How to convert DOC files to PDF
Do you need to turn some Word files into PDF and you don’t have a clue how to do it? Don’t despair. The solution to your problem can be found in this guide of mine, which is dedicated to how to convert DOC files to PDF.
You must know, in fact, that there are a lot of programs, online services and apps for smartphones/tablets that can be very useful for the purpose in question. Yes, these are tools, often free and easily usable even by the less knowledgeable in terms of computer science, which allow you to transform one or more DOC or DOCX files into PDF in a few seconds.
Then? What are you waiting for to test them? Come on, follow my instructions and put them to the test now! I am sure that, in the end, you will be able to tell yourself very happy and satisfied with what you have learned, as well as, of course, that you have finally succeeded in your intent. Let it bet?
Index
- How to convert DOC files to PDF for free
- Word (Windows / macOS)
- Windows 10 virtual printer
- MacOS virtual printer
- LibreOffice (Windows / macOS / Linux)
- How to convert DOC files to PDF online
- CloudConvert
- Online2PDF
- DocsPal
- How to convert DOC files to PDF on Android and iOS
- Word to PDF Converter (Android)
- easyPDF (iOS)
How to convert DOC files to PDF for free
If you need to convert DOC files to PDF from a computer, you can make use of the special tools for Windows, macOS and Linux that are listed below. They are almost all free and sufficiently intuitive.
Word (Windows / macOS)
Before talking to you about which free tools you can use to convert your DOC files to PDF, it should be noted that Word, the famous word processing program part of Microsoft’s Office package, includes an ad hoc function thanks to which it is possible to convert documents in PDF.
To use it, all you have to do is open the file to convert, click on the File item located at the top left, select the Export option from the sidebar, press the Create PDF / XPS button, indicate the name you want to assign to the final document, specify the location for saving and click on the Publish button.
If you want to obtain a compact size PDF (the visual quality of the file will however be lower than the standard quality), also remember to check the Minimum size option, located at the bottom right of the document saving window. For more details about it, I recommend reading my tutorial on how to create PDF from Word.
Windows 10 virtual printer
Let’s move on to the free tools now. You probably did not know it, but Windows 10, the most recent operating system of the Redmond company, includes a virtual printer “as standard” that can be really useful for carrying out the operation covered by this tutorial.
Don’t know what a virtual printer is? No problem, I’ll explain it to you: it is a software tool that allows you to convert any printable document into a PDF file, acting in a manner almost similar to what should be done to print everything on paper.
That said, to take advantage of the Windows 10 virtual printer, open the DOC file you intend to convert to PDF (using the program you usually use to do this, eg WordPad for text files), call the print command ( usually accessible from the File menu ), select Microsoft Print to PDF or Save as PDF from the list of available printers and press the button to proceed with printing, in order to save the converted file on the PC. Easier than that?
MacOS virtual printer
Like Windows 10, macOS also integrates a virtual printer that allows you to convert DOC files (and any other printable document) to PDF in a few clicks. It is available on all versions of the Apple computer operating system and its use is very simple.
To use it, open the Word document you want to convert using the program you usually use for this type of file (eg Pages ), call the Print command from the File menu located at the top left and, in the next screen, select the Save item as PDF from the drop-down menu at the bottom.
In the new window that you now see, type the name you want to assign to the file (in the Save as field ), select the location on your Mac in which to store the document, using the Located in menu, customize (if you deem it appropriate) the properties document (title, author and subject) and click the Save button.
If you are interested in this, I would also like to point out that, before saving your document in PDF, you can also choose to apply a password to protect it from changes and printing: to do so, click on the Security Options button and fill in the fields that are shown to you.
LibreOffice (Windows / macOS / Linux)
Another great resource you can rely on for converting DOC files to PDF is LibreOffice. In case you have never heard of it, this is an open source productivity suite, totally free and compatible with Windows, macOS and Linux, loudly considered as the best alternative to Microsoft’s office.
