How to Convert Word to PDF: Complete DOCX to PDF Guide

Why Convert Word to PDF?

Word documents are excellent for creating and editing content, but they are problematic for sharing. Different versions of Word, different operating systems, and different installed fonts can all cause a DOCX file to render differently on the recipient's machine. Margins shift, fonts substitute, images reflow, and your carefully crafted layout breaks apart.

PDF solves this by freezing the document into a fixed layout that looks identical on every device, every operating system, and every screen. Converting Word to PDF is one of the most common document operations in business, education, and publishing -- and doing it correctly ensures your formatting, fonts, and hyperlinks survive the transition.

This guide covers every method of converting DOCX to PDF, from built-in Word features to command-line automation, with specific attention to the details that trips most people up.

Method 1: Export from Microsoft Word

The most straightforward method is using Word's built-in PDF export.

On Windows

1. Open your document in Microsoft Word
2. Click File > Export > Create PDF/XPS Document
3. Click Create PDF/XPS
4. In the dialog, choose your save location
5. Click Options to configure settings:
   • Page range -- All, current page, or specific pages
   • Include non-printing information -- Document properties, bookmarks
   • PDF/A compliance -- For archival (more on this below)
6. Click Publish

Alternatively, use File > Save As and select PDF from the file type dropdown.

On macOS

1. Open your document in Microsoft Word
2. Click File > Save As
3. Select PDF from the File Format dropdown
4. Choose Best for printing (high quality) or Best for electronic distribution (smaller file)
5. Click Export

Keyboard Shortcut

On both platforms, you can use Ctrl+Shift+S (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+S (Mac) to open the Save As dialog quickly.

Method 2: Convert Online with ConvertIntoMP4

For users without Microsoft Word installed, or when you need to convert files on mobile or any device with a browser, ConvertIntoMP4's online converter handles DOCX to PDF seamlessly.

Steps

1. Navigate to the PDF converter on ConvertIntoMP4
2. Upload your DOCX file (drag and drop or browse)
3. Click Convert
4. Download the resulting PDF

The online converter uses LibreOffice as its rendering engine, which handles the vast majority of Word formatting correctly. For documents with unusual fonts, read the font embedding section below.

You can also use the document converter for a broader range of document format conversions.

Method 3: Print to PDF

Every modern operating system includes a "Print to PDF" feature that works from any application.

Windows 10/11

1. Open the document in Word (or any application)
2. Press Ctrl+P to open the Print dialog
3. Select Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer
4. Click Print
5. Choose your save location

macOS

1. Open the document
2. Press Cmd+P to open the Print dialog
3. Click the PDF dropdown in the lower left
4. Select Save as PDF

Limitations

Print to PDF captures the visual output but may lose some metadata:

For documents with hyperlinks and bookmarks, always prefer the Export method over Print to PDF.

Method 4: LibreOffice Command Line

For batch conversion or server-side automation, LibreOffice's command-line interface is powerful and free.

Install LibreOffice

On macOS:

brew install --cask libreoffice

On Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install libreoffice

Convert a Single File

libreoffice --headless --convert-to pdf document.docx

Batch Convert All DOCX Files

libreoffice --headless --convert-to pdf *.docx

Convert with Specific Output Directory

libreoffice --headless --convert-to pdf --outdir ./pdfs *.docx

Advanced: Filter Options

LibreOffice supports filter options for PDF output:

libreoffice --headless --convert-to "pdf:writer_pdf_Export:{'SelectPdfVersion':{'type':'long','value':'2'}}" document.docx

This produces a PDF/A-2 compliant file suitable for archival.

Method 5: Python Automation

For programmatic conversion, several Python libraries can handle DOCX to PDF.

Using docx2pdf (Windows/macOS)

pip install docx2pdf

from docx2pdf import convert

# Single file
convert("input.docx", "output.pdf")

# Batch: all DOCX files in a directory
convert("./documents/")

docx2pdf uses the installed Word application under the hood, so it produces the most accurate results -- but requires Word to be installed.

Using subprocess with LibreOffice

import subprocess
import os

def docx_to_pdf(input_path, output_dir=None):
    cmd = ['libreoffice', '--headless', '--convert-to', 'pdf']
    if output_dir:
        cmd.extend(['--outdir', output_dir])
    cmd.append(input_path)

    result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True)
    if result.returncode != 0:
        raise Exception(f"Conversion failed: {result.stderr}")

    pdf_name = os.path.splitext(os.path.basename(input_path))[0] + '.pdf'
    pdf_path = os.path.join(output_dir or os.path.dirname(input_path), pdf_name)
    return pdf_path

# Convert a single file
pdf = docx_to_pdf("report.docx", "./output/")
print(f"Created: {pdf}")

Batch Conversion Script with Progress

import subprocess
import os
import sys

def batch_convert(input_dir, output_dir):
    os.makedirs(output_dir, exist_ok=True)
    docx_files = [f for f in os.listdir(input_dir) if f.endswith('.docx')]

    print(f"Found {len(docx_files)} DOCX files")

    for i, filename in enumerate(docx_files, 1):
        input_path = os.path.join(input_dir, filename)
        print(f"[{i}/{len(docx_files)}] Converting {filename}...", end=' ')

        try:
            result = subprocess.run(
                ['libreoffice', '--headless', '--convert-to', 'pdf',
                 '--outdir', output_dir, input_path],
                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=120
            )
            if result.returncode == 0:
                print("OK")
            else:
                print(f"FAILED: {result.stderr[:100]}")
        except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
            print("TIMEOUT")

batch_convert("./documents", "./pdfs")

For more batch conversion strategies, check our guide on how to batch convert files.

