How to Convert Word to PDF
A Word file is a living document: it reflows. Open a DOCX on a machine that lacks your font, or in a different version of Word, and lines break in new places, a table slides onto the next page, and the CV you carefully fitted onto one sheet becomes two. That is why almost nothing important is sent as a DOCX.
Converting to PDF freezes the layout. Fonts are embedded, page breaks stay where you put them, and the recipient needs neither your template nor Microsoft Word to read it. This guide walks through the conversion in the browser and covers the details that usually go wrong.
Ready to do it now? Open Word to PDF and get your file in a few seconds.
Open the toolWhen you need Word to PDF
- Sending a CV, cover letter or application where formatting is part of the impression you make.
- Issuing invoices, contracts and offers that must not be altered by accident on the way.
- Submitting coursework, theses or reports to a system that specifies PDF and rejects everything else.
How to convert Word to PDF step by step
Finish the document first
Do the last proofread in Word, not afterwards. A PDF is a final form, and fixing a typo means editing the DOCX and converting again.
Open the Word to PDF tool
Go to the Word to PDF page. It accepts DOC and DOCX, including files exported from LibreOffice Writer and Google Docs, and needs nothing installed.
Upload your documents
Drag the files onto the upload area or pick them from the dialog. Several documents can be queued at once; each becomes its own PDF.
Start the conversion
Press the convert button and wait a few seconds while the pages are rendered with the fonts embedded.
Download and check the result
Download the PDF and scroll through it once. Pay attention to page breaks, tables that sit near a page edge, and the headers and footers — that is where layout surprises hide.
Common problems and how to fix them
The layout shifted slightly
This normally means the document uses a font that was not available when it was rendered. Rebuild the document with a widely available font — or one you can embed in the DOCX — and convert again.
The PDF is too big to email
Photographs inside the document are almost always the reason. Run the finished file through Compress PDF; text stays sharp and the size usually drops sharply.
You need to edit the text again
PDF is not meant for rewriting. Keep the DOCX as your working copy, and if you no longer have it, PDF to Word converts the document back into an editable file.
Word or PDF: which one to send
Send the DOCX when the other person is supposed to work on the text — co-authoring, tracked changes, a template someone will adapt. That is what the format is for, and it assumes both sides have compatible software.
Send a PDF whenever the document is finished. It looks identical everywhere, prints reliably, cannot be edited by accident, and is the format almost every employer, university and public body asks for. Keep the DOCX for yourself as the source you will edit next time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it accept both DOC and DOCX?
Yes. The classic DOC format and modern DOCX files are both supported, including documents exported from LibreOffice Writer and Google Docs.
Will my fonts and layout be preserved?
Fonts are embedded in the PDF and the layout is rendered as it appears in your document, so headings, tables, page breaks, headers and footers stay in place.
Can I convert several documents at once?
Yes. Add them all to the queue and each one is converted into its own PDF.
Will the PDF still be editable?
A PDF is intended as a final document, so the text is not meant to be rewritten in a reader. Convert it back with PDF to Word if you need to make changes.
Is there a page or size limit?
One document can be up to 100 MB, there is no page limit, and there is no cap on how many files you convert per day.
Is my document kept on the server?
No. Uploaded and converted files are deleted automatically one hour after processing.
Ready to do it now? Open Word to PDF and get your file in a few seconds.
Open the tool