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The best Word to PDF converters turn your Office documents into PDFs that exactly match the formatting of the original file. If you work with Word files, you’ve probably been in a hurry at some point and needed to turn a Word file into a PDF. PDF files have a lot of good points. Most of the time, they are smaller and have the same look no matter where you open them.
PDFs also make it possible to share a document without worrying that someone will change it. So, how do you change a Word file into a PDF? The easiest way to make a PDF in Word is to use the Save as menu and choose PDF. But what do you do if you don’t have Word? There are a lot of online resources and conversion tools that can be downloaded.
Best Word to PDF Converters Comparison Table
| Software | Features | Price | Download Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Acrobat DC | Create, edit, convert, sign, protect, and share PDFs | $14.99/month | Download Link |
| Soda PDF | Create, edit, convert, merge, and protect PDFs | $10/month | |
| PDFelement Pro | Create, edit, convert, annotate, and sign PDFs | $129/year | Download Link |
| iSkysoft PDF Creator | Create, edit, convert, and protect PDFs | $39.95 | Download Link |
| Nitro PDF Pro | Create, edit, convert, and collaborate on PDFs | $159.99/year | Download Link |
| Wondershare PDFelement | Create, edit, convert, annotate, and sign PDFs | $79.95/year | Download Link |
| Foxit PDF Editor | Create, edit, annotate, and protect PDFs | $129.00 | Download Link |
| PDF Candy | Convert, split, merge, and compress PDFs | Free or $9.90/month | Download Link |
Adobe Acrobat DC
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Edit PDFs | Edit text and images in PDFs |
| Export PDFs | Convert PDFs to different file formats |
| Fill and sign | Fill out and sign PDF forms |
| Collaborate | Share and review PDFs with others |
| Mobile app | Access and edit PDFs on mobile devices |
Overall, Adobe Acrobat DC is the best Word to PDF converter, which might not be surprising since the company that makes the best office tool also created the PDF file format. It can be hard for people who are just starting out because the interface looks more complicated than it really is. Once you figure out how to get around, though, it’s very easy to use.
That great Adobe design polish really stands out. In our review, we gave the software a rare 5 stars and said, “Sometimes, the best solution on the market has a good name for a reason.” The process of conversion is done very well. It’s easy to put into place, changes quickly, and the results are of the highest quality.
The Good
- Software that is widely used to work with PDFs
- Full suite of tools for editing, exporting, and signing PDFs
- Windows, Mac, and mobile devices can use it.
The Bad
- Pricing model based on subscriptions that are expensive
- Hard to learn how to use advanced features
Soda PDF
| Feature | |
|---|---|
| Edit PDFs | Edit text and images in PDFs |
| Create PDFs | Create new PDFs from scratch |
| Convert PDFs | Convert PDFs to different file formats |
| Review and annotate | Add comments and annotations to PDFs |
| Secure and sign | Add password protection and digital signatures |
Soda PDF is one of the best PDF programs out there, and it is also the best Word to PDF converter. It says it is the “fastest PDF to Office Converter on the market,” and it is a PDF editor, manipulator, converter, merger, and everything else you’ll probably need to manage PDFs on a daily basis.
It can be used to convert PDF files online for free, but there are limits on how much you can upload. For offline Word to PDF conversion, you can also download a desktop app for Windows or Mac. Soda PDF is a great tool for converting files on many platforms because it works on even iOS.
The Good
- There are affordable pricing options, including a basic version that is free.
- Easy-to-use interface for editing and making PDFs
- Batch processing is a way to change many files at once.
The Bad
- Compared to more expensive PDF software, it doesn’t have as many features.
- Some features are only available to subscribers who pay more.
PDFelement Pro
| Feature | |
|---|---|
| Edit PDFs | Edit text and images in PDFs |
| OCR technology | Convert scanned PDFs into editable text |
| Create PDFs | Create new PDFs from scratch |
| Convert PDFs | Convert PDFs to different file formats |
| Review and annotate | Add comments and annotations to PDFs |
PDFelement Pro is the best Word to PDF converter because it gives you full control over your PDF files. You can use this Word to PDF converter to make high-quality PDFs that still look like the originals. Plus, its powerful PDF editing tools make it easy to change PDF text, images, and other parts.
It gives you more ways to use PDF files and makes your work easier. Word, Excel, PPT, Webpages, EPUB, and other formats can be used to make PDFs. It lets you change, delete, add, and insert text, images, and pages in PDF files.
The Good
- With OCR technology, scanned documents are easy to change.
- Compared to other high-end PDF software, the prices are competitive.
- Interface that is easy to use and has a variety of editing tools
The Bad
- Some of the more advanced features, like batch processing and form creation, cost extra.
- Mobile app features are limited
iSkysoft PDF Creator
| Feature | |
|---|---|
| Create PDFs | Create new PDFs from a range of file types |
| Merge and split PDFs | Combine or separate PDFs as needed |
| Edit PDFs | Edit text and images in PDFs |
| Convert PDFs | Convert PDFs to different file formats |
| Secure and sign | Add password protection and digital signatures |
With iSkysoft PDF Creator, you can easily make PDFs. This Word to PDF converter for Mac is easy to use and lets you make high-quality PDF files from Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files. The layout and formatting of the original source file will be kept in the PDF that is made.
Once you install this program on your computer, you won’t need to install Microsoft Office on your Mac in order to make PDFs. You can also keep your files secret and move them easily with this program. You can use it to make ISO PDF-compliant high-resolution PDF files that look more professional and are easier to share.
The Good
- There are affordable pricing options, and you can even try it out for free.
- For basic PDF tasks, the interface is simple and easy to use.
