Microsoft Word documents look different on different computers. Fonts substitute, layouts shift, and the recipient needs Word installed to open the file. PDF solves all of this — and you can convert DOCX to PDF directly in your browser without uploading anything.
Why convert Word to PDF?
- Universal compatibility: Opens on any device without any software
- Layout preserved: What you designed is exactly what they see
- Not easily editable: Maintains document integrity
- Smaller file size: PDFs are typically smaller than DOCX files
- Required format: Many forms, applications, and submissions require PDF
DOCX vs PDF — choosing the right format
| Use case | Use DOCX | Use PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Still editing | Yes | No |
| Sharing for comments | Yes | No |
| Final submission | No | Yes |
| Resume/CV | No | Yes |
| Legal documents | No | Yes |
| Forms to be printed | No | Yes |
| Collaborative drafting | Yes | No |
What formatting is preserved
When converting DOCX to PDF in the browser using mammoth.js and pdfmake:
Preserved:
- Paragraph text and spacing
- Heading levels (H1, H2, H3, H4)
- Bold, italic, underline text
- Ordered and unordered lists
- Basic tables (borders and content)
- Hyperlinks
- Blockquotes
May differ slightly:
- Custom fonts (replaced with Roboto, which covers Latin, Cyrillic, and Vietnamese)
- Complex table formatting with merged cells
- Text boxes and shapes
- Headers and footers
- Page numbers
- Charts and graphs embedded from Excel
For documents with complex formatting, the resulting PDF faithfully reproduces the text structure, though some visual details may differ from a Microsoft-generated PDF.
When to use server-based converters
For perfect formatting preservation — especially for complex Word documents with custom fonts, embedded objects, or intricate layouts — a server-based converter using LibreOffice or Microsoft Office automation produces higher fidelity output.
The privacy trade-off: server converters require uploading your document. For sensitive documents (contracts, personal information, confidential reports), the browser-based approach is safer.
Page size and margin guide
A4 (210 × 297mm): International standard. Use for documents distributed globally or printed outside North America.
Letter (216 × 279mm): US standard. Slightly shorter and wider than A4.
Margin presets:
- Narrow (6mm): Maximum content area, minimal white space
- Normal (15mm): Standard document margins — recommended
- Wide (25mm): Formal documents, easier to annotate
Font support
The converter uses the Roboto font family, which provides broad language coverage including:
- All Latin-script languages (English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Vietnamese)
- Cyrillic (Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian)
- Greek
For languages using other scripts (Arabic, CJK characters, Thai), a server-side converter with the appropriate fonts installed will produce better results.
How to convert Word to PDF free
- Go to Word to PDF Converter
- Upload your .docx file
- Preview the document content
- Choose page size, orientation, and margins
- Click Download as PDF
No file is uploaded to any server. Your document stays on your device throughout the entire process.