Use PDF when the page layout or images matter, Word when you need an editable draft, and Markdown when you want text you can search, edit, and use with an AI agent. The right choice depends on your task and the formats your AI tool can read.
| Format | Choose it for | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| Charts, diagrams, page references, and the document's appearance | Does your AI tool read page images or only extracted text? | |
| Word (DOCX) | Drafts you will edit and review in Word | Which text and images can the AI tool read? |
| Markdown (.md) | Text notes, reference folders, and agents that read local files | Did conversion preserve the sections and details you need? |
Choose PDF for visual questions
If you want to ask what a chart shows or how a diagram connects its parts, give the AI tool access to those visuals. Claude's PDF documentation, for example, describes analysis of both text and page images. Check your tool's file support before choosing a format.
Keep the PDF for page references and comparisons with the original. Turning a chart into extracted text can leave out information shown by its shapes, colors, or position. A text conversion alone will not replace that view.
Keep Word for editing and review
Choose DOCX if the next step is to revise a proposal, return a draft to a colleague, or review wording in Word. Word's Track Changes lets reviewers accept or reject edits. Keep the Word file for that work, even if you create a Markdown copy for analysis.
Some AI tools read only the text of a DOCX file and skip its images. Send a PDF or an image if your question is about a picture.
Use Markdown for text you work with often
Markdown is plain text with document structure, such as headings, lists, and links. You can open it in a text editor, search for a phrase, correct a sentence, or keep it beside other project files.
This makes it a useful choice for a folder of policies, notes, or manuals that an agent reads repeatedly. You can see the text you are giving it and remove sections that are irrelevant to the task. Our guide to preparing documents for AI agents shows how to organize that folder.
Markdown does not preserve the original page layout. Keep linked image files with it, and check that your AI tool can read those images if you need them.
Start with the question
Consider a report with a chart and several pages of recommendations. To ask how the chart changed over time, use the PDF with a tool that reads visuals. To compare the recommendations with another report, a checked Markdown copy can give you the text you need.
If you then need to revise the report for colleagues, continue in the Word original. You can keep all three formats, each for a different part of the job.
No format guarantees a correct answer. Ask the AI to name its source section, then compare important claims, numbers, and quotations with the original.
Convert the documents you need
MD Factory converts PDFs and Word documents (DOCX) to Markdown on your Windows PC. It uses local OCR for scanned PDFs. Add files or a folder, choose where to save, and click Convert. Your original documents stay unchanged.
Open the result beside the original and check the sections your task depends on. For scans and complex tables, our PDF conversion guide explains what to review.
Local conversion keeps documents on your PC. Using the output with an online AI service is a separate step: check that service's privacy settings before sharing private material.