PDF to DOCX conversion API
Convert PDF to DOCX on the server with one HTTP call, instead of running a PDF-to-DOCX layout-reconstruction pipeline yourself. Submit, poll, download. 50 free conversions a month, then pay per use.
Convert PDF to DOCX in three requests
Authenticate with a bearer key from your backend (never ship the key to the browser). Submit the conversion, upload the file to the presigned URL, poll until it is done, and download the result.
curl
# 1. Submit the conversion
curl -X POST https://hushvert.com/api/v1/conversions \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $HUSHVERT_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \
-d '{ "pair": "pdf-to-docx", "bytes": '$(wc -c < input.pdf)' }'
# -> { "jobId": "...", "uploadUrl": "...", "pollUrl": "/api/v1/conversions/..." }
# 2. Upload the file to the presigned uploadUrl
curl -X PUT "$UPLOAD_URL" --data-binary @input.pdf
# 3. Poll until done, then download
curl https://hushvert.com/api/v1/conversions/$JOB_ID \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $HUSHVERT_KEY"
# -> { "status": "done", "downloadUrl": "...", "expiresAt": "..." }
curl -o output.docx "$DOWNLOAD_URL"Node.js
import { readFile, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises'
const KEY = process.env.HUSHVERT_KEY
const bytes = await readFile('input.pdf')
// 1. Submit
const submit = await fetch('https://hushvert.com/api/v1/conversions', {
method: 'POST',
headers: { authorization: `Bearer ${KEY}`, 'content-type': 'application/json' },
body: JSON.stringify({ pair: 'pdf-to-docx', bytes: bytes.byteLength }),
}).then((r) => r.json())
// 2. Upload to the presigned URL
await fetch(submit.uploadUrl, { method: 'PUT', body: bytes })
// 3. Poll until done
let job
do {
await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 1500))
job = await fetch(`https://hushvert.com${submit.pollUrl}`, {
headers: { authorization: `Bearer ${KEY}` },
}).then((r) => r.json())
} while (job.status !== 'done' && job.status !== 'failed')
// 4. Download
const out = await fetch(job.downloadUrl).then((r) => r.arrayBuffer())
await writeFile('output.docx', Buffer.from(out))Python
import os, time, requests
KEY = os.environ["HUSHVERT_KEY"]
data = open("input.pdf", "rb").read()
# 1. Submit
submit = requests.post("https://hushvert.com/api/v1/conversions",
headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {KEY}"},
json={"pair": "pdf-to-docx", "bytes": len(data)}).json()
# 2. Upload to the presigned URL
requests.put(submit["uploadUrl"], data=data)
# 3. Poll until done
job = {}
while job.get("status") not in ("done", "failed"):
time.sleep(1.5)
job = requests.get(f"https://hushvert.com{submit['pollUrl']}",
headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {KEY}"}).json()
# 4. Download
out = requests.get(job["downloadUrl"]).content
open("output.docx", "wb").write(out)Limits and pricing
| Free per month | 50 conversions per account, then pay per use from account credits. |
|---|---|
| Max file size | 50 MB |
| Privacy | Input deleted the moment the conversion finishes; output kept about an hour, then deleted. |
See the full request, error codes, and idempotency reference on the API keys page, and the plans on pricing.
Why an API for this?
Turning a PDF back into an editable Word document means reconstructing text, tables and layout, which is genuinely hard and CPU-heavy. The API runs a tuned pipeline so you do not have to build, host, and maintain one.
Everything a browser can do (images, HEIC, audio, archives, PDF page operations) runs free and on-device in the open-source @hushvert/engine SDK - no upload, no key. This API is only for PDF to DOCX and the other server-only formats.
What is PDF?
PDF (Portable Document Format) is the 1993 Adobe format that froze documents into a fixed, device-independent layout, and it has since become the legal and professional standard for anything that must look the same everywhere: contracts, invoices, forms, papers. A PDF can contain vector text, images, fonts and annotations. Editing one is famously awkward, which is exactly the point; it is a final-form format.
What is DOCX?
DOCX is Microsoft Word's default document format since Word 2007: technically a ZIP container full of XML describing text, styles, tables and embedded media. Nearly every word processor can read it, but viewing one without Office installed, or on a locked-down machine, is still a recurring annoyance. Because it is structured markup rather than fixed layout, faithful conversion is about content and structure, not pixel-perfect appearance.
PDF to DOCX API FAQ
How do I convert PDF to DOCX with an API?
Send a POST to /api/v1/conversions with the pair and the byte count, upload the file to the presigned URL it returns, then poll until the job is done and download the result. It is three short requests; full code is above in curl, Node, and Python.
Why not just convert PDF to DOCX myself?
You can, if you want to run and maintain a PDF-to-DOCX layout-reconstruction pipeline. Turning a PDF back into an editable Word document means reconstructing text, tables and layout, which is genuinely hard and CPU-heavy. The API runs a tuned pipeline so you do not have to build, host, and maintain one.
What does it cost?
Every account gets 50 free conversions per month across all of its keys. Beyond that, the API draws on account credits, billed per conversion. Everything a browser can do is free and keyless in the open-source SDK.
What happens to my file?
The file uploads over an encrypted connection. The input is deleted the moment the conversion finishes; the converted output is kept for about an hour so you can download it, then deleted too.
Can my AI agent do this conversion?
Yes. The @hushvert/mcp Model Context Protocol server gives Claude Code, Cursor, and other agents a convert_file tool over this same API, so an agent can run the conversion in one call.