- Batch processing lets you make and change many files at once.
The Bad
- Compared to more expensive PDF software, it doesn’t have as many features.
- No OCR software to edit scanned documents
Nitro PDF Pro
| Feature | |
|---|---|
| Edit PDFs | Edit text and images in PDFs |
| Create PDFs | Create new PDFs from a range of file types |
| Convert PDFs | Convert PDFs to different file formats |
| Review and annotate | Add comments and annotations to PDFs |
| Collaborate | Share and review PDFs with others |
Nitro Pro is a desktop app for Windows that lets you convert and change PDFs. It can quickly make PDF files from Microsoft Office, WordPerfect, images, and HTML files. During our tests, we found that Nitro Pro is one of the best ways to change a lot of Word files to PDF files at once.
You can set the PDFs you make to be PDF/A-1b compliant, and the software has no trouble accurately converting many large Word documents. In general, we thought it was one of the best apps for changing.doc files to.pdf files. Nitro Pro isn’t as easy to use as Wondershare PDFelement and Soda PDF, even though it has pretty good tools for editing PDFs.
The Good
- Compared to other high-end PDF software, the prices are competitive.
- Interface that is easy to use and has a variety of editing tools
- It works with Windows and with Microsoft Office.
The Bad
- Some of the more advanced features, like OCR and form creation, are only available to subscribers who pay more.
| Feature | |
|---|---|
| Edit PDFs | Edit text and images in PDFs |
| OCR technology | Convert scanned PDFs into editable text |
| Create PDFs | Create new PDFs from a range of file types |
| Convert PDFs | Convert PDFs to different file formats |
| Review and annotate | Add comments and annotations to PDFs |
Wondershare PDFelement – PDF Editor is a Word to PDF offline converter that lets you make high-quality PDFs that keep the original formatting. It can convert multiple Word files to PDF at the same time through batch processing.
You can also easily change PDF text, images, and other parts with its powerful editing tools. It has an OCR function that makes it easy to change scanned PDF files. PDFelement makes it easy to convert PDFs and makes your work easier.
The Good
- With OCR technology, scanned documents are easy to change.
- Compared to other high-end PDF software, the prices are competitive.
- Interface that is easy to use and has a variety of editing tools
The Bad
- Some of the more advanced features, like batch processing and form creation, cost extra.
- Mobile app features are limited
Foxit PDF Editor
| Feature | |
|---|---|
| Edit PDFs | Edit text and images in PDFs |
| Convert PDFs | Convert PDFs to different file formats |
| OCR technology | Convert scanned PDFs into editable text |
| Review and annotate | Add comments and annotations to PDFs |
| Create PDFs | Create new PDFs from a range of file types |
Foxit is a company that has been making PDF editing tools for decades. It is almost as well known for PDF as Adobe. Its newest software, Foxit PDF Editor, is a clear choice for converting Word documents to PDF because it gives you more options than other software does when converting.
Set file options to make the PDF better for viewing online, add a watermark, make sure the file meets certain PDFA standards, add headers and footers, and set passwords and permissions. Even though these features are usually available in other PDF editors, the ability to save them as a template and use them again and again for batch processing is a great way to save time.
The Good
- Compared to other high-end PDF software, the price is reasonable.
- Interface that is easy to use and has a variety of editing tools
- With OCR technology, scanned documents are easy to change.
The Bad
- Mobile app features are limited
- Some features are only available to subscribers who pay more.
PDF Candy
| Feature | |
|---|---|
| Edit PDFs | Edit text and images in PDFs |
| Convert PDFs | Convert PDFs to different file formats |
| Merge PDFs | Combine multiple PDFs into one document |
| Split PDFs | Separate a PDF into multiple documents |
| Protect PDFs | Add password protection to PDFs |
One of our favorite free Word to PDF converters is PDF Candy. With its big, bold buttons, the interface is very easy to use. You’ll always know where to go and what to do. But what sets PDF Candy apart from some of the other best Word-to-PDF converters is its full set of tools for editing and converting PDFs.
The service has 47 tools for changing and manipulating PDF files, which is a lot. This includes 10 tools to convert from PDF and 19 tools to convert to PDF, such as Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and eReader files. PDF Candy says that you can convert your files with just one click. Choose the “Word to PDF” function.
The Good
- It’s free to use, and you don’t have to download or install anything.
- For basic PDF tasks, the interface is easy to use.
- A free PDF editor with a lot of features.
The Bad
- Compared to high-end PDF software, it has fewer features.
- Some of the more advanced features, like OCR and making forms, are not available.
FAQs
Does Microsoft have a free PDF to Word converter?
You can use Microsoft Word to convert a PDF to Word for free. You don’t need to use or download any other programs (like Adobe Acrobat Pro). If you have Microsoft Word 2013 or a later version, you can easily change a PDF (portable document format) file to Word and edit it there.
How do I convert Word to PDF without Adobe Acrobat?
To turn a Microsoft Word document into a PDF, open the document in Microsoft Word, go to File > Save As, and choose PDF from the list of formats. You can also turn a Word document into a PDF using Google Drive or LibreOffice.
Does Office 365 have a PDF convertor?
Make PDFs from Office 365 documents. Use the Create PDF Add-in to easily turn an Office 365 document into a high-quality PDF. You can save the PDF to OneDrive or download it.
Does Windows 10 have a PDF Converter?
Using Windows 10’s built-in PDF printer, you can turn any file into a PDF. Windows 10 has a print driver built in that turns documents into PDF files. It’s also very simple to use. All you have to do is print the document like you normally would, and then choose the PDF option as your printer.