How to create a PDF using Excel, PowerPoint or Word

Learn how to create a PDF using Excel, PowerPoint or Word using these simple steps that use the built-in PDF export tools included in these Microsoft 365 apps. Many people are still unaware that you can create a PDF directly from these individual program without needing Adobe Acrobat or third-party software.

In our day-to-day work, it’s easy to overlook features we don’t use regularly. The ability to quickly save or export your files as a PDF is one of those time-saving tools that often goes unnoticed.

A PDF (Portable Document Format) is a universal file format designed so your document looks the same on any device, regardless of the operating system, fonts, or software installed. While Adobe originally created the PDF format and offers a free Adobe Reader to view PDFs, you can now generate professional PDF files directly within Word, Excel and PowerPoint in just a few clicks.

It is important to understand that the use of PDF’s has changed. PDF’s were once seen as a way to “lock” documents so others couldn’t easily edit them, this is no longer the case with modern editing tools; however, we still use PDFs because they preserve formatting, display consistently on any device, and are ideal for sharing, printing, and creating universally accessible files.

Create a PDF from Excel

For this example, I am going to create a PDF file from an Excel worksheet.

1. Open the file you wish to convert using Excel or PowerPoint. For the exact steps to convert a Word document to PDF, check out this post.
2. Select the File tab and choose Save a Copy, then click Browse or press the F12 key on your keyboard.
3. The Save As dialog box will appear:

4. From the Save as type drop-down menu select PDF (*.pdf) from the list:

5. Navigate to choose the location you want to save the PDF file to, or you can save it to the same location as the editable file.
6. If you wish to give the file a different file name to the original version, change it in the File name field.
7. Click Save.
8. You can now navigate to the file location you saved the PDF file and check the file is there.
9. Double-click to open it.

The exact same process is used to create a PDF file from PowerPoint and Word. The Save as feature provides you with access to choose from a range of other file formats which then allow you to access your content across different platforms.