How to turn a Word file into PDF
Have you just finished drafting a document in Word but before distributing it online or sending it to your co-workers, would you like to turn it into a PDF file to avoid unwanted changes? Yup? Sounds like a really good idea to me! However, if you are here right now and are reading this guide, it is evident that, despite your good intentions, you are not clear on how to turn a Word file into PDF. If this is indeed the case, know that you can count on me once again.
With today’s tutorial, in fact, I will explain what needs to be done to allow you to reach your goal, using different solutions, which you can use both using your computer and smartphone and tablet. Furthermore, in case you do not want to install any software on your devices, I will recommend online services to perform this file conversion operation directly from the browser.
If, therefore, you are interested in finding out which options are available to you, I suggest you get comfortable and concentrate on reading the next chapters. I am sure that, in the end, you will be able to feel more than satisfied with the results obtained. Ready? Yup? Very well, then stop the chatter and let’s get on with it. Have a good reading!
Index
- How to convert Word files to PDF on PC
- Microsoft Office (Windows / macOS)
- LibreOffice (Windows / macOS)
- Preview (macOS)
- How to turn a Word file into PDF from your mobile
- Office (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
- Other solutions to turn a Word file into PDF from your mobile
- How to turn Word files to PDF online
- CloudConvert
- iLovePDF
How to convert Word files to PDF on PC
If you want to proceed with the transformation of a Word file into PDF using your Windows PC or your Mac, I advise you to carefully read the solutions that I will show you in the next lines.
Microsoft Office (Windows / macOS)
If you have installed the Microsoft Office productivity suite on your PC (2007 and up), know that you don’t need any other software to achieve your goal. In fact, you can easily turn a Word document into a PDF via the simple save feature.
Don’t have the Microsoft Office package or the Word software? In this case, what I recommend you to do is to read my guide on how to download Office, in which you can find various information on how to proceed with the purchase of this product from Microsoft or, alternatively, how to get its evaluation version. free.
Having said that, let’s get to the heart of the matter! First of all, open the Word document you want to operate on: by doing so, it will be displayed directly in Microsoft Word. Now, if you use Windows, click on the File item at the top left and select the items Save As> Browse from the menu that opens. In the Save as field, choose the PDF extension and press the Save button.
Alternatively, you can also go to the File menu > Export> Create PDF / XPS Document> Create PDF / XPS and make sure the PDF format is selected in the appropriate Save as type drop-down menu. Then press the Publish button to confirm and that’s it. The final result will be the same as that obtained with the previous procedure; it’s up to you to choose which menu you prefer to use.
On macOS, however, after selecting the Save As item from the File menu, to start exporting your document to PDF, you must choose the PDF extension from the File Format field and press the Save button.
Alternatively, if the version of Word installed on your PC does not support saving documents in PDF format, you can proceed with the PDF virtual printer: you can find all the information about it in this guide. dedicated to the topic.
I remind you that you can also use Word through its online version, which is completely free (a Microsoft account is required to use it) and allows you to export documents to PDF. To do this, just select the File> Save As> Download as PDF items from the service menu. More info here.
LibreOffice (Windows / macOS)
If you don’t have any version of Microsoft Office installed on your computer, PC or Mac, you can turn a Word file into PDF for free using LibreOffice, a free and open-source office suite that fully supports all Office file formats and allows you to easily export them to PDF format.
To download LibreOffice on your Windows or macOS computer, what you need to do is go to its official website and download the installation file by clicking on the Download button. If you are using macOS, you must also download the language pack for the translation of the suite into Italian (which is included as standard in the Windows version), by clicking on the item Translated User Interface: Italian. For all the details, you can check out my tutorial on how to download and install LibreOffice.
At this point, start LibreOffice, click on the Open button and select the Word file you want to transform into PDF. Then go to Writer’s File menu (the LibreOffice application for word processing), select the items Export as> Export directly to PDF and click the Save button to complete the operation.
If you want to customize the export to PDF, being able to interact on some functions, such as the pages to include, the quality of the images or setting a password when opening the file, just to give you some examples, you have to proceed differently.
First, go to Writer’s File menu and select the items Export as> Export to PDF format. By doing so, you will be shown a screen with many export customization options in this format. When you have adjusted everything as you like, click first on the Export button and then on the one called Save.
Preview (macOS)
If you want to know how to turn a Word file to PDF on Mac, know that there is no need to install any program on your computer. To do this, you can in fact use Preview, the application available as standard on macOS and which allows you to view both images and documents.
To transform a Word file into PDF with Preview, locate the document you wish to act on, click on it with the right mouse button and select the items Open with> Preview from the context menu.
In the window that is shown to you, call up the print function by selecting the Print item from the File menu or by pressing the combination of keys cmd + p on the computer keyboard. Now, click on the PDF drop-down menu located at the bottom left and select the item Save as PDF from the menu that appears.
