PDFs and conversion
How to convert a Word document to PDF on a Mac
Save a .docx as PDF with Word, Pages, TextEdit or the Print dialog, what each keeps of the layout, and how Orrel converts Word, RTF and Markdown to PDF.
Sending a Word file means trusting that the other person has Word, the same fonts and the same version. A PDF looks the same everywhere and cannot be edited by accident, which is why forms, job applications and contracts ask for one. A Mac has several ways to make it, and the difference between them is how faithfully they keep the layout.
In Microsoft Word
If you have Word, use it: it is the app that laid the document out, so the PDF matches what you see. Choose File › Save As, give the file a name, choose PDF in the File Format menu and click Export (Microsoft, Save or convert to PDF on your Mac, checked on 25 October 2026).
In Pages
Pages is Apple's free word processor and opens Word documents directly.
- Control-click the .docx and choose Open With › Pages. Pages converts it into a Pages document and lists anything it changed, such as missing fonts.
- Choose File › Export To › PDF.
- Choose an Image Quality and click Next, then Export.
Pages handles headers, footers, tables and images well. Complex layouts with text boxes or unusual fonts can shift slightly, so look through the PDF before sending it.
In TextEdit
TextEdit, already on every Mac, can open .docx and .doc files. Open the document, then choose File › Export as PDF. It is fine for letters and plain documents. TextEdit reads only the text and basic formatting, so headers, footers and page layout from Word are not carried across.
From any app's Print dialog
Any app that can print can make a PDF. Choose File › Print (⌘P), open the PDF menu at the bottom of the dialog and choose Save as PDF. This is also how to make a PDF of just some pages: set the page range in the Print dialog first.
How Orrel does it
Control-click a document in Orrel, drop it on Orrel's Dock icon, or choose Orrel from Finder's Quick Actions, and choose PDF from the ring. It accepts Word (.docx and .doc), RTF, OpenDocument text (.odt), plain text and Markdown.
- Selectable text. The document is laid out with the macOS text system into pages, so the PDF holds real text you can search and copy.
- Batches. Select several documents and convert them together. Each PDF is written beside its original, which is never changed.
- Markdown too. Markdown files are formatted, with headings, lists, code and tables, before they become a PDF. They can also become HTML.
- Plain text out. Word and RTF files can also be converted to a plain .txt file.
Where Orrel stops
Orrel reads Word files the way TextEdit does, through the macOS text system, not through Word. That keeps text, fonts, bold and italic, lists and simple tables, but it does not reproduce Word's page layout. The PDF uses Orrel's own page size, A4 or US Letter depending on your region, with ¾-inch margins, rather than the document's settings. Headers, footers, page numbers, footnotes, text boxes and columns are not carried over, and images may be missing. For a CV or a contract where the layout matters, use Word or Pages. Orrel does not open Pages files.
Questions
Which method keeps my Word layout exactly?
Word itself, because it is the app that laid the document out. Pages comes close for most documents. TextEdit and other converters that do not use Word can move page breaks, drop headers and footers, and change spacing in complex layouts.
Can I convert Word to PDF without Microsoft Word?
Yes. Pages is free from the App Store and opens .docx files, and TextEdit is already on every Mac. Check the PDF afterwards if the document has columns, text boxes or headers and footers.
Will the text in the PDF be selectable?
With every method on this page, yes. They all write real text into the PDF rather than a picture of it, so it can be searched and copied.