How to convert word to pdf without losing formatting on mac

An easy-to-use guide to turn your Word documents into viewable PDFs

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Do you want to convert your Word document into an easy-to-send PDF file? PDFs are compatible with all platforms, so turning your Word document into a PDF ensures that more people can open the file. It's incredibly easy to convert a Word document to PDF—we'll show you how to do it on any PC or Mac!

1. 1

   Open the Microsoft Word document. Double-click the Word document to open it in Microsoft Word.

   • If you haven't yet created the document, open Word, then click Blank document and create the document as needed before proceeding.

2. 2

   Click File. It's in the top-left corner of the Word window. Doing so opens a pop-out window.

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3. 3

   Click Export. This option is in the left-hand column of options. You should see several new options appear in the middle of the window.

4. 4

   Click Create PDF/XPS Document. It's in the upper-left corner of the window.

5. 5

   Click Create PDF/XPS. This option is in the middle of the window. Doing so prompts a pop-up window.

6. 6

   Select a save location. On the left side of the window, click the folder in which you want to store the PDF version of your Word file.

   • Since the PDF is a different file type than the Word document, you can store the PDF in the same file location as the Word file.
   • You can also enter a new file name in the "File name" text box if you like.

7. 7

   Click Publish. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. This will create a PDF copy of your Word document in your specified location.

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1. 1

   Open the Microsoft Word document. Double-click the Word document to open it in Microsoft Word.

   • If you haven't yet created the document, open Word, then click Blank Document and create the document as needed before proceeding.

2. 2

   Click File. It's in the upper-left corner of your Mac's screen. A drop-down menu will appear.

3. 3

   Click Save As…. This option is in the drop-down menu. Doing so opens a new window.

4. 4

   Enter a file name. Type whatever you want to name the PDF into the "Name" text box at the top of the window.

5. 5

   Select a save location. On the left side of the window, click the folder in which you want to save your PDF.

6. 6

   Click the "File Format" text box. It's at the bottom of the window. A drop-down menu will appear.

7. 7

   Click PDF. This option is in the "Export" section of the drop-down menu.

   • You may have to scroll down in the drop-down menu to see this option.

8. 8

   Click Export. It's a blue button in the bottom-right corner of the window. Doing so saves your PDF in the specified file location.

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1. 1

2. 2

   Click Choose file. It's in the middle of the SmallPDF page. Doing so will open either a File Explorer (Windows) or a Finder (Mac) window.

3. 3

   Select your Word document. Go to your Word document's location, then click the Word document to select it.

4. 4

   Click Open. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. Doing so will upload the Word document to SmallPDF.

   • On a Mac, you may click Choose here instead.

5. 5

   Click Download File. This option is in the lower-left side of the SmallPDF page. Your PDF will download onto your computer, though you may have to select a storage location and/or confirm the download depending on your browser's settings.

   • It may take a few seconds for this option to appear if your Word document is large or your Internet connection is slow.

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1. 1

   Open Google Drive. Go to //drive.google.com/ in your computer's web browser. This will open your Google Drive page if you're logged in.

   • If you aren't logged in, click Go to Google Drive, then enter your email address and password when prompted.

2. 2

   Click ＋ New. It's in the top-left side of the Google Drive window. A drop-down menu will appear.

3. 3

   Click File upload. It's in the drop-down menu. Doing this will open either a File Explorer (Windows) or a Finder (Mac) window.

4. 4

   Select your Word document. Go to your Word document's location, then click the Word document to select it.

5. 5

   Click Open. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. Your Word document will upload to Google Drive.

   • On a Mac, you may click Choose here instead.

6. 6

   Open the Word document. Once the Word file finishes uploading to Google Drive, double-click it in Google Drive to open it in your browser.

7. 7

   Click File. It's in the upper-left side of the window. Doing so prompts a drop-down menu.

   • On a Mac, make sure you're clicking File in your browser window and not in the menu bar at the top of the screen.

8. 8

   Select Download as. This option is in the middle of the drop-down menu. Selecting it prompts a pop-out menu.

9. 9

   Click PDF document. It's in the pop-out menu. A PDF version of the Word document will immediately download onto your computer.

   • Depending on your browser's settings, you may have to confirm the download and/or select a save location before the file will actually download.

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Add New Question

• Question

  Why doesn't Microsoft Word give me the option to "Save as PDF" in the file menu?

  A special type of software (technically called add-in) has the ability to convert Microsoft Word documents to PDF. However, Word 2007 does not include this add-in by default. To convert to PDF with Microsoft Word 2007, you have to download the add-in from Microsoft's website.

• Question

  I need to convert a PDF file to a Microsoft Word document. Is there a way to do this?

  Open up your PDF document and select "Save as --> Word Document." You'll need to clean it up afterwards (remove paragraph signs, reformat, etc.).

• Question

  How do I fix the glitches and formatting errors that show up in the new PDF file?

  The latest versions (after MS Office 2007) allow you to save the document as a pdf, thus avoiding formatting errors. Go to Files->Save As and select ".pdf format" from Save As Type. Click to save.

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• To open your PDF in your computer's default PDF reader, simply double-click it; if you have more than one PDF reader, you may be prompted to select one after double-clicking the PDF.

  As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

• You can also use the "Save as" menu to convert your Word document to a PDF on a Windows computer.

  As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

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• When converting sensitive documents (e.g., credit card statements), avoid using SmallPDF. While their site is secure, it's best to keep such documents offline as much as possible.

  As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

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About This Article

Article SummaryX

1. Go to //smallpdf.com/word-to-pdf in your web browser.
2. Click Choose file.
3. Double-click the Word file you want to convert.
4. Click Download File when the PDF is available.

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