To download it to your PC, visit the LibreOffice website and click on the Download version xxx button.
Once the download is complete, if you are using Windows, open the .msi file obtained and, in the window that is shown on the screen, click on the Run button. Then click on the Next button, select the Typical option and complete the setup by pressing the Next, Install, Yes and Finish buttons.
If you are using macOS, open the downloaded .dmg package instead, drag the LibreOffice icon into the Applications folder, right-click on it and select the Open item from the menu that appears. Then, click on the Open button in response to the warning on the screen, so start LibreOffice going to circumvent the limitations imposed by Apple on applications that come from non-certified developers (an operation that must be carried out only at the first start).
At this point, still on macOS, go again to the LibreOffice website and download the Italian translation of the suite (on Windows it is already included), by clicking on the Translated user interface button. When the download is complete, close LibreOffice (by pressing the combination of keys cmd + q ), open the new .dmg package obtained, right-click on the LibreOffice Language Pack executable placed inside it, select the Open item from the menu that appears and press on Open and Install buttons.
Then select the item / Applications / LibreOffice.app from the window that is shown to you and click on the Install button. If a warning regarding permissions appears, press the Yes button, identify me, enter the Mac password (that of your user account) and click the OK button twice.
Now, regardless of the OS you are using, start LibreOffice using the link added to the Start menu (on Windows) or by clicking on the program icon in the Launchpad (on macOS), click on the Open file button in the window that is shown to you on the desktop and select the document in DOC format in relation to which you are interested in intervening.
Then click on the File item (top left) in the new window that appears and choose the options Export as and Export in PDF format. Finally, configure the parameters for saving the document in PDF (the quality of any images present, the use of a password to open the file, etc.) and press the Export and Save buttons.
How to convert DOC files to PDF online
There are also several online services that you can use to convert DOC files to PDF by acting directly from the browser window (therefore without having to download anything to your computer). All you need is an Internet connection and that’s it. If you are interested in this, read on: you will find listed below what I believe are the best tools in the category.
CloudConvert
Let’s start with CloudConvert: a “universal” Web service capable of converting PDF documents, Word files, but also videos, images, music, eBooks and all documents created with Microsoft Office or LibreOffice between them. It is very fast in processing data and has no annoying upload limits. It also lets you work on multiple files at the same time and merge the pages of two or more Word files into a single PDF.
It’s free, but can be used for up to 10 minutes of conversions per day. To bring this limit to 25 minutes, just create a free account. Alternatively, it is possible to expand it to 500 minutes (or even more) by subscribing to one of the subscription plans (with costs starting from 8.54 euros/month). It should also be noted that all files uploaded to the service are removed from the latter’s servers within a few hours.
To personally test the potential of CloudConvert, connected to the main page of the service, click on the Select files button and select the DOC documents to be transformed into PDF. Alternatively, drag the files of your interest directly into the browser window or download them from the Internet, providing the URL or connecting to your cloud storage services ( Google Drive, Dropbox etc.), by clicking on the arrow next to the central button and choosing the option you prefer from the menu that opens.
Once uploaded, click on the Start Conversion button located at the bottom, wait for the files to be converted and download the final PDFs by clicking on the Download button.
If, before starting the conversion procedure, you want to modify the settings of the final documents, click on the button with the wrench next to the name of each file and adjust the parameters relating to optimization, protection, etc. via the screen that is shown to you. Then click on the Okay button to apply the changes.
If you want to merge multiple DOC files into a single PDF document, always before starting the conversion, expand the combine all into one drop-down menu located at the bottom right and select the PDF item from the latter. If you want to download all the converted files in a single compressed archive, instead, click on the create archive button and select the format you prefer from the menu that appears.
Online2PDF
Online2PDF is a great web service dedicated exclusively to editing and converting PDF documents. You can use it to convert DOC files to PDF and merge two or more Word documents into a single PDF file – all free, but with upload restrictions. The service, in fact, does not allow to process more than 20 documents at the same time and has an overall upload limit of 100 MB. Note that the data uploaded to the servers is removed after processing.
