How to Convert Word to PDF on Windows, One File or Many
If Word is installed, File › Save As with PDF as the file type is the best way to turn a document into a PDF on Windows, because Word's own layout keeps every page exactly as it is. Without Word, or for many files at once, File Acture's Convert Files turns .docx files into PDFs on your PC in one run, with no Office installed and nothing uploaded.
Updated October 1, 20265 min read
By the File Acture team
A contract to send, a folder of letters to archive, a stack of documents for an application that only takes PDFs: sooner or later a Word file has to become a PDF. On Windows, the best way depends on whether Word is installed and on how many files you have.
This guide starts with the way that works best when you have Word, then covers the alternatives on a PC and their limits, and finally how to convert a whole batch of Word files without Office and without uploading them.
What is the best way to save a Word document as a PDF on Windows?
If Microsoft Word is installed, use Word itself. Open the document, choose File › Save As, set Save as type to PDF and click Save; File › Export › Create PDF/XPS Document works too. Word writes the PDF from its own layout, so every page break lands exactly where it does on screen, links keep working, and Options can turn your headings into bookmarks. For one document this is the most faithful result: no other tool, File Acture included, can guarantee the same page breaks.
Do not print to Microsoft Print to PDF instead of saving: a printed copy is rebuilt from the print output, so it loses links and bookmarks and can come out larger. The limits of Save As are the software and the number of files. Word has to be installed, and it saves the document you have open, so twenty files mean twenty rounds.
Can you convert a .docx to PDF on Windows without Word?
Yes, but each way gives up something. Word comes with Microsoft 365 or Office, not with Windows, so on a PC without it you need another program or a website.
- LibreOffice: it is free and opens .docx files, and File › Export As › Export as PDF… saves the result. It draws the pages itself, so a complex Word layout can shift, and converting a whole folder usually means using its command line.
- Word for the web, Google Docs and online converters: they work in a browser, but on a copy of your file uploaded to someone else's server. Read whether online PDF tools are safe before you send a contract or a CV.
How do you convert many Word files to PDF at once on Windows?
From their menus, Word and LibreOffice export one document at a time. File Acture's Convert Files takes the whole batch: drop the Word files on it and every one becomes a PDF. Each PDF keeps the Word file's name with the new extension, so report.docx becomes report.pdf, and it is saved in the folder you choose; the Word file is never changed.
File Acture reads .docx files itself, so neither Word nor any other Office program has to be installed. Its own reader and page layout handle styles, theme fonts, lists, tables, pictures, text boxes, headers and footers with page numbers, footnotes, sections with their own paper size and margins, and page breaks.
Each Word file becomes its own PDF; to combine the results into one, run them through Merge PDFs. An existing file is never overwritten, and if you cancel or something fails, no half-written PDF is left behind.
Is it private, and is it free?
Everything runs on your PC, so no document is uploaded. To count free runs, the app sends only the tool's name, its version and anonymous identifiers, never file names or contents. File Acture runs on Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) and Windows 11, 64-bit. The same tool turns Excel and PowerPoint files into PDFs too.
The free version includes 3 runs on each PC with up to 5 files per run. Pro is a one-time purchase, and one license covers one device. If you need the Word version of a PDF instead, convert the PDF to Word.
How to convert Word files to PDF on Windows with File Acture
- 1
Open Convert Files
Open File Acture and choose Convert Files, the first tool in the File group of the sidebar.
- 2
Add the Word files
Drag one or more .docx files onto the window, or click Choose Files…. The Detected format line shows the type of file it found.
- 3
Choose the destination
In the Folder row, choose where the PDFs should go.
- 4
Convert
Click Convert. Each file becomes a PDF with the same name and the .pdf extension; the Word files stay as they are.
- 5
Check the pages
Open a PDF and look at its page breaks. If a document must match Word page for page, save it from Word instead.
Turn Word files into PDFs on your PC, many at once, with no Office.
Free to try · runs on your PC
| Method | Needs | Several files at once | File stays on your PC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word, File › Save As | Microsoft Word | No, one document at a time | Yes |
| Word, Print › Microsoft Print to PDF | Microsoft Word | No, one at a time | Yes |
| LibreOffice, File › Export As › Export as PDF… | LibreOffice (free) | No, one at a time | Yes |
| Word for the web, Google Docs, online converters | A browser, often an account | Varies by site | No (uploaded) |
| File Acture Convert Files | File Acture (3 free runs) | Yes | Yes |
Questions
Can I convert a .docx to PDF on Windows without Microsoft Word?
Yes. LibreOffice, which is free, exports a .docx as a PDF one document at a time, and File Acture's Convert Files converts .docx files with no Office program installed, many at once.
How do I convert several Word files to PDF at once on Windows?
Drop them all on Convert Files and click Convert. Each one becomes a PDF with the same name in the folder you chose. The free version converts up to 5 files per run, 3 runs on each PC.
Can I convert an old .doc file on Windows?
Open the file in Word, save it as .docx and convert that.
Is my document uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs on your PC, and the original Word file is left unchanged.