Converting a Word file to PDF is usually a one-click job. The trouble starts when the DOCX carries things you cannot see at a glance: a colleague's tracked edits, review comments in the margin, or a font that only exists on the author's computer. Those are the details that turn a "final" PDF into an embarrassing one, with strike-through text in a contract or a résumé that suddenly runs onto a third page.
This converter checks for exactly those things in your browser before the file goes anywhere, then converts it on our server with LibreOffice. Below: what the check looks for, how each DOCX feature ends up in the PDF (tested, not guessed), and how to fix the file in Word when it matters. For a general overview of Word to PDF conversion, see the Word to PDF page; this one is about the DOCX details.
How to convert DOCX to PDF
- Drop the .docx onto the box, or click to choose it. Older .doc files and macro-enabled .docm files are accepted too.
- Read What we found under the file name: tracked changes, comments and fonts, checked in your browser.
- If something needs fixing, fix it in Word first (see below), save, and drop the new copy in.
- Click Convert to PDF. The progress bar shows the upload, the queue and the conversion.
- The PDF downloads on its own. Check the page count and the last page against the Word file.
What the pre-conversion check reads
A DOCX file is a ZIP package of XML files. The check opens it in your browser (nothing is uploaded at this point) and looks at three parts:
- Tracked changes: it counts insertions, deletions and moves recorded with Track Changes in the main text.
- Comments: it counts the comments stored in the file.
- Fonts: it lists the fonts set in the document's styles and text, including the theme fonts Word uses by default, and tells you whether fonts are embedded in the file.
For an older binary .doc file the check is skipped, because that format cannot be read this way; the conversion itself works the same.
How DOCX features end up in the PDF
We converted test documents with each feature and looked at the resulting PDFs. This is what happens:
| In the DOCX | In the PDF | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Tracked changes | Printed with change marks: insertions colored and underlined, deletions struck through, with a bar in the margin | Accept or reject all changes first, unless you want a marked-up copy |
| Comments | Left out | Use Word's own PDF export with markup if reviewers must see them |
| Hyperlinks | Kept and clickable | Nothing |
| Headings (Heading 1, Heading 2 styles) | Turned into PDF bookmarks you can click in the sidebar | Use Word's heading styles instead of just bold text |
| Hidden text | Not printed | Nothing; unhide it if it should appear |
| Headers, footers, page numbers | Kept | Check the first page if it uses a different header |
| Table of contents | Printed as last updated in Word | Update it in Word before saving (References > Update Table) |
| Page size and margins | Taken from the document (Letter, A4 or custom) | Set them in Layout > Size if the PDF must be a particular size |
| Fonts embedded in the DOCX | Used as they are | The most reliable way to keep a special font |
| Fonts not embedded and not on our server | Replaced with a similar font | Embed fonts, or switch to a common font |
| Macros in a .docm | Not run; the document prints as saved | Run any macro that changes content before saving |
Tracked changes: clean copy or marked-up copy?
When a DOCX still has tracked changes, the PDF shows them exactly as Word's "All Markup" view does: you see both the deleted and the inserted words. In our test, a price changed from "each" to "per unit" came out as "each per unit" with "each" struck through and "per unit" underlined in color. That is useful when you want to send a redline to the other side of a negotiation. It is a mistake when the PDF is meant to be the final version.
To get a clean PDF:
- Open the document in Word.
- On the Review tab, open the Accept menu and choose Accept All Changes (or reject the ones you do not want first).
- Turn off Track Changes so new edits are not recorded.
- Save, and convert the new copy. The check should now say No tracked changes.
Warning: Switching Word to the "No Markup" view only hides changes on your screen; they are still in the file and still print in the PDF. Accepting or rejecting them is the only way to remove them.
Comments
Comments are left out of the PDF, which is what you want for a final document. If reviewers need to see them, export from Word itself: File > Save As, choose PDF, click Options and select Document showing markup. Word then prints comments in balloons in the margin. If the comments are private notes, delete them before sharing the DOCX itself: Review > Delete > Delete All Comments in Document. They are invisible in the PDF but very visible to anyone who opens the Word file.
Fonts: why your PDF can look different
A DOCX usually does not contain its fonts. It only names them, and whichever computer opens the file has to supply them. When a font is missing, a substitute takes its place, and if the substitute is wider or narrower, every line breaks differently. That is how a one-page résumé becomes two pages.