Then, choose the folder in which to save the converted document and, if you deem it necessary, set the properties of the file by filling in the appropriate fields Title, Author and Subject. To complete the procedure, click on the Save button.
Alternatively, press the File item, at the top, select the Export as PDF item from the menu that opens and, in the box that is shown to you, press the Save button to start the generation of the PDF file.
How to turn a Word file into PDF from your mobile
You do not have the possibility to use a PC and do you want, therefore, to proceed to transform a Word file into PDF from your smartphone or tablet? In this case, know that you will find everything you need in the next paragraphs.
Office (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
The best app you can install on your smartphone or tablet to manage your Office documents and turn a Word file to PDF on Android or iOS / iPadOS is Microsoft‘s Office. This is a free app for devices with displays of 10.1 inches or less. For devices with larger displays, a Microsoft 365 subscription is required (starting at 7 euros/month).
First of all, download the app on Android via this link: by tapping on the latter from your Android device, the Play Store will be launched, in order to download the app immediately, using the Install button. If your smartphone or tablet is not equipped with Google services, you can install the app by following the advice I have given you in this guide.
To download on iOS / iPadOS, instead, press on this link from your device, in order to open the App Store, press the Get button and unlock the download and installation via Face ID, Touch ID or Apple ID password.
After installing and starting the app via its icon on the home screen or in the app menu, login with your Microsoft account, to reach the main screen. Once this is done, click on the Actions tab at the bottom and select the Document in PDF item. Now, choose one of the Word files on OneDrive or press the Browse item to import it from the device memory.
After pressing on the name of the file, it will be immediately converted. Now, press the ⋮ icon, at the top right, and select the item Save As item from the menu that opens. Then choose the location (local or in the cloud) where to export the file just converted to PDF and press the Save button.
Other solutions to turn a Word file into PDF from your mobile
If you need other solutions to convert a Word document on your smartphone or tablet to PDF, you should know that you can navigate this area using some “standard” features of Android and iOS / iPadOS devices or by using the appropriate apps.
As for the “standard” functionality, you can make use of the virtual printer. This is a great solution that you can put into practice without having to install any apps, on both Android devices and those with iPhones and iPads.
The only hitch you can find may be opening the Word document. While on iOS / iPadOS you can use the default print preview app, on Android you can run into some difficulties. Generally speaking, the Google Docs app should be pre-installed to open DOC and DOCX files but, alternatively, you can download the Word app.
If you want to know more about how to turn a Word document into PDF via the print functionality, my advice is to carefully read the tips I gave you in this article of mine. dedicated to the subject.
As for the third-party apps that you can install on your smartphone or tablet, in order to proceed with the transformation of Word documents into PDF, there are several, such as PDF Conversion Suite (on Android) or Document to PDF (on iOS / iPadOS). If you want to know more, I recommend reading this tutorial of mine.
How to turn Word files to PDF online
If you are looking for an online tool to easily transform Word documents into PDFs, in the next chapters I will show you some solutions that can be right for you.
CloudConvert
CloudConvert is a free service (for up to 25 daily conversions), works with all browsers and requires no signup. Using it, you can convert Word DOC and DOCX files, as well as simple RTF documents or other text file formats, to PDF. If you want to extend the limitations of this service, you can subscribe to a subscription plan starting at € 8.54 / month for 1000 conversions per minute or purchase one-time conversion/minute packages.
The first step you need to take is to reach the official CloudConvert website. Using the drop-down menus next to the word Convert, select the file extensions: in the first menu, in the Document tab, select the DOC, DOCX format or any text document format; in the second drop-down menu ( To ) select the PDF item from the Document tab.
Now, import the Word document to be processed: you can press the Select File button to upload a file on your PC, otherwise press the ▼ icon alongside to choose other import methods, such as from URL or cloud storage services such as Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive.
Through the box below, however, you can set some optional configurations, such as optimization for printing, page range, password for opening the document and compatibility with the PDF / A format. When you are ready, press the Convert button, to start the transformation process. When finished, press the Download button to download the PDF document on your PC.
iLovePDF
Another good free online service for converting a Word file to PDF is iLovePDF. It is a free service but you can subscribe to a subscription plan, starting from 6 euros/month to extend the different limitations, of which you can get an overview at this link.
To turn a Word file into PDF with iLovePDF, go to its official website and press the Select Word Documents button, to import the file from your PC. In the event that your file is found online (for example on Dropbox or another service of cloud storage service ) click on the appropriate icons alongside.
Once this is done, click on the Convert to PDF button to start the conversion process. When finished, press the Download PDF button to download the PDF file to your computer. Alternatively, you can click the respective icons alongside to import the document to supported cloud storage services.