Convert Word documents to PDF

If you want to convert a Word document into a PDF file, it only takes a few steps. This is possible directly in the desktop version of Word or online.

Convert Word document to PDF: This is how you do it

If you have saved a document in Word, you can convert it into a PDF with just a few clicks.

• Open the corresponding document in Microsoft Word.

• Click on “File” and select the “Export” option.

• Select “Create PDF/XPS document”.

• A new dialog window will open in which you can specify the storage location and file name.

• Under “Options”, you can adjust further settings if necessary. For example, if you have inserted images into Word, enable the “Optimize for best image quality” option. This prevents images from being compressed during PDF export.

• Finally, click “Publish”.

• The document is then converted into a PDF file and saved in the selected location.

Alternative: Use online tools to create PDFs

If you do not want to use the Office software for the conversion, you can also use online tools to create PDFs.

• With Microsoft 365 Copilot (formerly Office Online), you can open documents in your browser and convert them to PDFs. To do this, you need a Microsoft account and you have to upload the document to OneDrive.

• Then open the document with the browser version of Word.

• Then click on “File” and “Export” and select “Download as PDF”.

• You can also use Adobe Acrobat Online for PDF conversion. Upload the Word document here using the “Choose file” button.

• The document is automatically converted into a PDF. Click on “Download” to save the PDF file to your computer.

Why you should export documents as PDF

Converting Word documents to PDF has numerous advantages.

• This means that PDFs can be opened on any device and operating system, regardless of the software installed.

• Furthermore, the formatting used in the document when it was created is retained in a PDF file. This ensures that the PDF looks the same on every device.

• Furthermore, PDF documents offer increased security because they are not so easy to edit. You can also encrypt a PDF so that it can only be opened after entering a password.