Word to PDF
Save a Word document as a PDF that looks the same wherever it is opened, ready to email, print or upload. The conversion happens on your own device, so the file is never sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Pick one Word document or several (up to 5 at a time), or drop them into the box.
- On your first visit the converter downloads, which is about 78 MB. On later visits it is ready at once.
- Download each PDF on its own, or download them all together in one ZIP file.
What comes through, and how
Text, headings, lists, tables, pictures, page numbers, headers and footers all appear in the PDF, on the same page size as your original. The words remain genuine text, so the PDF can be searched and copied from. The work is done by LibreOffice, the well-known free office suite, running inside your browser. It reads Word files very well, but it is not Microsoft Word, so the PDF may differ from one Word itself would make, mostly where the layout is complex. If the document calls for fonts your device lacks, lookalike fonts stand in; they are built to take up the same space, which helps lines and pages break in the same places, though that cannot be promised.
The converter is a full document engine of about 78 MB and is downloaded first; after that the page locks itself and only then opens your document. Once locked it cannot send or fetch anything online, so your file cannot leave your device even by accident, and pictures or files a document links to on the internet are not fetched. Your browser usually keeps the converter so later conversions start much faster, though it may clear it to free up space. Wi-Fi is a good idea. It is designed for computers: on a phone it can be slow or stop, and phone files are capped at 10 MB.
Things to check before you convert
Letters, CVs, reports and forms usually come out very close to the original. Text boxes and shapes laid over the page, some charts and embedded objects, and unusual fonts may look different. Tracked changes appear marked up, with deleted words still showing, so accept or reject them in Word first if you need a clean copy. A table of contents shows whatever was last saved in it, so update it in Word before you start. Always glance through the PDF before relying on it.
Documents with a password cannot be converted, so take the password off in Word first. Macros are never run.
Questions and answers
Will the PDF match what Word's own Save as PDF gives me?
For most documents it will be very close, but not identical, because the converter is LibreOffice rather than Microsoft Word. If the exact appearance matters, put the PDF side by side with the original before sending it.
What kinds of Word file can I use?
Files ending in .docx or .doc, Word templates, and macro-enabled .docm files (their macros are not run).
Why does the first conversion take a while?
On the first go, your browser has to download the converter, which is around 78 MB. It is usually kept after that, and each conversion then takes a few seconds.
Does TeddyPDF upload my file?
No. Your browser does all the work, on your own device. Before it opens your file, this page shuts off its own ability to send or fetch anything, and your browser holds it to that. Once the software a tool needs has loaded and the privacy lock is on, the work carries on even with your Wi-Fi off. How the lock works.