- Calibri and Cambria: free twins called Carlito and Caladea have exactly the same letter widths, and LibreOffice uses them in place of the originals when they are installed. Line breaks stay the same; only the letter shapes differ slightly.
- Arial, Times New Roman and Courier New: also have metric-compatible free twins (Liberation Sans, Serif and Mono), so layouts hold.
- Aptos: the default font in Microsoft 365 since 2024. It has no free twin, so a document set in Aptos is likely to be shown in a substitute font with slightly different widths. Check the page count.
- Brand fonts, Google Fonts and Mac fonts: replaced unless embedded.
The fix is to embed the fonts. In Word for Windows: File > Options > Save, tick Embed fonts in the file, then save. The check will say the file has embedded fonts, and the PDF will use them. Embedding makes the DOCX larger, so tick Embed only the characters used in the document if size matters.
Example: a one-page résumé that became two
A job seeker writes a résumé in Word on a new laptop, where the default font is Aptos, and fits it neatly onto one page. Converted to PDF, it spills four lines onto page two.
- The check lists the fonts: Aptos for body text and Aptos Display for headings, not embedded.
- Aptos is replaced during conversion, and the substitute has slightly different letter widths, so a few lines wrap and push the last section over.
- Fix one: in Word, tick Embed fonts in the file under File > Options > Save, save, and convert again. The PDF now uses Aptos and stays on one page.
- Fix two, if embedding is not possible (for example in Word for the web): switch the document to Calibri or Arial, which have exact-width twins, and adjust the layout once.
- Either way, check the page count before sending. Recruiters do notice a stray second page.
Accessible PDFs
The PDFs this converter makes are tagged, which means they carry structure information (headings, paragraphs, lists, tables) that screen readers use to read a document in the right order. The structure comes from your DOCX, so the better the Word file, the better the PDF:
- Use real heading styles, not bold text, so headings become headings and bookmarks.
- Add alt text to images in Word (right-click the image, then View Alt Text).
- Use real tables for tabular data, with a header row, instead of tabs and spaces.
- Run Word's Review > Check Accessibility before converting.
Word's own export or this converter?
| Situation | Better choice |
|---|---|
| You have Word and the document uses special fonts | Word: File > Save As > PDF uses your installed fonts |
| You need comments shown in the PDF | Word, with Document showing markup |
| No Word on this computer, phone or tablet | This converter |
| You want to check a DOCX for leftover edits and comments before sharing | This converter's check, then either route |
| Word for the web | File > Save As > Download as PDF works in any browser with a Microsoft account |
DOCX files that did not come from Word
Google Docs, Apple Pages, LibreOffice and many online editors can save DOCX files, and most of them convert without trouble. A few things are worth knowing:
- Google Docs: if the document is still in Google Docs, File > Download > PDF Document gives you a PDF directly, with Google's own fonts. A DOCX downloaded from Google Docs may name Google Fonts that are not embedded, so check the font list.
- Pages: a DOCX exported from Pages often names Mac fonts such as Helvetica Neue. Expect a substitute font unless you chose a common font in Pages.
- Templates and résumé builders: some use text boxes and floating shapes for layout. Check that nothing overlaps in the PDF.
Check the PDF in two minutes
- Page count: compare it with Word's status bar. An extra page means a font got wider or a table grew.
- Last page: a lonely line or an empty page at the end comes from the same cause.
- Tables: check that wide tables did not spill past the margin.
- Images and charts: they should sit next to the paragraph they belong to.
- Links: click one to make sure it opens the right page.
- Bookmarks: open the sidebar in your PDF reader. Each heading should appear there, which shows the structure came through.
Once the PDF is right, you can sign it, add a password or merge it with other files, all in your browser.
Documents for websites and stores
PDFs made from Word are common on business websites: price lists, size guides, terms, menus and spec sheets. Keep a web page version of the important text as well, because a page is easier to read on a phone and easier for search engines to understand than a PDF. If you are building content-heavy pages from scratch, AM Jarvis AI Site Builder writes and lays out complete niche websites, with schema and internal links, on your own AI key.
Privacy
The pre-conversion check runs entirely in your browser. When you click Convert, the DOCX is sent over HTTPS to our server, converted and deleted: the upload as soon as the job ends, the PDF 30 minutes after it is ready. A daily number of free conversions and a maximum file size apply, both shown on the tool.