How to Save a Word Document as a PDF on Any Device

Here is how to save a Word document as a PDF: in Microsoft Word, choose File, then Save As (or Save a Copy), pick PDF as the file type and click Save. Word keeps your fonts, layout and links exactly as they look on screen. On a Mac, in Word for the web, in Google Docs or on a phone without Word, the steps differ slightly, and each one is below.

Why send a PDF instead of a DOCX

A Word file can look different on every computer. Missing fonts get replaced, page breaks move, and comments or tracked changes may show up for the reader. A PDF fixes the layout, so a CV, a letter or an invoice looks the same on a phone, a Mac or a printer.

Many job portals, universities and government forms accept only PDF for that reason. The guide to PDF files explains the format in more detail.

How to save a Word document as a PDF on Windows

These steps match Word for Microsoft 365 and Word 2016 to 2024 on Windows, as described on Microsoft's page about saving Office files as PDF.

1. Open the document in Word.
2. Choose File, then Save a Copy. In a document that was never saved, the option is Save As.
3. Choose a folder with Browse.
4. In the Save as type list, choose PDF.
5. Click Save.

There is a second route with the same result: File, then Export, then Create PDF/XPS Document, then Create PDF/XPS.

Options worth knowing

Before saving, open More options, then Options. A few settings there solve common problems:

• Page range. Save only some pages, for example a single chapter.
• Publish what. Choose Document showing markup only if you want tracked changes and comments in the PDF. For a clean copy, make sure plain Document is selected.
• Create bookmarks using Headings. Turns your Word headings into clickable bookmarks in the PDF sidebar, which helps in long reports.
• PDF/A. The checkbox labeled as ISO compliant PDF/A makes an archive friendly file, which some courts and agencies ask for.

Save As PDF or Print to PDF?

Windows also lets you print a document to Microsoft Print to PDF. Use Save As PDF in Word instead. It keeps links clickable, can add bookmarks and accessibility tags, and keeps every word as real text that can be selected and searched.

Printing to PDF can work as a backup when Save As shows an error.

Set the paper size first

The PDF uses the page size of your document. A CV written on US Letter paper prints with odd margins on A4 in Europe, and the other way round.

In Word, open the Layout tab, choose Size and pick the paper your reader uses before you save. The A4 vs Letter guide shows the difference.

Remove hidden details

Comments, the author name and other document properties can travel into a PDF. On Windows, choose File, then Info, then Check for Issues and Inspect Document to find and remove them before you save the PDF. This matters most for contracts, offers and anything sent outside your company.

Save as PDF in Word for Mac

Microsoft's page on how to save or convert to PDF on a Mac gives these steps:

1. Choose File, then Save As.
2. Type a file name. Give the PDF a name that differs from the original, so your editable Word file stays as it is.
3. In the File Format menu, choose PDF.
4. Click Export.

To email a PDF straight away, choose File, then Share, then Send PDF. Word creates the PDF and attaches it to a new message.

Microsoft notes that PDFs saved this way are tagged automatically, which helps screen readers follow the reading order.

On any Mac you can also choose File, then Print, open the PDF menu in the lower left corner of the print window and choose Save as PDF. Word's own Save As route is the better choice when it is available.

Word for the web, phones and Google Docs

Word for the web

1. Open the document in Word for the web.
2. Choose File, then Export.
3. Choose Download as PDF, or Download as PDF with comments if the reader should see them.
4. Confirm with Download.

Word mobile app

Microsoft describes this route for its mobile apps: open the file, tap the three dots, tap File, then Print. Choose Select a printer, pick Save as PDF, tap the PDF icon and save the file. Menu names can differ a little between Android and iPhone versions.

Google Docs to PDF

1. Open the document in Google Docs. A DOCX file can be uploaded to Google Drive and opened with Google Docs first.
2. Choose File, then Download.
3. Choose PDF Document (.pdf).

For very large documents, Google suggests another route in Chrome: File, then Print, set Destination to Save as PDF and click Save.

Google Docs rebuilds a Word file in its own editor, so unusual fonts, text boxes and complex tables may shift. Check the PDF before you send it.

How to convert Word to PDF without Word

On a Chromebook, a library computer or a phone without Office, a browser converter is the quickest option. The FileKiwi Word to PDF converter works like this:

1. Drop a DOCX file on the page, up to 30 MB. Older .doc files have to be saved as DOCX first.
2. The FileKiwi server builds the PDF and deletes its temporary working files right after.
3. Download the PDF and scroll through every page before you send it.

The conversion keeps your text, headings, bold and italic, lists, tables and images. It does not reproduce Word exactly: all text is set in one font, DejaVu Sans, on A4 portrait pages. Text boxes, columns, footnotes and tracked changes may look different.

A copy of the DOCX you add is kept in a private folder for 30 days and then deleted, and the PDF result is not stored.

That makes it a good fit for a plain letter, school work or a simple CV. When the PDF must match your Word design exactly, with your own fonts, US Letter paper or a detailed layout, use Save As PDF in Word or Download as PDF in Google Docs.

Check the PDF before you send it

• Page breaks. Scroll through every page. A heading alone at the bottom of a page or an empty last page is easy to fix in Word before saving again.
• Comments and changes. Make sure no comments, tracked changes or highlight colors from editing ended up in the PDF.
• Fonts. Open the PDF in a second viewer, such as your browser, and compare one page with Word. Odd letters or a different typeface mean a font was swapped, usually because the converter did not have it.
• File name. Name the file after you and its content, for example Anna Silva CV.pdf, not Document1.pdf. Recruiters and offices receive many files with the same generic name.
• Links. Click an email address or a web link in the PDF to confirm it still works.
• File size. Documents full of photos can exceed an upload limit. See how to compress a PDF to make it smaller.
• Privacy. For a contract or a payslip, consider adding an open password, as explained in how to password protect a PDF.

Which method to pick

If Word is installed, use Save As PDF (Windows) or Save As with the PDF format (Mac). It is the most faithful copy and takes a few clicks. If the document lives in Google Docs or OneDrive, download the PDF from there.

On a phone or a computer without Office, use a browser converter for simple documents, and remember that it uses one font on A4 pages. Whatever you choose, keep the DOCX as your editable original and treat the PDF as the version you send.

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