Word to PDF

Convert Word documents into PDF files.

Select a Word document

or drag and drop here

Accepted formats: DOC, DOCX, ODT, RTF

Secure server processing — automatically deletedThis tool requires server-side processing. Your file is sent over an encrypted connection to iBuildPDF’s processing server, held only for the moments it is being converted, and deleted automatically afterwards.

Quick facts

What it does
Renders a word-processor document as a PDF, fixing the layout so it no longer depends on the reader's fonts or page setup.
Input
DOC, DOCX, ODT or RTF
Output
PDF
Processing
On our server
Files uploaded?
Yes, temporarily
Account required?
No
Best for
Sending something for signature, printing or submission, where the recipient must see the page exactly as you laid it out.
Main limitation
Fonts you have installed locally but did not embed in the document are substituted, which can move line breaks. Check the first and last page of anything long before you send it.

How to use this tool

  1. Choose a Word document — .docx, .doc, .odt or .rtf.
  2. Press Apply to send it for conversion over an encrypted connection.
  3. Wait while the document is laid out and rendered as a PDF.
  4. Download the PDF. It will look the same on any device that opens it.

Why use iBuildPDF

Converting in this direction is the easier half, and it is the one worth doing before you send anything important. A Word file reflows to fit whoever opens it — their fonts, their page size, their version. A PDF does not. The file is processed on our server over an encrypted connection and deleted when the conversion finishes.

How it works

The document is opened by a document engine, laid out the way a word processor would lay it out, and each finished page is written to the PDF. Text stays as text, so the result is still searchable and selectable; it is not a picture of your document.

Frequently asked questions

Which file types can I convert?

.docx and .doc from Word, .odt from LibreOffice or OpenOffice, and .rtf. If you have a Pages document, export it as Word first.

Will my fonts survive?

Standard fonts do. A font installed only on your own machine cannot be read by the converter, so a close substitute is used and lines may break in slightly different places. Embedding the fonts in the Word file before converting avoids this.

Are hyperlinks and the table of contents preserved?

Yes. Links stay clickable and a generated table of contents keeps its internal links, because the text is converted as text rather than flattened to an image.

Can I convert several documents at once?

One at a time here. Convert each to PDF, then use Merge PDF if you want them as a single file — that step runs in your browser and does not upload anything.

Does it handle tracked changes and comments?

Tracked changes are rendered in whatever state the document is showing — if the markup is displayed, it appears in the PDF. Accept or reject the changes and turn off the markup view before converting, unless you want the revisions visible. Comments are not carried into the PDF.

Read more about this