Under what circumstance we need to convert a Word document to a PDF? When we are to share a document that contains contents we don't want to be copied, to reduce the size of a Word document, or to prevent messy code errors in Word while presenting, etc. Because PDF is unified-formatting, relatively small size, and cross-platform compatible.
Compare to PDF to Word conversion, how to save a Word document as PDF is a much easier problem. You can simply convert Word to PDF by using free apps like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or free online Word to PDF converter like EasePDF.
Contents
Solution 1: Convert A Word Document to PDF with EasePDF
Solution 2: Save A Word Document as A PDF on Microsoft Word 1.MS Office 2013 and newer version 2.MS Office 2010 3.MS Office 2007 4.MS Office on Mac
Solution 1: Convert A Word Document to PDF with EasePDF
The most convenient way to convert Word to PDF is to use an online converter. EasePDF is free for everyone. You can use all online tools to convert, edit, create, split, merge your PDF files without registration, as long as you have an internet connection. That means you can convert files on different devices like Windows computer, MacBook, laptop, smartphone, etc.
Step 1. Go to EasePDF and click "Word to PDF"
Step 2. Upload Word document(s)
If you want to convert Word documents on your computer or other local devices, click "Add File(s)" choose the target files. Or just drag your target Word files and drop them on the "Drop PDF here" area.
Wait for your files to be uploaded on the server. Normally it only takes seconds if your files are not too heavy and your Internet speed is fine.
Step 3. Convert Word to PDF
When your files are uploaded, click the "Convert" button to start converting your Word documents.
Step 4. Download the converted PDF file(s)
Click the "Download" button to save the converted PDF file(s) to your computer. You can save these files on Google Drive and Dropbox, you can also get a link for them to share with anyone.
That's it. Simple 4 steps to convert Word to PDF using online converter EasePDF. Now you can click "Start Over" to start another conversion task or go to other online tools like PDF editor, PDF to JPG converter, PDF merger, etc.
Solution 2: Save A Word Document as A PDF Use Microsoft Word
If you have Microsoft Office installed on your computer, this is another free and easy way to save a Word document as a PDF. But there's a slight difference between Office 2007, 2010 and above 2013. Since version 2010, Microsoft Office has a new feature - the easy ability to save Word documents as PDF or XPS files. So you don’t have to download other software or install any plug-in. For Office 2007, we need to install a plug-in to enable the conversion.
1.MS Office 2013 and newer version
Step 1. Open the document you want to convert in Microsoft Word
Step 2. Click "File" > "Export"> "Create PDF/XPS Document"
Step 3. Publish PDF
On the pop-up window, choose a location you want to store your converted PDF, and fill in the file name. After everything is ready, click "Publish" and you shall find your new PDF document on the folder you just set in seconds.
*If you only need to make a single page or certain pages from Word to PDF, choose "Current page" or "Page(s)".
*On the "Publish what" section, you can choose "Document" to publish a PDF without any markup from the original Word file. If you want to include tracked changes from the Word to PDF, choose "Document showing markup".
*On the "Include non-printing information" section, you can choose to create bookmarks using headings or Word bookmarks by ticking on the "Create bookmarks using" tab.
*Remember don't tick on "Document properties" if the properties of your Word document contain information that you do not want to be saved in the PDF.
*If you want your converted PDF file to be easier for screen-reading software to read, select "Document structure tags for accessibility".
*The option "ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A)" outputs the PDF document as an archiving standard version, which makes sure the PDF will look the same on different devices.
*"Bitmap text when fonts may not be embedded" means the converted PDF will use bitmap images of the text if fonts in the original Word file can't be embedded into the new PDF. If you don't select this option, the PDF reader might substitute another font with the original one when fonts can't be embedded.
*If you want to create a password for the converted PDF, tick on "Encrypt the document with a password" tab to open a password typing box.
2.MS Office 2010
Step 1. Open Word document in Microsoft Word 2010
Double click your Word document if you use Microsoft Word as default software to open it. Or you can click "File" and click "Open" to access your document.
Step 2. Click "Save As"
Step 3. Save Word as PDF
Type your new PDF name on the "File name" section and choose "PDF" on the "Save as type" section. Click the "Save" button to save your Word document as a PDF file.
Note:
(1). If you need to use the converted PDF file immediately after conversion, please tick on the "Open file after publishing" tab. Otherwise, you'll have to find the document on the location you saved it.
(2). Click "Standard (publishing online and printing)" if your converted PDF document requires high print quality. If you don't care about print quality and want a smaller size document, click "Minimum size (publishing online)".
(3). You can click the "Options" tab to open a setting window to make specific changes and settings on the PDF file.
3.MS Office 2007
For Microsoft Office 2007 users, you'll have to first install a plug-in called "Save As PDF" before you can save a Word document directly as a PDF file.
Step 1. Inastll "Save As PDF or XPS"
Download and install "Save As PDF or XPS" add-in to your computer. Double click the program to install it. Check "Click here to accept the Microsoft Software License Terms." and click "Continue".
When the installation is completed, a window will pop up to inform you. Click "OK".
Step 2. Run Microsoft Office and open the Word document you want to convert.
Step 3. On the office menu, click "Save As", and choose "PDF or XPS"
Step 4. Name your PDF file and choose a location to save it.
Step 5. Click "Publish".
4. MS Office on Mac
Step 1. Open Word document on Mac with Office Word
Step 2. Click "Save As"
Click the "File" tab in the upper-left corner of Mac's screen. Click the "Save As" button on the drop-down menu.
Step 3. Choose "PDF" as saved format
On the newly opened window, name your file and choose a destination to save it. Click on "File Format", choose "PDF" on the drop-down menu.
Step 4. Click the "Export" button and you'll get a converted PDF file.
Solution 3: Change Word to PDF Using Google Docs
If you didn't use Microsoft Office as your workbook application and don't want to install any new software, you can use Google Docs online to change Word to PDF. Google Docs is a free Web-based application that people can use to create, edit and store text documents online. It also has a free desktop version, so you can use it as a Microsoft Office alternative.
Step 1. Access to Google Docs
Step 2. Click the file icon to open a new file
Step 3. Choose a file to upload
On the new window, you can upload a file from your local device, pick files from your Google Drive or open from shared documents. Once your file is selected, click "Open".
Step 4. Download as PDF
When your Word document is opened, click "File" on the top menu bar, click "Download" from the drop-down menu, and choose "PDF" as the downloaded format.
Conclusion
The three different solutions we mention in this post are free and easy to operate. The converting result of these 3 methods are almost the same, there are no obvious pros and cons among them. That's probably because converting Word to PDF is technically much easier than converting PDF to Word. If you have better ideas, please leave a message.
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