Are my DOCX files uploaded anywhere?

Yes — this conversion needs software that cannot run in a browser, so the file is uploaded over an encrypted connection. It is deleted as soon as the job finishes, and the result is removed after 60 minutes.

Will the layout stay exactly the same?

In almost every case, yes. The conversion uses LibreOffice, which reads the DOCX format thoroughly, and our server carries metric-compatible replacements for the Microsoft fonts — so a document set in Calibri keeps its line breaks rather than reflowing. Where things do move, it is usually a document that relied on a font nobody else has, or on a Word feature with no equivalent anywhere.

Why does my PDF look different from the Word document?

Nearly always fonts. If the converter does not have the typeface your document asked for, it substitutes one with different letter widths, and every line then breaks in a different place — a one-page CV becomes two pages. The fix is a metrically compatible substitute, which is what we install: Carlito for Calibri, Caladea for Cambria, plus the Liberation family for Arial, Times New Roman and Courier New.

Why can this conversion not run in my browser?

Because DOCX is not really a document format so much as an instruction set for a word processor: styles inherit, tables reflow, fields recalculate, and getting it right means running something that understands all of it. That is LibreOffice, a desktop application rather than something that fits in a browser tab. Most conversions here do run locally; this is one of the ones that cannot.

What happens to my file after conversion?

It is uploaded over an encrypted connection, converted, and deleted as soon as the job finishes. The result is available for a short window and then removed too. Nobody looks at it. If that is more than you are comfortable with for a particular document, Word and LibreOffice both export to PDF on your own machine.

Are comments and tracked changes included?

Tracked changes are rendered as they appear in the document — if the document shows markup, the PDF shows markup. Accept or reject them in Word first if you want a clean copy. Comments are not included in the page content.

Do hyperlinks and the table of contents still work?

Yes. Links in the document remain clickable in the PDF, and a table of contents keeps its internal links if it was generated by Word rather than typed by hand.

Can I convert a PDF back to Word?

Not here, not yet, and we would rather say so than do it badly. A PDF has no structure to recover — it records where marks sit on a page, not that a run of text was a heading — so every converter reconstructs that by guesswork. We are waiting on an engine whose licence we can actually use.

DOCXtoPDF

Convert DOCX to PDF

Up to 3 files at once, 100 with Pro. Mixed formats are fine.

Converting DOCX to PDF fixes the document in place so it looks the same on every machine that opens it — which is why job portals, courts and finance departments all ask for PDF. Drop the file above; it is converted with LibreOffice on our server, using metrically identical replacements for the Microsoft fonts so the page breaks do not move, and deleted the moment the job finishes.

Why a Word document looks different on another computer

A Word document is not a picture of a page. It is a set of instructions — this paragraph uses that style, this table gets as much width as it needs, this field shows today's date — and the program opening it decides what those instructions mean. Two computers with different fonts installed, different Word versions or different default page sizes will lay the same file out differently. Usually the difference is small. Occasionally your carefully fitted one-page CV arrives as two pages with a line stranded at the top of the second.

PDF was invented to end that argument. It records where every mark sits and embeds the fonts to draw them, so the file carries its own appearance with it. That is why "please send it as a PDF" is a reasonable request rather than a fussy one.

Converting Word to PDF without losing the formatting

The fonts are where this conversion is usually won or lost, and it is worth knowing why. Word has defaulted to Calibri since 2007, and Calibri is a Microsoft font that other systems do not have. A converter without it substitutes something else, and because the substitute has different letter widths, every line breaks in a different place — the document is readable, correct, and no longer the layout you approved.

Our server carries Carlito, which is metrically identical to Calibri: same widths, same breaks, same pagination. Caladea does the same job for Cambria, and the Liberation family covers Arial, Times New Roman and Courier New. It is an unglamorous detail and it is the difference between a conversion that works and one that only looks like it worked.

The exception is a document set in a font nobody else has — a corporate typeface, something bought for a design. If it is not embedded in the DOCX, no converter can draw with it. Embedding fonts is an option in Word's save dialogue and is worth ticking before you send anything you cannot check.