Font Embedding: The Most Common Problem

The number one issue people encounter with Word to PDF conversion is font substitution. If the computer performing the conversion does not have the fonts used in the document, the PDF will use substitute fonts, which changes the appearance and often breaks the layout.

How to Ensure Fonts Are Preserved

Option 1: Embed fonts in the Word document before converting

1. In Word, go to File > Options > Save
2. Check Embed fonts in the file
3. Optionally check Embed only the characters used to reduce file size
4. Save the document, then export to PDF

Option 2: Use universally available fonts

Fonts that are safe to use without embedding:

Option 3: Install the fonts on the conversion machine

For automated pipelines using LibreOffice, install the necessary fonts:

# Ubuntu/Debian - install Microsoft core fonts
sudo apt install ttf-mscorefonts-installer

# Copy custom fonts
sudo cp *.ttf /usr/local/share/fonts/
sudo fc-cache -f -v

Hyperlink Preservation

Hyperlinks in Word documents should carry over to the PDF, but there are common pitfalls:

Links That Survive Conversion

• Standard hyperlinks (text linked to URLs)
• Internal cross-references (links to headings and bookmarks)
• Table of contents entries (if generated as hyperlinks)
• Email links (mailto:)

Links That May Break

• Links in text boxes or shapes
• Links in headers and footers (some converters drop these)
• Links with special characters in the URL
• Links created by third-party Word add-ins

Testing Links After Conversion

Always open the resulting PDF and test a sample of hyperlinks. Click through links in different sections of the document to verify they work correctly.

PDF/A: Archival-Quality Conversion

PDF/A is a subset of PDF designed for long-term preservation. It ensures the document is self-contained -- all fonts are embedded, external dependencies are removed, and the file will render identically decades from now.

PDF/A Levels

Creating PDF/A from Word

In Word's Export dialog, click Options and check PDF/A compliant. In LibreOffice:

libreoffice --headless --convert-to "pdf:writer_pdf_Export:{'SelectPdfVersion':{'type':'long','value':'2'}}" document.docx

For documents destined for legal proceedings, government archives, or institutional repositories, PDF/A compliance is often required.

Handling Complex Document Elements

Tables

Word tables usually convert well to PDF, but wide tables that extend beyond page margins may be clipped. Before converting:

1. Check that all tables fit within the page margins
2. Consider switching to landscape orientation for wide tables
3. Use AutoFit to Window in Word's Table Properties

Images

Images in Word documents are re-encoded during PDF conversion. To maintain quality:

• Use high-resolution source images (300 DPI for print, 150 DPI for screen)
• In the Export dialog, choose Standard quality (not "Minimum size")
• Avoid repeatedly editing and re-saving the same document, which can progressively degrade embedded images

Headers, Footers, and Page Numbers

These elements transfer cleanly to PDF. However, Word's dynamic fields (like filename, date, author) are "frozen" in the PDF at the time of conversion.

Track Changes and Comments

By default, Word exports the current view. If Track Changes are visible:

• Accept All Changes before exporting if you want a clean document
• Show Markup and export if you want changes visible in the PDF
• Comments can be included or excluded via the Export Options dialog

Macros and Form Fields

Word macros do not transfer to PDF (PDF does not support macros). Interactive form fields (text boxes, dropdowns, checkboxes) are flattened to static content by default. If you need interactive PDF forms, you will need to rebuild them in a PDF editor.

Reducing PDF File Size After Conversion

Word-to-PDF conversion sometimes produces large files, especially when documents contain many high-resolution images. To reduce the PDF size:

1. Compress during export -- In Word, choose "Minimum size" in the export options
2. Optimize after conversion -- Use ConvertIntoMP4's PDF compressor to reduce file size
3. Downscale images -- Reduce image resolution to 150 DPI for screen-only PDFs
4. Remove metadata -- Strip unnecessary document properties

For detailed compression strategies, see our guide on how to reduce PDF file size.

Converting the Other Direction: PDF to Word

Sometimes you need to go from PDF back to an editable Word document. This is a more complex conversion because PDFs do not store document structure the way Word does. Our guide on how to convert PDF to Word covers the best approaches and tools.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Layout Shifts After Conversion

Cause: Usually font substitution or different default printer settings. Fix: Embed fonts, set the default printer to "Microsoft Print to PDF" before opening the document, and verify Print Layout looks correct.

Blank Pages in the PDF

Cause: Extra page breaks or section breaks in the Word document. Fix: Enable paragraph marks (Ctrl+Shift+8) to see hidden formatting. Delete unwanted page breaks.

Images Are Blurry in the PDF

Cause: Word's default compression or low-quality export settings. Fix: In Word, go to File > Options > Advanced > Image Size and Quality and set Default resolution to 330 ppi. Then re-export.

File Size Is Too Large

Cause: Uncompressed images or redundant embedded fonts. Fix: Use the compression strategies outlined above, or run the PDF through the PDF compressor.

Wrapping Up

Converting Word to PDF is straightforward when you understand the tools and potential pitfalls. Use Word's native Export for the best fidelity, LibreOffice for batch automation, and ConvertIntoMP4's PDF converter for quick online conversions from any device.

Pay attention to font embedding, test hyperlinks after conversion, and consider PDF/A for archival documents. With the right settings, your PDFs will look exactly like your Word documents -- on every device, for every recipient.

For related document conversion guides, explore our tutorials on how to convert Excel to PDF, how to convert PowerPoint to PDF, and how to convert images to PDF.