Microsoft word has the option to save documents in PDF format. However, at times it may not be easy to go for the format and instead opt for a different document repository. You then have to go through the arduous task of converting your document into the PDF format which is where you require a special Word to PDF conversion tool
File formats have a way of frustrating us at times. Especially word documents. The frustration is often compounded when you do not have the document with you on your computer or mobile devices. Well, pdf is not an issue, in such cases as we now have a solution to convert word to pdf.
You can convert a Word document to PDF easily with just a few clicks. When you’re done, the file will be saved as a perfectly formatted PDF that any computer user can view. Here’s how to do it.
Word to PDF conversion is one of the most frequent tasks for any computer user. This process is useful, when you need to get a printed copy of your document, or send it as an attachment via Email. However, if you choose “Save as PDF”, then all formatting and graphics will be lost in the process. It will also change the file extension of your document from .docx to .pdf. In this article we will show you how to convert Microsoft Word documents into Adobe Portable Document Format files easily and quickly with a few mouse clicks.
Why convert to PDF?
There are numerous reasons why you might want your Word document to be a pdf file. There are often incompatibilities between versions of Microsoft Word that can mess up your careful formatting. In addition, not everyone has Microsoft Word, but nearly everyone has access to viewing a pdf.
PDFs are an industry standard, so how a pdf looks on one computer will change very little from how it looks on another computer. This makes PDFs great for carefully laid out documents such as resumes and design specifications.
These are just some of the many reasons you might want a PDF file instead of a Word document. Rest assured, converting a Word doc to a PDF is super easy!
There are two ways to do this:
If you have access to Microsoft word, follow the instructions marked, “If you have Microsoft Word…”
If you don’t have access to this software or if the file is not compatible with your version of Word, you’ll want to skip down to the third method.
Important: Many programs, including Microsoft Word, have the ability to open and edit PDF files. Simply sharing something as a PDF is not sufficient to guarantee the recipient can’t edit the file.WindowsmacOSWebiOS
To export or save as PDF, in your Office file, on the File menu, click Export or Save As. To see step-by-step instructions, select an Office program from the drop-down list.Which Office program are you using?
Portable Document Format (PDF) preserves document formatting and enables file sharing. When the PDF format file is viewed online or printed, it retains the format that you intended. The PDF format is also useful for documents that will be reproduced using commercial printing methods. PDF is accepted as a valid format by many agencies and organizations, and viewers are available on a wider variety of platforms than XPS.
XML Paper Specification (XPS) is an electronic file format that preserves document formatting and enables file sharing. The XPS format ensures that when the file is viewed online or printed, it retains exactly the format that you intended, and that data in the file cannot be easily changed.
PDFs are handy for distributing documents so that they’re seen the same way by all parties. Typically, you’ll create documents using another app and then convert them to PDF. Here’s how to convert a Microsoft Word document to PDF.
Convert a Document to PDF Using Word
If you have the desktop version of Microsoft Word installed on your Windows PC or Mac, the easiest way to convert your document to PDF is right in Word itself.
Open the document you want to convert and then click the “File” tab.
On the backstage screen, select “Save As” from the list on the left.
Next, from the Save As screen, select where you would like the PDF to be saved (OneDrive, This PC, a particular folder, or wherever).
Click the dropdown arrow on the right side of the “Save As Type” box and select “PDF (*.pdf)” from the dropdown menu.
If you want to, you can change the filename at this time. When you’re ready, click the “Save” button.
After saving the PDF, you’ll be returned to your Word document, and the new PDF will open automatically in your default PDF viewer.
If You Don’t Have Microsoft Word
If you don’t have Word, but need to convert a document someone sent you to PDF, you do have a few options:
- Google Drive: You can upload a Word document to Google Drive, save it as a Google Document, and then convert it to PDF. This works well enough if you have a simple, mostly text Word document without much formatting (and if you already have a Google account).
- A Conversion Website: There are a lot of sites out there that offer to convert Word documents to PDF for free. We recommend freepdfconvert.com. It’s a safe site, it works fast, and it does a pretty good job on Word documents with even a modest amount of formatting. And it really is free if you just need to convert the occasional Word document to PDF. A paid subscription gets you additional features like unlimited conversions (multiple documents at once), and the ability to convert more types of files.
- LibreOffice: LibreOffice is a free, open-source office app that offers a lot of the same features as Microsoft Office. You can even open Microsoft Word documents, and convert them to PDF.
PDF is one of the most popular file formats, from government circulars to ebooks. We’ve already shown you how to convert PDF to Word, and now we’re going to show you how to convert Word to PDF. Word to PDF is a relatively easy conversion because there are really simple Word to PDF converters available. You can convert Word to PDF for free without installing any apps too. Follow this guide to see how to convert Word to PDF.
How to convert Word to PDF
The first method we are going to show doesn’t require you to install any app on your device. It works across all devices, be it smartphones, tablets and computers. With that said, follow these steps.
- Visit the website, www.hipdf.com.
- Once the website is loaded, click on the third option from the top that says, Word to PDF.
- After that, click Choose File > select the Word document from your phone’s or computer’s local storage and open it.