That said, to transform your DOC files into PDF with Online2PDF, linked to the home page of the service, click on the Select files button and select the documents to be processed. Alternatively, drag and drop files directly into the browser window.
Then, expand the drop-down menu Mode at the bottom and choose whether to create a single PDF, selecting the Merge files item, or whether to convert Word files separately, selecting the Convert files separately item.
Choose, therefore, the conversion mode you prefer from the drop-down menu convert to and adjust (if you deem it necessary) the settings relating to compression, display, protection, header and footer and layout, by clicking on the dedicated buttons that you find under the heading Preferences. Furthermore, I inform you that, by clicking on the button with the scissors placed next to each file, you can select the pages that make up the document, reorder them and/or divide them.
Finally, click on the Convert button located at the bottom of the page and wait for your documents to be converted first and then downloaded to your PC: everything happens automatically.
DocsPal
DocsPal is another “universal” converter that, if I were you, I would always keep in bookmarks. However, it has quite stringent limits for uploading: it allows you to upload a maximum of 5 files for a total weight of 50 MB, but it performs its duty very well. It should be noted that, during the conversion, the files are uploaded to the company’s servers but that, once the procedure is completed, they are automatically deleted.
To use the service, connected to its main page, click on the Browse the file button and select the DOC files to be processed, one at a time. Alternatively, drag and drop documents directly into the browser window. If the document to be converted is online, however, you can type the URL in the field next to the entry Enter the URL of the file.
Then, select the PDF – Portable Document Format option from the second drop-down menu that you find in the Step 2 section and click on the Convert files button at the bottom. Once the procedure is complete, click on the name of the file that appeared under the Converted files heading, to proceed with its download.
I also point out that you can receive the converted file via email. If this interests you, before starting the conversion, check the Send a download link to my email address (optional) box and enter your email address in the dedicated field.
How to convert DOC files to PDF on Android and iOS
Don’t have a computer at hand and are looking for apps for Android and iOS that allow you to convert DOC files to PDF? I’ll settle you immediately. Below, in fact, I have proceeded to point out some applications part of the category that you would really do well to consider.
Word to PDF Converter (Android)
If you’re using a smartphone or tablet Android, the app will tell you that Word to PDF Converter is undoubtedly the solution that suits you: it is, in fact, a free resource (with commercials), easy to use, which allows you to convert DOC to PDF (and vice versa) in a practical and fast way.
To download it to your device, visit the relevant section of the Play Store and press the Install button. Then, start the app, by pressing the Open button that appeared on the display or by selecting the relative icon that has been added to the home screen.
At this point, allow the app the necessary permissions to access photos, multimedia content and files on the device, then tap the Choose file button and select the DOC document that is on your device and you want to transform.
Next, tap the Convert Now! Button, wait for the conversion to start and complete and press on the file name that you find under the heading Output File (s), to indicate the location or app in which to save the final document.
easyPDF (iOS)
If you have an iOS device, I recommend that you take advantage of the easyPDF app, which allows you to perform a single operation but to do it in the best possible way: convert DOC files to PDF, and vice versa. It’s free and super easy to use.
To download the app, visit the relevant section of the App Store, press the Get / Install button and authorize the download of the application via Face ID, Touch ID or entering the Apple ID password. Then, start easyPDF by tapping the Open button that appeared on the display or by selecting the relative icon on the home screen.
Once the main screen of the app is displayed, tap on the word Skip located at the bottom right, to skip the introductory tutorial, press the [+] button located at the top left, choose the Browse option from the menu that is shown to you and select the DOC file.
To conclude, click on the Convert item located in the upper right part of the display, select the Convert to PDF option from the menu and wait for the procedure to be completed. Then tap on the sharing icon (the one with the square and the arrow ) and indicate the location or app to export the PDF.