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Convert Word to PDF online, step by step

Converting a Word file to PDF takes no office software, no account and no subscription: a recent browser is enough, on a computer, tablet or phone. The conversion is computed on your device, and the .docx document is never sent to a server. Here is the full process, from the Word file to a PDF ready to go.

1. Save the document one last time in your word processor. If it is an old .doc file, first save it as .docx from Word, LibreOffice or Google Docs: that pre-2007 binary format is rejected, with a message explaining why.
2. Drop the .docx, .docm or .dotx file into the reader at the top of this page, by drag and drop or from your folders. The maximum size is 150 MB per file.
3. Wait a few moments: the document is laid out on your device, then opens directly in the reader as a PDF.
4. Scroll through every page. Look first at page breaks, wide tables, images and text boxes: that is where differences from Word's display tend to hide.
5. Save the PDF. You can also touch it up first: add page numbers, add a watermark, protect it with a password or send it for signature, without leaving the reader.

As long as you have not saved, every change made after the conversion can be reversed with the Undo button. So you can try a watermark or page numbering, then go back if you do not like the result.

Why turn a Word document into a PDF

A Word file is made to be edited; a PDF is made to be read, printed and passed on as is. Converting Word to PDF is the step that separates the draft from the final document.

• Lock the layout: a .docx displays differently depending on the recipient's software, version and installed fonts. A PDF carries what it needs to look the same everywhere.
• Prevent accidental edits: a quote, a certificate or a letter should not be changed by mistake once it has been sent.
• Meet a submission requirement: many online forms, application platforms and government portals accept only PDF.
• Prepare for signing: a contract drafted in Word is signed as a PDF, whose content no longer moves.
• Print elsewhere: at a print shop, at the library or on a computer without a word processor, a PDF prints with no surprises.

If you need to go the other way, for example to rework a document you received as a PDF, our guide explains how to convert a PDF to an editable Word file.

What the Word to PDF conversion carries over

The .docx file is read by the same engine as the word processor built into Certyneo Reader. It understands the structure of the document, not just its text: styles, lists, tables, headers and footers. Here is what you will find in the PDF.

The text is written as vectors, with a subset of the fonts embedded in the file: it stays sharp at any zoom level and when printed, and it can be searched, selected and copied just like in a PDF exported from a word processor.

Fonts and layout: why a line may break differently

A Word document usually does not contain its fonts: it only states their names, and the computer supplies them. To produce an identical PDF on every device, including a phone that has neither Arial nor Calibri, the conversion uses the free Liberation fonts.

Liberation Sans, Liberation Serif and Liberation Mono were designed with exactly the same character widths as Arial, Times New Roman and Courier New. Text set in one of those three fonts therefore takes up the same space, word for word. For a different font, such as Calibri, Garamond or a brand typeface, the closest equivalent is used, and the widths are no longer identical.

In practice, a line may break one word earlier or later than on Word's screen, a paragraph may gain or lose a line, and the total page count may change. For a document of a few pages written in Arial or Times New Roman, the difference is usually invisible. For a document fitted down to the line, such as a thesis with a page limit or a graphic layout, proofread the PDF carefully.

What to do if the output must match pixel for pixel

Certyneo Reader's conversion is a best-effort layout, not a full Word engine. If you need output strictly identical to what is on your screen, with your exact fonts, export from Word itself via File, Save As, then PDF as the file type. You can then open that PDF in the free online PDF reader to number its pages, protect it or get it signed.

Convert a docx to PDF with several languages, emoji or images

The Liberation fonts cover Latin script, the one used for French, English, Spanish or German. Some documents, however, contain other scripts: a name in Chinese, an address in Arabic, a quotation in Hebrew, a term in Hindi or a few emoji in a letter.

Those passages are drawn by the browser, with the fonts installed on your device, then paired with an invisible text layer placed exactly over the characters. To the eye, the text appears correctly; to software, it is still text: search and copy-paste work. An Arabic word inserted in the middle of an English sentence reads in the right direction.

How these scripts render depends on the fonts present on the device doing the conversion. If a character shows up as an empty square, convert from another device or another browser, which will probably have the missing font.

As for images, common formats are embedded directly. GIF, BMP and WebP images, less common in a Word document, are redrawn by the browser before being placed in the PDF.

Limits of the Word to PDF conversion, and how to work around them

No converter independent of Word reproduces all of its subtleties. Here is what you should know before sending an important document.

• Vertical cell merges: a cell spanning several rows of a table is not handled. If the table depends on it, split the cell in Word, or export that document from Word.
• Shape rotation: a rotated arrow, box or text appears without rotation.
• Text boxes and floating objects: their position is approximate. A logo anchored in a corner or a box in the margin may shift.
• Old .doc format: rejected. Save it as .docx before converting.
• Fonts: replaced by their free equivalents, with the effect on line breaks described above.

If the resulting PDF has an isolated error, you do not have to start over. For a badly laid-out page, fix the Word document and convert it again. For a typo spotted afterwards in the PDF, you can also correct a few words directly in the PDF, without going back to the Word file.

Which method to choose to convert Word to PDF for free

There are several ways to turn a Word file into a PDF. They differ in where the document is processed, how faithful the output is and what you need to have on hand.

For a contract, a payslip, a medical record or a confidential letter, where the document is processed matters as much as the quality of the output: a file that never leaves your device cannot leak from a third party's server.

If you often convert without a connection, for example while traveling, the desktop app does the same conversion. Our guide explains how to convert Word to PDF offline with the desktop app, which also opens the .docx in its built-in word processor for a final touch-up before export.

After the conversion: number, protect, sign

The resulting PDF opens in the reader, where all the tools can be chained on the same document. A common sequence for a business document goes like this.

1. If your Word document had no page numbers, add page numbers to the PDF, in the “Page 3 of 12” format for example, leaving the title page unnumbered.
2. For a draft or a working version, stamp a “DRAFT” or “CONFIDENTIAL” watermark on every page.
3. If the file has to be emailed or uploaded to a portal with a size limit, reduce the PDF's file size, especially when the document contains many photos.
4. For a sensitive document, protect the PDF with a password before sending it.
5. Finally, for a contract, a quote or an engagement letter, have the PDF signed online by all parties.

Nothing is final until you save: every step can be undone if you change your mind.

More questions about converting Word to PDF

How do I combine several Word documents into a single PDF?

Convert the first document, then use the tool to insert pages into a PDF: it accepts a .docx file directly, converted on your device before insertion, before the first page, after a specific page or at the end. Repeat for each document, then save a single PDF.

Can I convert a Word document to PDF from a phone?

Yes. The tool works in recent browsers on Android, iPhone and iPad. Pick the .docx file from your files, a saved attachment or a storage service, then save the resulting PDF.

Can a Word template (.dotx) be converted?

Yes, .dotx templates are accepted, as are .docm documents with macros. Only the document's content matters: it is laid out like an ordinary .docx.

Should I clean up the document before converting it?

It is a good habit, whatever the tool: proofread the document, accept or reject pending tracked changes and delete internal comments you do not want to share. A clean document before conversion means a PDF you can send without second thoughts.