You emailed your CV as a Word file, and the recruiter opened it on another computer to find a different font, a reflowed second page and a scattered table. Or you sent a report and someone edited it by accident. The usual answer: send a PDF. A PDF looks the same on every device and isn't easily changed.
The good news is you don't need any website or extra software: every modern word processor saves PDF directly — and that's the best method by far, because text stays text and links and quality survive. This guide covers each app, the settings that make a difference, and fixes for common problems, including right-to-left languages.
- Word: File → Save As → PDF. Choose "Standard" for quality or "Minimum size" for email.
- Google Docs: File → Download → PDF document.
- Phone: Word, Google Docs or Pages apps → Share/Export → PDF.
- Turn on "Create bookmarks using headings" for long documents.
- If the PDF is large, shrink it with Compress PDF on light.
Why "Save as PDF" beats online converters
When Word saves a PDF, it knows everything about the document — fonts, paragraphs, headings, links, tables — so it produces a clean file:
- Text stays text, selectable, searchable and copyable.
- Fonts are embedded, so it looks exactly as designed everywhere.
- Links work, and headings can become a clickable sidebar outline.
- Size is small, because text isn't turned into images.
Online converters upload your file to their servers and may substitute fonts they don't have, breaking layout — especially for non-Latin scripts. Use them only if you have no other software.
Method 1: Microsoft Word (Windows and Mac)
- Open the document in Word.
- File → Save As (or Export → Create PDF/XPS).
- Choose PDF as the file type.
- Choose an optimisation: - Standard (publishing online and printing): best quality. For print, formal documents and CVs. - Minimum size (publishing online): reduces image quality for a smaller file. For email.
- Click Options for important extras: - Page range: all, current page, or specific pages. - Create bookmarks using headings: turns headings into a clickable outline — great for reports and theses. - Document structure tags for accessibility: helps screen readers and parsing systems understand structure. - PDF/A compliant (ISO 19005-1): for formal long-term archiving.
- Click Save.
On Mac: File → Save As → File Format: PDF, then choose "Best for printing" or "Best for electronic distribution and accessibility".
Method 2: Google Docs
- Open the document in Google Docs (for a Word file in Drive, open it with Google Docs).
- File → Download → PDF document (.pdf).
- It saves to your Downloads folder.
Note: opening a complex Word file in Google Docs may change some formatting before you export — fonts Google doesn't have and complex tables in particular. Review before downloading.
Method 3: LibreOffice (free)
- Open the document in LibreOffice Writer.
- File → Export As → Export as PDF.
- Choose image quality (e.g. JPEG 90%, or lower for smaller files), enable Export outlines/bookmarks, and PDF/A if needed.
- Click Export.
LibreOffice gives very fine-grained control and is ideal if you don't have Microsoft Office.
Method 4: Pages (Mac and iPhone)
File → Export To → PDF, choose image quality, and save. On iPhone: ⋯ → Export → PDF.
Method 5: From your phone
Microsoft Word app: open the document → ⋯ → Export or Share → PDF.
Google Docs app: open the document → ⋮ → Share & export → Save as → PDF.
iPhone print trick: from almost any document → Share → Print → in the preview, pinch out on the first page to open it as a PDF → Share → Save to Files.
Method 6: "Print to PDF" (when there's no save option)
- Windows: Print → printer Microsoft Print to PDF.
- Mac: Print → PDF button → Save as PDF.
Drawback: links and bookmarks may be lost and margins can shift. Use it as a last resort.
Fonts and right-to-left text: getting them right
The most common issues with PDFs — especially in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian or Urdu — are wrong fonts or broken letters:
1. Use modern, common fonts. Arial, Calibri, Segoe UI, Times New Roman, and for Arabic, fonts like Tahoma, Sakkal Majalla or Traditional Arabic, fully support Unicode and embed cleanly.
2. Avoid legacy non-Unicode fonts. Some old fonts use non-standard encodings — they look fine in Word but copy out of the PDF as gibberish. See Convert Arabic PDF to Word without broken letters.
3. Check that the font can be embedded. Some commercial fonts forbid embedding by licence, so the PDF substitutes another. If the font changes in your PDF, try a different one.
4. Test the result. Open the PDF, select a line, copy and paste it into a note. If it pastes cleanly, the PDF is good for search and automated parsing too.
5. Paragraph direction. For right-to-left text, set paragraph direction to RTL in Word — not just right alignment — or punctuation can land in the wrong place.
Why is my PDF large?
A text-only Word document usually produces a tiny PDF. If yours is large, the cause is usually:
| Cause | Fix |
|---|---|
| Camera-resolution images | Shrink before inserting with Compress image, or use Word's "Compress Pictures" |
| "Standard" chosen with many images | Save with "Minimum size" |
| Large fully embedded fonts | Use common fonts |
| Many pages with coloured backgrounds or images | Save a simpler version for sending |
After saving, shrink further with Compress PDF on light, which keeps text selectable. Avoid strong compression for CVs and text documents, because it turns pages into images. See How to compress a PDF without losing quality.
