Word to PDF
Turn a Word document into a PDF that looks the same on every device, ready to email, print or upload. The conversion runs on your own device, so your document is never uploaded.
How to use it
- Choose one or more Word documents, or drag them onto the box.
- The first time, the converter downloads (about 78 MB). After that it starts straight away.
- Download each PDF, or all of them together as a ZIP file.
What you get
A PDF with your document’s text, headings, lists, tables, pictures, page numbers, headers and footers, laid out on the same page size as the original. The text stays real text, so the PDF can be searched and copied from.
The converter is LibreOffice, the well-known free office suite, running inside your browser. It opens Word files very well, but it is not Microsoft Word, so the result can differ from Word’s own PDF, particularly with complex layouts. If your document uses fonts this device does not have, similar-looking fonts are used instead; these are designed to take up the same space, which helps line and page breaks match, but cannot guarantee it.
Documents that may not convert exactly
Most letters, CVs, reports and forms convert closely. Things that can come out differently include text boxes and shapes placed over the page, some charts and embedded objects, and unusual fonts. Tracked changes are shown marked up, with deleted words still visible, so accept or reject them in Word first if you want a clean copy. A table of contents shows whatever was last saved in it, so update it in Word before converting. Look through the PDF before you rely on it.
Password-protected documents cannot be converted. Remove the password in Word first. Macros in a document are never run.
Your document stays on your device
The converter is downloaded from FilePresto first. Then the page locks itself, and only after that is your document opened. Once locked, the page cannot send or fetch anything on the internet, so your document cannot leave your device, even by mistake. Links to pictures or files elsewhere on the internet inside a document are not fetched.
The first-time download
The converter is a full document engine, about 78 MB. Your browser normally keeps it, so later conversions start much faster, but browsers can clear it to save space. Wi-Fi is recommended. It is designed for computers; on a phone it may be slow or stop, and phones are limited to files of up to 10 MB.
Questions
Is this the same as saving as PDF in Word?
It is very close for most documents, but not identical: the converter is LibreOffice, not Microsoft Word. If the exact look matters, compare the PDF with the original before you send it.
Which files can I convert?
Word documents ending in .docx or .doc, including macro-enabled .docm files (the macros are not run) and Word templates.
Why is the first conversion slow?
The first time, your browser downloads the converter, about 78 MB. After that it is usually kept, and conversions take a few seconds.
Are my files uploaded?
No. The work happens inside your web browser, on your own device. Before your file is opened, this page locks itself: from then on your browser refuses to let it fetch, upload or send anything at all. You can check: once the page has loaded, switch off your internet connection and it will still work. How the lock works.