- Once the document is finished uploading, hit Convert > wait for the file to finish the conversion > click on Download.
- That’s it. Your Word document will now be converted into a PDF file.
If you want to convert Word to PDF offline, you can do so via Apple’s Pages app, which is a Word alternative for iOS and macOS. Here’s how to convert Word to PDF via Pages.
- Locate the Word document and open it in Pages.
- Once the document is loaded, on Pages for Mac, click on File > Export To > PDF.
- On Pages for Mac, a menu will pop-up, set the quality to Best and click on Next.
- You’ll now be asked to enter the file name and edit the save location. Once done, hit Export. With this done, you have just now successfully converted a Word doc into a PDF file on a Mac.
- On Pages for iOS, open the document, tap the three-dots icon on the top right > Export > PDF. The share sheet will open now and you can save it via the Files app, copy it to other apps, or share it with others.
That brings us to the last method that we’ll be suggesting to convert Word to PDF. This method is for the ones who have a Windows 10 machine and want to convert Word documents into PDFs. Simply, follow these steps.
- Locate the Word document on your Windows 10 computer and open it in Microsoft Word.
- Once the document is loaded, click on File > Save As > edit the file name. Below that when you click, you’ll see a drop-down menu > select PDF.
- Once done, hit Save and your Word file will now be downloaded as a PDF on your computer.
By following these simple methods, you can now easily convert Word documents into PDF files. Just in case you’re on the other side of the fence and want to know how to convert PDF files into Word documents, we have already covered this topic in another article.
How to convert Word to PDF on Windows
Convert Word to PDF with PDFelement
Import Word file to convert
Click the button below to free download PDFelement for Word to PDF conversion. Launch this Word to PDF converter on Windows, click “Create PDF” and select the Word file you want to convert, and click “Open” button at the bottom right of the screen.
Change Word to PDF
The created PDF file will be opened directly in PDFelement. You just need to click “Save As” in the “File” tab to save it to your computer. This Microsoft Office Word to PDF converter works for all versions of Word from 2003 to 2016.
PDF software to convert Word files to PDF
Wondershare PDF Converter Pro
Wondershare PDF Converter Pro is one of the most powerful Word Doc to PDF converters that allows you to create PDF files from almost any other file type. You can create PDF files from Word, PowerPoint, Excel, rich text, and other formats. Also, Wondershare PDF Converter allows you to encrypt PDF, protect PDF, OCR PDF and merge PDF. To change Word document to PDF with Wondershare PDF Converter Pro, you just need to go to “File to PDF” and then add a Word document to this Word to PDF converter, then click “Create” button. It is the easiest way to change Word to PDF.
NitroPDF
NitroPDF rates as one of our best Word to PDF Creator Software. This software is a powerful Word Doc to PDF converter that allows you to create PDF files from almost any other file type. You can also create PDF files by combining other files or create a PDF file from scratch. NitroPDF creates collaborative PDF files that you can sign, edit, and modify with PrimoPDF’s built-in editor. NitroPDF also allows you to convert your PDF to Word, Images, Excel, HTML, and PowerPoint, among others. It is also a powerful PDF merger that combines PDF files in a batch of files into a single file. You can also use this tool to add watermarks, annotate, draw shapes, and insert your digital signature. With Nitro PDF, you can share your PDF via email. It is compatible with Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 10.
Foxit Phantom PDF
Finishing off our top list of Word to PDF creators is Foxit PhantomPDF software. This software is well integrated to allow you to create PDF files from Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and more. The generated PDFs are compatible with other PDF tools like the ones mentioned in our list. Furthermore, this tool is also a PDF converter. Convert PDF to formats like Excel, Word, PPT, images and others. It is also a PDF editor that allows you to annotate, watermark, comment and share PDF files. Foxit PhantomPDF allows you to perform OCR on PDF files, as well as merge, split, encrypt, redact and sign your PDF files. You can use this tool to manage pages of your PDF and modify them. This tool is compatible with Windows 7, 8 and 10.
Convert Word documents to PDF with Microsoft Word
Convert Word to PDF with Word 2016, 2013 and 2010
Open a Word document on your computer. Go to the “File” tab and choose the “Save As” option, then in the new dialog window, select “PDF (*.pdf)” to save the Word document, then click the “Save” button. You can also choose the folder and name the file as you like.
Transform Word to PDF with Word 2007 and 2003
Open a Word document, then go to the “File” button in the upper left corner. Click the “Save As” button and choose the “PDF or XPS” option to change the document to PDF. (Note: If you don’t have this option, you can use the method below to convert Word 2003 to PDF.)
Conclusion
You might have heard about the term PDF. If you are new to those acronyms, I will tell you a few things that I think you need to know. PDF is the abbreviation for “Portable Document Format” — a file format created by Adobe Systems Incorporated. This file format can be configured to retain the same graphical and stylistic information of your original documents without losing any details. That is one of the reasons why individuals like working with PDFs rather than in Word or other types of word processor files.
Printing a Word Document as a PDF can be done by sending to a printer that supports this feature or by converting the document to PDF. This article will show you how to convert Word document to .pdf on your computer and how to convert word to pdf in windows 10.