Recommended settings by purpose
| Purpose | Word optimisation | Extra options |
|---|---|---|
| CV / résumé | Standard | Document structure tags |
| Long report or thesis | Standard | Bookmarks from headings, structure tags |
| Quick email | Minimum size | — |
| Formal archiving | Standard | PDF/A |
| Professional printing | Standard | Check image resolution in the document |
| Publishing on a website | Minimum size | Bookmarks for long documents |
Handy steps after converting
- Page numbers: forgot them in Word? Add them with Add page numbers.
- Combine with attachments: save each document as PDF, then combine with Merge PDF.
- Document title: many PDFs show "Document1" as their title in readers because document properties weren't set. Fix it with Edit PDF metadata, or set properties in Word before saving.
- Watermark: for drafts or confidential copies, use Watermark PDF.
- Sign: sign the PDF with Sign PDF.
Common problems and fixes
Tables split oddly across pages. In Word, select the table → Table Properties → Row → untick "Allow row to break across pages" for important rows.
Images move out of place. Set wrapping to "In line with text" or fix the image position before saving.
A blank page at the end. Usually an empty paragraph or page break after the last line. Delete it in Word, or remove the page from the PDF with Delete PDF pages.
Links don't work in the PDF. Make sure they're real hyperlinks in Word, not text that looks like a URL, and use Save As rather than Print to PDF.
Comments or tracked changes appear. Hide markup before saving: Review → Show Markup → No Markup.
Margins changed. Print to PDF can add printer margins; use Save As instead.
Workflow: a monthly management report
- Write the report in Word using Heading 1 and Heading 2 styles.
- Shrink images before or after inserting (Word's Compress Pictures).
- Save as PDF with "Standard" and bookmarks from headings.
- Add attachments — Excel tables saved as PDF — with Merge PDF.
- Number the pages if Word didn't, with Add page numbers.
- Add "Confidential – internal use" if needed with Watermark PDF.
- Set the document title with Edit PDF metadata.
- Send with a clear name, e.g.
Monthly-Report-2026-10.pdf.
Excel and PowerPoint to PDF
The same approach works in other Office apps, with a few specifics:
- Excel: set a print area first, or the sheet may spill across many cut-off pages. Use "Fit all columns on one page" in page setup.
- PowerPoint: choose slides, notes pages, or multiple slides per page under Options when saving. Image-heavy decks get large — use "Minimum size" for email.
Converting many documents at once
- LibreOffice supports batch conversion from the command line, if you're comfortable with that.
- Google Drive: open each file and download as PDF — manual, but works anywhere.
- Word on Windows: no simple built-in batch option, but you can open and save documents in sequence.
Then combine related files with Merge PDF and number them if needed.
Accessibility: making your PDF readable by everyone
A properly exported PDF can be read by screen readers and parsed by software — if you prepare the Word document well:
- Use real heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2), not just bold text. They become the PDF's structure and bookmarks.
- Add alt text to images: right-click an image → Edit Alt Text.
- Use built-in lists and tables, not manually spaced text.
- Set the document language (Review → Language) so screen readers pronounce text correctly.
- Enable "Document structure tags for accessibility" when saving as PDF.
- Set a document title in File → Info → Properties; readers can show it instead of the file name.
Accessible PDFs also tend to work better with applicant tracking systems and search engines, because their structure is explicit.
Before you send: a 60-second check
- Open the PDF and scroll through every page.
- Fonts look right and no characters are missing.
- Links are clickable.
- No comments, tracked changes or hidden text are visible.
- Copy-paste a line: it comes out as clean text.
- File size is reasonable for email or the destination portal.
- The file name is clear, e.g.
Jane-Doe-Proposal-2026.pdf.
FAQ
Can I convert Word to PDF without Microsoft Office?
Yes — with free Google Docs or LibreOffice, mobile apps, or the built-in "Print to PDF" on Windows and Mac.
Does PDF keep my fonts?
Yes, if the font is modern, Unicode-based and allowed to be embedded. Test with copy and paste after saving.
Which is better for a CV: Word or PDF?
Follow the employer's instructions. If you can choose, a text PDF saved from Word preserves your layout. See How to make an ATS-friendly CV PDF.
How do I stop people editing my PDF?
PDFs are harder to edit than Word files but not impossible. For stronger protection, some apps let you set an editing password, or you can apply a certificate-based digital signature.
Can I convert the PDF back to Word?
Yes, but expect to review the result. Always keep the original Word file.
Do I need WPPR to convert?
Not for the conversion itself — your word processor does it best. Use WPPR afterwards to compress, merge, number or sign, all in your browser without uploads.
Bottom line
The best way to convert Word to PDF is "Save As PDF" from the app itself: it keeps text, fonts and links and gives a small file. Choose "Standard" for print and "Minimum size" for email, enable bookmarks for long documents, use modern Unicode fonts, and test the result with copy and paste.
After converting, compress, merge, number or sign your file with WPPR's tools — free, and nothing is uploaded.