The short answer
Drop one or more .docx files into the converter below, choose the paper size (A4, Letter or A5), the orientation and the margins, and download the PDF. Headings, bold and italic, lists, tables, images, links and page breaks are kept, and the text in the PDF can be selected, searched and copied because it is written with an embedded font.
If you have Word and the exact Word layout matters, for example in a form with fixed positions or a document with headers and footers, save the PDF from Word itself as described below.
Try it here: Word to PDF
Open the full tool pageSaving as PDF from Word and other editors
- Word on Windows or Mac: File > Save As (or File > Export) and pick PDF as the file type. Under Options you can choose to create bookmarks from headings.
- Word on iPhone, iPad or Android: open the document, tap the menu (three dots or File), then Export or Print, and choose PDF.
- Google Docs: File > Download > PDF Document.
- LibreOffice Writer: File > Export As > Export as PDF.
- Apple Pages: File > Export To > PDF.
- Any program: Print and choose Microsoft Print to PDF on Windows or Save as PDF in the print dialog on a Mac.
Converting without Word
The converter on this page reads the .docx file in your browser, so it works on Chromebooks, shared computers, tablets and phones where Word is not installed, and nothing is uploaded. It understands the structure of the document: heading levels, paragraphs, bullet and numbered lists, tables with merged cells, images inside the text, links, superscript and subscript, and manual page breaks.
Instead of copying Word's page layout, it sets the text in one clean font on the paper size you choose. Table rows and images are never cut in half at the end of a page, and headings stay on the same page as the paragraph that follows them. You can add many files at once and download the PDFs together as a ZIP.
Selectable text versus pictures of pages
Some quick converters turn every page into an image. The result looks fine, but the text cannot be selected, searched or read aloud by screen readers, the file is usually larger, and printing small text can look fuzzy.
The PDF from this converter contains real text with the font embedded in the file, so it opens the same way on every device and Ctrl+F finds words in it. Letters with accents and Greek, Cyrillic and Vietnamese text are written as text. Scripts that the embedded font does not include, such as Chinese, Japanese or Arabic, are drawn as images at high resolution so they still appear correctly.
What to check before you send the PDF
- Page breaks: a page break you inserted in Word starts a new page in the PDF. Line and page breaks elsewhere follow the PDF's own layout, so a page in Word may end a few lines earlier or later in the PDF.
- Headers, footers and footnotes: these are not included by the browser converter. If they matter, export from Word, or add page numbers afterwards with the page number tool.
- Images: pictures placed in line with the text are included. Images in old Windows formats such as EMF or WMF cannot be drawn by a browser; the converter tells you when it left one out. Re-insert them in Word as PNG or JPG.
- Old .doc files: open them in Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice and save as .docx first.
- File size: PDFs with many large photos can be big. Compress the PDF afterwards if an upload form has a size limit.
Choosing the paper size and margins
A4 (21 x 29.7 cm) is the standard paper size in most of the world; choose it for official letters, applications and school work. Letter (8.5 x 11 in) is used in the United States and Canada; choose it when the document goes there or the recipient asks for it. A5 is half of A4 and suits booklets, leaflets and small handouts.
Normal margins leave about 2.5 cm (1 inch) on every side and are the right choice for most documents. Narrow margins fit more text on each page, which helps with long tables and lists. Wide margins give room for handwritten notes or binding. For documents with wide tables, landscape orientation gives the columns more space.
Which method should you use?
| Situation | Best method |
|---|---|
| Word is installed and the exact layout matters | Save As PDF in Word |
| No Word on this computer, phone or tablet | Converter on this page |
| Many documents at once | Converter on this page (ZIP download) |
| Confidential document on a shared computer | Converter on this page (no upload) or Word |
| Document with headers, footers or text boxes | Save As PDF in Word |
| Need searchable, selectable text | Either method; avoid image-only converters |