Converting a Word document to PDF is one of the most common office tasks. PDF ensures your document layout is preserved perfectly on any device, regardless of whether the recipient has the same fonts or Word version installed. This guide covers the conversion process for every major version of Microsoft Office on both Windows and Mac, along with optimization settings and troubleshooting tips.
Office 365 / Microsoft 365 (Latest Version)
Microsoft 365 offers the most complete and polished PDF export experience:
- Open your Word document and click File in the top left corner.
- Select Export (or Save As).
- Choose Create PDF/XPS Document, then click the Create PDF/XPS button.
- In the “Publish as PDF or XPS” dialog, select a save location.
- Under Optimize for, choose:
- Standard (publishing online and printing): Higher quality, suitable for most uses.
- Minimum size (publishing online): Compresses images, smaller file size, best for email or web.
- Click Options for advanced settings (described below).
- Click Publish to export the PDF.
Office 2021 / 2019
Office 2021 and 2019 use essentially the same workflow as Microsoft 365:
- Click File → Export → Create PDF/XPS Document.
- Choose a save location and enter a filename.
- Select your optimization option (Standard or Minimum size).
- Click Publish.
PDF export quality in these versions is equivalent to Microsoft 365, with full font embedding and hyperlink preservation supported.
Office 2016
Office 2016 also supports PDF export, with a slightly different path:
- Click File → Save As.
- In the Save as type dropdown, select PDF (*.pdf).
- Choose Standard or Minimum size quality.
- Click Save.
You can also use the File → Export → Create PDF/XPS path in Office 2016, which works identically to the Save As method.
Word for Mac
On macOS, there are two main methods for converting Word to PDF:
Method 1: Use Word’s built-in export
- Click File in the menu bar.
- Select Save As.
- In the Format dropdown, choose PDF.
- Click Export.
Method 2: Use the macOS Print dialog
- Press Command + P to open the print dialog.
- Click the PDF dropdown button in the bottom left corner.
- Select Save as PDF.
- Choose a location and confirm.
Word’s built-in export is recommended over the macOS print method because the print-to-PDF approach may not preserve hyperlinks in the document.
Optimization Settings Explained
Clicking Options in the “Publish as PDF or XPS” dialog reveals advanced export settings:
- Page range: Export all pages or specify a custom page range.
- Include document properties: Embeds metadata such as title and author into the PDF.
- ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A): Produces a PDF/A file for long-term archival, required for legal or government document storage.
- Create bookmarks using headings: Converts Word heading styles into PDF bookmarks for easy navigation in PDF readers.
- Document structure tags for accessibility: Adds accessibility tags for screen readers, helping meet Section 508 and WCAG compliance requirements.
Font Embedding Explained
When Word exports to PDF, all fonts used in the document are automatically embedded in the PDF file, provided the font license permits embedding. This ensures that recipients see the document exactly as intended, regardless of what fonts are installed on their device. If you use a commercial or custom font with embedding restrictions, it may be substituted with a system font in the exported PDF. Always verify font licenses when distributing documents with non-standard typography.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- Blurry images in the PDF: Choose “Standard” quality rather than “Minimum size” to avoid excessive image compression.
- Hyperlinks not working: Use Word’s built-in Export function rather than the macOS print dialog, which does not always preserve links.
- Layout shifting in the PDF: Ensure all fonts are embeddable and that table margins are correctly set before converting.
- PDF file is too large: Use the “Minimum size” optimization, or compress the PDF afterward using an online PDF compression tool.
Do it in your browser — the file never leaves your device: PDF Tools
