How to convert from Word to PDF (for FREE)

Many users will need to convert a document in Word to PDF format. I have seen many instances where third-party programs are used to convert a document into PDF format however, Microsoft Word is more than capable of doing this for you without the need for other programs to be installed.

While I’m specifically discussing how to convert from Word to PDF, you can convert any Microsoft file format to a PDF. This includes an Excel worksheet, PowerPoint presentation, Publisher document, and a Visio drawing – see my earlier post here. Anywhere you can use the Save As function, you can convert to a PDF file.

Why convert from Word to PDF format?

One of the main reasons that many users choose to create a PDF file is from the idea that this file type cannot be edited. However with the release of Office 2013, this soon became an out-of-date reason because PDF files can now be opened directly into Word and edited. So why still use PDF formats?

There are still a few reasons to use PDF files, I know I still use them in my business. So what are they?

Firstly there is the compatibility side of the format. PDF files are universally compatible with different operating systems and different software versions. So regardless of whether a user has a Windows or Mac based computer they can open a PDF file and it will look the same across any device.

Secondly there is the fact that PDF files preserve the formatting of the file. So if a user opens a PDF on their computer versus phone or a tablet, it will look the same.

Another reason is the additional security and permission settings which can be applied to a PDF. You can easily restrict options such as printing of a file which you cannot do when sending out a standard Word document file.

Convert from Word to PDF

Let’s now take a look at how to convert a document created in Microsoft Word to a PDF file.

1. Open Microsoft Word.
2. Open an existing document which you wish to convert from Word to PDF format:

3. All you need to do now is use the Save As function.
4. Click the File tab and select Save a Copy OR press F12 on the keyboard.
5. The Save As dialog box will appear:

6. Enter a new File name if needed and select the location you wish to save the PDF file to.
7. Now click the Save as type drop-down menu and choose PDF (*.pdf) from the list.
8. Click Save.
9. Open File Explorer (Windows + E on the keyboard) and navigate to the location you saved the PDF file.
10. Double click to check the file formatting all looks ok.

How to reduce PDF size after converting from Word to PDF

If you have converted your file to PDF format but you find the file size is too large, you may need to make a few changes to optimise for a smaller file size. This is particularly useful if your Word document has a large number of images/photos which will increase the overall file size of the document and also create a larger size PDF file.

By default, Microsoft Word has two optimisation options when saving as PDF: Standard (publishing online and printing) and Minimum size (publishing online).

To use the Minimum size option:

1. Repeat the process above to display the Save As dialog box.
2. Change the Save as type drop-down to PDF (*.PDF).
3. From the Save As window, select the Minimum size option as shown below:

4. Ensure your File name and location to save file are correct, then click Save.

How to create a PDF/A compliant file in Word

PDF/A compliant documents is a standardised format used for documents to preserve formatting and disables some features which cannot be archived. See Wikipedia for more information.

It is still therefore possible to create a PDF/A compliant document using any of the Microsoft products.

1. Repeat the process above to display the Save As dialog box.
2. Change the Save as type drop-down to PDF (*.PDF).
3. Click the Options button to display more details:

4. The Options dialog box will appear with additional settings you can adjust for your PDF file:

5. Tick the option for PDF/A compliant.
6. Click OK.
7. Ensure your File name and location to save file are correct, then click Save.
8. Your PDF file will now be created.

Convert selected pages from Word to PDF

What if you have a 20 page Word document but you want to create a PDF from only the first 10 pages? Some users might think they need to create a second copy of the file, remove the pages they don’t need and then convert to PDF. Nope – not necessary.

1. Repeat the process above to display the Save As dialog box.
2. Change the Save as type drop-down to PDF (*.PDF).
3. Click the Options button to display more details:

4. The Options dialog box will appear with additional settings you can adjust for your PDF file.

5. From the Page range section select Page(s) and set the From and To page numbers.
6. Click OK.
7. Ensure your File name and location to save file are correct, then click Save.
8. Your PDF file will now be created with the specific page range included.

I hope this provides some useful tips to help you convert your Word documents to PDF. Feel free to leave any comments or questions below.