Where your document goes, and why this one is not local

This is one of the conversions that cannot run in your browser, and we would rather be direct about it than quiet. Reading DOCX properly means running LibreOffice, which is a full office suite rather than a library that fits in a tab.

So the file is uploaded over an encrypted connection, converted on our server, and deleted the moment the job finishes — no copy is kept and nobody reads it. Most conversions on this site never leave your device, and this page is not one of them. If a particular document is too sensitive to send anywhere, Word and LibreOffice both export to PDF locally, and that is the better answer for it.

What survives the conversion

A few things travel better than people expect. Hyperlinks stay clickable. A table of contents generated by Word keeps its internal links. Embedded images, headers, footers and page numbering come through intact.

Tracked changes are rendered as the document displays them, so accept or reject them before converting if you want a clean copy — the PDF shows what Word was showing. Macros are discarded, which is a reason to convert rather than a drawback: a PDF cannot execute code.

How to convert a Word document to PDF

Drop your DOCX onto this page, or click to choose it.
It is uploaded over an encrypted connection and converted with LibreOffice.
Download the PDF. Your original is deleted as soon as the job finishes.

DOCX vs PDF: instructions against a fixed page

DOCX compared with PDF
	DOCX	PDF
Full name	Word Document	Portable Document Format
File extension	.docx	.pdf
Media type	application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document	application/pdf
Compression	—	Either, depending on the setting

Quality: The result is a close reconstruction rather than an exact copy. Check it before relying on it.
Where it runs: This conversion runs on our server, because it needs software a browser cannot run.
What can be lost: Layout is reproduced with metric-compatible substitute fonts. Macros, comments and tracked changes are not carried over.

DOCX to PDF: common questions

Are my DOCX files uploaded anywhere?: Yes — this conversion needs software that cannot run in a browser, so the file is uploaded over an encrypted connection. It is deleted as soon as the job finishes, and the result is removed after 60 minutes.
Will the layout stay exactly the same?: In almost every case, yes. The conversion uses LibreOffice, which reads the DOCX format thoroughly, and our server carries metric-compatible replacements for the Microsoft fonts — so a document set in Calibri keeps its line breaks rather than reflowing. Where things do move, it is usually a document that relied on a font nobody else has, or on a Word feature with no equivalent anywhere.
Why does my PDF look different from the Word document?: Nearly always fonts. If the converter does not have the typeface your document asked for, it substitutes one with different letter widths, and every line then breaks in a different place — a one-page CV becomes two pages. The fix is a metrically compatible substitute, which is what we install: Carlito for Calibri, Caladea for Cambria, plus the Liberation family for Arial, Times New Roman and Courier New.
Why can this conversion not run in my browser?: Because DOCX is not really a document format so much as an instruction set for a word processor: styles inherit, tables reflow, fields recalculate, and getting it right means running something that understands all of it. That is LibreOffice, a desktop application rather than something that fits in a browser tab. Most conversions here do run locally; this is one of the ones that cannot.
What happens to my file after conversion?: It is uploaded over an encrypted connection, converted, and deleted as soon as the job finishes. The result is available for a short window and then removed too. Nobody looks at it. If that is more than you are comfortable with for a particular document, Word and LibreOffice both export to PDF on your own machine.
Are comments and tracked changes included?: Tracked changes are rendered as they appear in the document — if the document shows markup, the PDF shows markup. Accept or reject them in Word first if you want a clean copy. Comments are not included in the page content.
Do hyperlinks and the table of contents still work?: Yes. Links in the document remain clickable in the PDF, and a table of contents keeps its internal links if it was generated by Word rather than typed by hand.
Can I convert a PDF back to Word?: Not here, not yet, and we would rather say so than do it badly. A PDF has no structure to recover — it records where marks sit on a page, not that a run of text was a heading — so every converter reconstructs that by guesswork. We are waiting on an engine whose licence we can actually use.