This article will show you how to convert a Word document to a PDF file. PDF documents are compatible with most operating systems and are difficult to edit, ideal for storing and transferring important documents. Use SmallPDF or Google Drive to convert documents online, or offline using Microsoft Word on a Windows or Mac OS X computer.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: SmallPDF
Step 1. Open the SmallPDF Word-to-PDF website
Go to https://smallpdf.com/en/word-to-pdf in a computer web browser.
Step 2. Click Select File
It's in the middle of the page. An Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) window opens.
Step 3. Select a Word document
Navigate to the folder with your Word document and then click on it to select.
Step 4. Click Open
It's in the lower-right corner of the window. The Word document is loaded into SmallPDF.
On a Mac computer, click Select
Step 5. Click Upload File
It's in the lower-left side of the SmallPDF page. The PDF file is downloaded to your computer; you may need to select a download folder and / or confirm the download first.
This option may appear on the screen after a few seconds if your Word document is large or you have a slow Internet connection
Method 2 of 4: Google Drive
Step 1. Open Google Drive
Go to https://drive.google.com/ in your computer's web browser. Your Google Drive page will open if you're already signed in.
If you're not signed in yet, click Go to Google Drive and then enter your email address and password
Step 2. Click + Create
It's in the upper-left side of the Google Drive window. A menu will open.
Step 3. Click Upload Files
This option is on the menu. An Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) window opens.
Step 4. Select a Word document
Navigate to the folder with your Word document and then click on it to select.
Step 5. Click Open
It's in the lower-right corner of the window. The Word document is uploaded to Disk.
On a Mac computer, click Select
Step 6. Open a Word document
Once the Word document is uploaded to Google Drive, double-click it in Google Drive to open it in your web browser.
Step 7. Click on File
It's in the upper-left side of the window. A menu will open.
On a Mac computer, click File in the browser window instead of the menu bar at the top of the screen
Step 8. Select Download as
It's in the middle of the menu. A pop-up menu will appear.
Step 9. Click PDF Document
This option is on the menu. The PDF version of the Word document will download to your computer.
You may need to select a download folder and / or confirm the download first
Method 3 of 4: Word on Windows
Step 1. Open a Microsoft Word document
To do this, double click on it.
To create a new document, open Word and then click Blank Document
Step 2. Click on File
It's in the upper-left corner of the Word window. A pop-up window will open.
Step 3. Click Export
It's in the left column of options. Several new options appear in the center of the window.
Step 4. Click PDF / XPS Document
It's in the upper-left corner of the window.
Step 5. Click Create PDF / XPS
It's in the middle of the window. A pop-up window will appear.
Step 6. Select a folder to save the PDF document
On the left side of the window, click on the desired folder.
- Because PDF is different from Word, you can save a PDF document in the folder that contains the Word document.
- If desired, enter a new name for the document in the File Name line.
Step 7. Click Publish
It's in the lower-right corner of the window. The PDF version of the Word document will be created in the specified folder.
Method 4 of 4: Word on Mac OS X
Step 1. Open a Microsoft Word document
To do this, double click on it.
To create a new document, open Word and then click Blank Document
Step 2. Click on File
It's in the upper-left corner of the Word window. A menu will open.
Step 3. Click Save As
This option is on the menu. A new window will open.
Step 4. Enter a name for the PDF file
Do this in the "File name" line at the top of the window.
Step 5. Select a folder to save the PDF document
On the left side of the window, click on the desired folder.
Step 6. Click on the line "File type"
It's at the bottom of the window. A menu will open.
Step 7. Click PDF
It's under the Export section of the menu.
Scroll down to see this option
Step 8. Click Export
It's a blue button in the lower-right corner of the window. The PDF document will be saved in the specified folder.
Advice
- To open a PDF document in a PDF program, simply double-click the document; if several such programs are installed on the computer, the system will prompt you to select one of them.
- The Save As menu can be used to convert Word documents to PDF files on Windows computers.