This tutorial shows how to convert Microsoft Word files to PDFs.
[Typewriter sounds]
Hello, my name is Erin.
I’m a technical writer and editor who shares step-by-step software tutorials and writing tips for the real world on this channel
and on my blog at erinwrightwriting.com.
There are several ways to convert Microsoft Word files to PDFs within Microsoft Word,
so today we're goin to focus on the method I believe is the most user-friendly.
In the second section, we will also briefly discuss the Adobe Acrobat PDFMaker add-in and look at how to use it.
Please note that the PDFMaker add-in is not required to convert your Word file to a PDF in Microsoft Word.
If you need to do the reverse of this tutorial, which is to convert a PDF to a Microsoft Word file,
please see my other tutorial titled “How to Convert PDFs to Microsoft Word Files in Adobe Acrobat.”
I’ll be using Word for Microsoft 365. These steps will also work for Word 2019 and Word 2016.
The steps will be similar in Word 2013 and Word 2010.
To begin, open the Word file you want to convert to a PDF.
Now we need to open the Save As dialog box.
Windows users can do so by pressing the keyboard shortcut F12 or FN + F12.
Alternatively, you can select the File tab in the ribbon followed by Save As in the Backstage view.
Then, select the Browse option to open the Save As dialog box.
Now, select the location where you want to save your PDF.
And then select PDF from the Save as type menu.
Select the Options button if you want to select additional options, such as converting only a specific page range.
After making your choices, select the OK button.
You can also choose to optimize for Standard or Minimum size.
The minimum size option is helpful if you need a smaller file size for emailing or have storage capacity issues.
Next, deselect Open file after publishing if you don’t want the PDF to open in a compatible application,
such as Acrobat Reader, Adobe Acrobat, or a web browser after the conversion process is complete.
Finally, select the Save button.
Adobe Acrobat PDFMaker is a plug-in, which Microsoft calls an add-in,
that allows you to streamline the process of converting PDFs to other types of file in Windows.
PDFMaker comes with Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, Acrobat 2020, and Acrobat 2017.
By default, it will be added to your Office applications after installation of Acrobat.
In Word, it will normally appear in the Home tab of the ribbon.
If you select the File tab, you can see that it is also available in the Backstage view.
To use PDFMaker, first open the Word file you want to convert.
Then, select the Home tab followed by the Create and Share Adobe PDF button.
As mentioned earlier, you can also select the File tab and then select Save as Adobe PDF from the Backstage view.
Now, select the Yes button in the alert box stating that your file must be saved.
The alert box won’t appear if your file was recently saved.
Next, select the location where you want to save the PDF in the Save Adobe PDF File As dialog box.
Uncheck View Result if you don't want the PDF to open
in Adobe Acrobat or another compatible application after the conversion process is complete.
If you want to set security restrictions, select Restrict Editing.
When the security dialog box appears, you can set a password to open the PDF, set a password to edit or print the PDF,
and select restrictions for editing, printing, or copying the content.
After making your choices, select the OK button.
For more options, select the Options button
and then make additional choices from the Options dialog box, including choosing to convert a specific page range.
After making your choices, select the OK button.
Finally, select the Save button.
I have created many other videos about Microsoft Word, including “How to Create and Modify a Table of Contents in Microsoft Word”
and “How to Insert Citations in Microsoft Word.”
Please see the playlist titled “How to Use Microsoft Word,” which is linked below, for the complete list.
The companion blog post for this video listing all the steps we just performed
appears on erinwrightwriting.com, which is also linked below.
Feel free to leave me a comment if there’s a specific topic related to Microsoft Word,
Adobe Acrobat, or Google Docs at that you would like me to talk about in the future.
And please subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss future tutorials and give this video a thumbs-up if you found it helpful.
Thank you so much for watching!
[Typewriter sounds]