How to Edit Word Docs on Your iPhone: Word, Pages, and Google Docs

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Edit Word docs on your iPhone with these 3 practical options

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: January 9, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Using Word
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• Using Pages
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• Using Google Docs
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• FAQ
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• Video

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Are you wondering if you can make quick edits to Word docs without having access to a computer? Whether it’s your resume, a flyer, or an essay for class, you can easily edit any Word document directly from your iPhone. In this article, we’ll show you the best free iOS apps for making edits on the go and explain some useful features, like automatic file syncing.

Editing Word Docs on iPhone

You can edit Word docs on an iPhone with various free apps. If you want access to most of Word’s editing features, use the free Word app for iPhone. You’ll need a Microsoft account to make edits. You can also use Pages or Google Docs if you don’t have a Microsoft account.

For popular FAQs on editing documents on an iPhone, jump to more common questions.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Word

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1. 1
   Download and install Word. With the official Word app for iPhone, you can view and edit Word docs for free. Download Word from the App Store using the following steps:

   • Open the App Store.
   • Tap Search.
   • Type Word in the search bar.
   • Tap Microsoft Word. Look for an icon of a blue gradient rectangle with a “W” in a square superimposed over it.
     • There are some copycat third-party apps out there, like “Office Word: Edit Word Document.” Double-check that you are downloading the app developed by Microsoft.
   • Tap Get.
2. 2
   Open Word and sign in. You need to sign in to edit documents. To sign in, tap "Sign In" in the upper left corner and sign in with the email and password associated with your Microsoft account or your Office 365 account. If you don't have a Microsoft account and don’t want to create one, you can edit Word documents for free using Pages or Google Docs.
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3. 3
   Tap the folder icon at the bottom right to open a doc. You can open a document saved to a cloud service, or open docs saved to local storage on your iPhone (e.g., from an email attachment).

   • To open a Word document saved to a Cloud service, tap the folder icon at the bottom of the screen, then tap Add Storage Account. Select a cloud service and sign in. You will then be able to open documents from the cloud service.
     • This option allows you to sync your Word docs across different devices logged into the same account. For example, if you have docs from your computer saved to OneDrive, any changes you make on your iPhone will automatically show up next time you open them in Word on your computer, and vice versa.
   • To browse for Word docs saved to your iPhone, tap the folder icon at the bottom of the screen and select one of the options under the Other Storage header, such as Offline Files, On My iPhone, or Files App. Tap the document to open it.
   • Alternatively, tap the + button at the bottom center of the screen to create a new blank doc or edit a template.
4. 4
   Double-tap the document text to enter Edit mode. This will display the keyboard.

   • Alternatively, tap the
     
     Edit icon at the top of the screen to open edit mode.
5. 5
   Type with the keyboard. Use the keyboard to edit the document text. Tap anywhere on the document to position your cursor before you start typing. You’ll find various formatting buttons, such as Bold, Italics, and Underline, directly above the keyboard.
6. 6
   Tap the

   

   Edit icon to access more editing options. Once you’re in edit mode, you’ll see an icon that looks like a pencil with a superimposed “A” at the top of the screen. Tap this to expand a menu with even more edit options. This is the equivalent of the ribbon menu at the top of the desktop version of Word. Use the blue dropdown menu button to explore different “tabs”:

   • Home: This tab allows you to change the font, edit the text and background color, add bullet points or numbered lists, and align your text to the left, center, right, or justified.
   • Insert: This tab allows you to add tables, images, shapes, hyperlinks, quote boxes, and more.
   • Draw: This tab allows you to draw on the document using your finger or stylus (or Apple Pencil, if you’re on an iPad). There are a number of marker options at the top of the page.
   • Layout: This tab allows you to change the orientation or page size and add margins, columns, and breaks.
   • Review: This tab has options for spellcheck, word count, tracking comments, and smart lookup.
   • View: This option allows you to change from print layout to mobile view, as well as turn rulers on and off.
7. 7
   Tap ••• for sharing and saving options. The Word app saves automatically while you type, but you can still explore other saving and sharing options by tapping the ••• button at the top right corner of the screen. From this menu, you can:

   • Toggle AutoSave on or off, for docs that are saved to OneDrive.
   • Make your doc available offline on your iPhone.
   • Save a copy of your doc to another location.
   • Share your document or export it to another format (such as PDF or ODT).
   • Print your document or open it in a different app.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Pages

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1. 1
   Open Pages. Pages is a free word-processing app that comes preinstalled on most iPhones. You can open it by tapping the Pages icon on your home screen. It looks like a white pen on an orange background.

