How to convert a Word document to PDF
In 30 seconds: go to ilovepdf.com, pick Word to PDF, upload your document and hit Convert. Free, no sign-up. And if you have Word installed you do not even need the site: File → Save As → PDF.
You have a document in Word and you are asked to send it as a PDF. It happens constantly: a CV, a contract, a piece of coursework.
Converting it takes under a minute, it is free and there is nothing to install. Here are the steps, why sending a PDF beats sending a Word file, and when you need no website at all because your own program already does it.
Go to iLovePDF
Go to ilovepdf.com. If the site comes up in another language, you change it from the top right: click the nine-dots icon and look for Language.
In the grid of tools, find Word to PDF and click it.
Upload your Word document
Click the red Select WORD files button.
Notice it is plural: you can upload several documents at once and it converts them all in one go.
You can also drag them from your folder onto the red box. It works with both the modern .docx and the older .doc files.
Click "Convert to PDF"
There is nothing to decide here. Unlike other tools on the same site, this one has no options: no levels, no modes.
Click the red Convert to PDF button at the bottom right. It takes a few seconds depending on how long the document is.
Download the PDF
The Download PDF button appears and the file is saved to your downloads folder.
Next to it are the usual icons: Google Drive and Dropbox to save it to the cloud, the link to share it without attaching it, and the bin to delete it from the server right then.
Why sending a PDF is better
Why it is worth converting rather than just sending the Word file. Three reasons:
- It looks the same everywhere. A Word file can shift around on someone else's computer if they do not have your fonts. A PDF will not.
- It does not get edited by accident. Nobody is going to change a figure in your contract without meaning to.
- It opens on any phone without needing Word installed.
When you need no website at all
And now what almost no tutorial will tell you, because it is not in their interest.
If you have Word installed, you do not need any website for this.
- In Word: File → Save As → and under file type choose PDF.
- In Google Docs: File → Download → PDF Document.
- In LibreOffice: File → Export as PDF.
And it has an advantage that is not a small one: your document never leaves your computer. If you are converting a contract with personal data, that is the right way to do it.
Websites like this one are for when you do not have Word to hand, you are on a borrowed computer, or you have to convert several files at once.
What happens to your files
If you do end up using the website, this is what happens to your file.
It is uploaded to an iLovePDF server so it can be converted. It is processed there and deleted automatically after a few hours. The connection is encrypted.
For coursework or a CV there is no problem. For a contract with bank details, use the method above and upload nothing. And if you upload it anyway, click the bin when you are done.
And that is it: a Word document turned into a PDF, free and in under a minute.
Keep this: if you have Word installed, do it from there and upload nothing. And if you do not have it, this website gets you out of trouble.
Common questions
Can I convert Word to PDF without using any website?
Yes, and it is the better option if you have the program installed. In Word: File, Save As, and choose PDF under file type. In Google Docs: File, Download, PDF Document. In LibreOffice: File, Export as PDF. As well as being faster, your document never leaves your computer, which matters a lot if it contains personal data.
Does the formatting stay exactly the same?
Almost always yes, which is the whole point of a PDF. The only thing that can change are unusual fonts: if your document uses a typeface the converter does not have, it substitutes a similar one and the text may take up slightly different space. With ordinary fonts — Arial, Calibri, Times — there is no problem at all.
Does it work with old .doc files?
Yes, the tool takes both the modern .docx and the .doc files from older versions of Word. If you have a very old document and it errors out, open it first in Word or Google Docs, save it as .docx, and convert it after that.
Can I convert several documents at once?
Yes. The button says so in the plural: it takes several files at a time and converts them all in one go. If there are several, the result comes back as a zip.
Can I turn the PDF back into Word?
Yes, with the PDF to Word tool on the same site. But bear in mind the way back is not perfect: the text comes across in full, but the layout can shift around. If you are going to keep editing the document, always keep the original Word file rather than relying on rebuilding it from the PDF.
Is it safe to upload a contract?
If it contains personal or bank details, better not to upload it: convert it from Word itself, which sends nothing anywhere. If you do use the website, the file travels encrypted, is processed on the iLovePDF server and is deleted automatically after a few hours; click the bin icon when you are done to wipe it there and then.
