, handling Arabic right-to-left text bidirectionality, and detecting tables from geometric alignment. The approach preserves fonts, formatting, and document structure while keeping user files completely local.
- •100% client-side PDF → Word conversion; no file upload or server required
- •Solved layout reconstruction from flat glyph data: paragraphs, headings, lists, and tables via geometric analysis
- •Handled bidirectional Arabic text and edge cases (bold signals, symbol fonts, column layouts)
Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.
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