A document converter is a type of file converter that converts one kind of document file (like a PDF, XLSX, DOCX, TIF, TXT, etc.) into another type. If you're unable to open or edit a document because no program you have supports the format it's in, free document converter software can help.
Important: Every document converter program listed below is freeware. I have not included any trialware or shareware document converters.
Here's a list of the best completely free document converter online services and software programs:
1. MyMorph
© US National Library of Medicine
MyMorph supports a huge number of document sources. MyMorph does require registration to use, as does its online twin, DocMorph.
Input Formats: DIF, DOC, DOCX, HTM, HTML, MCW, PDF, PPT, PRE, RTF, TIFF, TTF, TXT, WK1, WK3, WPD, WQ1, and XLS
Output Formats: PDF, TIF, and TXT
Most popular image formats are supported for input as well including BMP, DCM, DCX, DIB, FPX, GIF, ICO, JBIG, JPEG, JP2, MTV, PDB, PBM, PCD, PCX, PGM, PIX, PNG, PNM, PPM, PSD, RAS, SUN, SVG, WBMP, XBM, and XPM.
Support of these file formats effectively turns MyMorph into a powerful and free OCR program for image files that include text.
2. Zamzar
© Zamzar
Zamzar is an online document converter service that supports many common word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and other document formats.
Input Formats: CSV, DOC, DOCX, EPS, ODP, ODS, ODT, PDF, PPS, PPT, PPTX, PS, PUB, RTF, VSD, WKS, WPD, WPS, XLS, and XLSX
Output Formats: CSV, DOC, HTML, MDB, ODP, ODS, ODT, PDF, PPT, PS, RTF, TIF, TXT, XLS, XLSX, and XML
Zamzar also supports document to MP3 conversion, meaning it functions as an online text-to-speech tool. Several image formats are also supported as output options for many types of files, as is the SWF video format.
Note: Not all output formats are available for all input formats. For example, you can't convert DOC to PUB.
3. YouConvertIt
© YouConvertIt
YouConvertIt is another online document converter service that will convert most common document, spreadsheet, and other similar formats.
Input Formats: DOC, HTM, HTML, ODP, ODS, ODT, OTP, OTS, OTT, PDF, POT, PPT, RTF, SDC, SDW, STC, STW, SXC, SXI, SXW, TXT, VOR, XHTML, XLS, and XLT
Output Formats: CSV, DOC, HTML, ODP, ODS, ODT, OTP, OTS, OTT, PDF, POT, PPT, RTF, SDC, SDW, STC, STW, SXC, SXI, SXW, TXT, VOR, XHTML, XLS, and XLT
YouConvertIt also accepts several image formats as inputs and outputs but does not act as an OCR tool. There are also several input formats I listed above that do not export to every output format.