   • If you don’t already have the Pages app on your iPhone, download it from the App Store.
2. 2
   Tap Browse. This is the icon that looks like a folder at the bottom right corner of the screen.
3. 3
   Select the location where your Word doc is saved. For example, from here you can browse your iCloud drive, your phone’s local storage, or your Downloads folder.
4. 4
   Tap a document to open it. Your document will open in reading mode.
5. 5
   Tap Edit. This black button is located at the top right corner of the screen. Your document will switch to edit mode.
6. 6
   Double-tap the document to open the keyboard. Tap where you want to place your cursor and start typing. The keyboard will expand at the bottom of the screen.

   • You’ll see formatting buttons above the keyboard, such as Bold, Italics, and Underline. You can also use these buttons to change paragraph styles, align your text, and create lists or insert breaks.
7. 7
   Use the tools at the top of the screen for more editing options. If you want more advanced editing tools, use the row of buttons at the top of the document. From here, you can:

   • Use the + button to insert various objects, such as tables, images, and graphs.
   • Use the paintbrush icon to access a menu of text editing tools, like paragraph styles, fonts, text size and color, alignment, line spacing, borders, and so on.
   • Tap ••• for additional options. This menu contains options for exporting, printing, or renaming your document, as well as annotations, edit tracking, and more.
   • Use the
     
     button to share your document with a contact or open it in a different app.
8. 8
   Tap Done when you’ve made your edits. The changes to your document will be saved.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Google Docs

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1. 1
   Upload your Word document to Google Drive. You can open and edit Word docs in the Google Docs app, but it will take a couple of extra steps. To get started, you’ll need to save your document to Google Drive, which you can do either in a web browser on your computer or from the mobile app.
2. 2
   Open Google Docs on your iPhone and sign in. If you don’t already have it, download the app now from the App Store. Sign in with the same Google account that’s associated with your Google Drive.
3. 3
   Tap the folder icon. It’s at the top of the screen, near your profile image.
4. 4
   Select My Drive. If someone else has shared a Word document with you over Google Drive, select the Shared with me option instead.
5. 5
   Tap the Word document you want to edit. Word docs will be displayed with a W icon, while Google docs have an icon with three black lines.
6. 6
   Tap the edit icon

   

   . It's the pencil icon in the lower right corner. This will display the keyboard.
7. 7
   Type with the keyboard. Use the keyboard to edit and type text in the document. Use the buttons above the keyboard to add bold, italics, underline, and strike-through text. You can also change the text alignment and add bullet points, numbered lists, and indents.
8. 8
   Tap + to insert objects. The "plus" button at the top of the screen allows you to add links, comments, images, tables, horizontal lines, page breaks, and page numbers to a document.
9. 9
   Tap the underlined A icon to modify your text style. This icon allows you to modify the text. The "Text" tab allows you to change the font, font style, font size, and text color. The "Paragraph" tab allows you to change the text alignment, add indents, create bullet and numbered lists, and change the line spacing.
10. 10
    Tap … for additional options. This options menu allows you to view a print layout or document outline, find and replace, explore, check word count, change the page setup, view document details, and share and export the document.
11. 11
    Share the document. Use the following methods to share the document.

    • Tap … in the upper right corner.
    • Tap Share & export.
    • Tap Share.
    • Type the email address of a recipient in the "Add people or groups" line.
    • Tap the icon that resembles a paper airplane at the bottom of the screen.
    • You can also tap Copy link in the Share & export menu and share a link to the document. You may first have to change the document’s privacy settings under the Manage access header.
12. 12
    Save the document. To save the document, tap the checkmark icon in the upper left corner. This will exit the document and save it in its original format.

    • You can also export Google Docs files as Word documents and vice versa. To do so, go to … > Share & export and select Save as [your desired file format].
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Common Questions: Using an iPhone to Edit Files

Can I edit a Word document in the Pages app?

Yes, you can open and edit Word documents in the Pages app. You can also save Pages documents as Word (.doc or .docx) files in the Pages app. The Pages app can also open iBooks Author files and text files (with a .txt or .rtf extension).

Can I edit Word documents for free on my iPhone?

Yes, you can edit Microsoft Word documents for free using the Word app, the Pages app that comes pre-installed on your iPhone, or Google Docs.

Why can't I edit Word documents on my iPhone?

To edit documents in the Word app, you need a Microsoft account. You can open documents in Word without being signed in, but you’ll have to sign in to edit them. You should also try opening the document directly via the Word app, not via your iPhone files or OneDrive. If nothing else works, try reinstalling the Word app, or switch to Pages or Google Docs.

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