Quick answer: to convert Word to PDF, open your .docx file on this page, look at the preview, choose the page size and font if you like, and press Download PDF. The conversion runs entirely in your browser, so your document is never uploaded. The PDF has real, selectable text, and keeps your headings, lists, tables, images and links.
Key facts
- Price: free, with no account, no watermark and no daily limit.
- Privacy: the document is converted on your device and never sent to a server.
- Input: Word documents in .docx format, from Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, WPS Office or Pages.
- Output: a standard PDF with selectable, searchable text, clickable links and optional page numbers, in A4, Letter or Legal size.
- Honest about layout: the PDF is laid out cleanly from your content. It is not a pixel-perfect copy of the Word page, so special fonts, colours, text boxes and headers are not reproduced.
How to convert a Word document to PDF
- Open your Word file. Click Select Word file or drop a .docx file onto the page. The PDF appears in the preview a moment later.
- Choose the layout. Pick A4, US Letter or Legal, the margins, a sans-serif or serif font and the text size. Tick Add page numbers if you want them.
- Check the preview. Scroll through the pages. What you see is the actual PDF that will be downloaded.
- Download. Press Download PDF. The file keeps the name of your Word document.
What is kept, and what is not
| From your Word document | In the PDF |
|---|---|
| Text, paragraphs and line breaks | Kept, as real selectable and searchable text |
| Headings (Heading 1–6, Title) | Kept, in clear heading sizes |
| Bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, superscript, subscript | Kept |
| Bulleted and numbered lists, including nested lists | Kept, with bullets and numbers |
| Tables | Kept, with borders and header rows |
| Pictures (JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP) | Kept, scaled to fit the page |
| Web and email links | Kept and clickable |
| Footnotes and endnotes | Kept, listed at the end of the document |
| Special fonts, text colours, highlights, alignment | Replaced by a clean standard layout |
| Headers, footers, text boxes, shapes, charts, SmartArt | Not included |
| Non-Latin scripts (Urdu, Arabic, Chinese…) and emoji | Not supported by the standard PDF fonts |
If you need an exact copy of a designed Word page, such as a brochure, a CV with columns or a certificate, the most faithful result comes from Word itself: File → Save as → PDF. Google Docs (File → Download → PDF) and LibreOffice (File → Export as PDF) do the same. CleanPDF is the quick, private choice when you don't have those programs to hand, for example on a phone or a shared computer, and for text-heavy documents such as letters, reports, assignments, minutes and contracts.
Why convert Word documents to PDF?
- It looks the same everywhere. A PDF opens the same way on every phone, computer and printer, while a Word file can shift when fonts or versions differ.
- Job applications and portals. Many application forms, universities and government sites only accept PDF uploads for CVs, cover letters and statements.
- Harder to change by accident. People can read and print a PDF without accidentally editing it.
- Easy to sign, number and combine. Once it is a PDF, you can sign it, add page numbers or merge it with other PDFs.
Converting on a phone
Word files often arrive as email or WhatsApp attachments on a phone, where there is no “Save as PDF”. Save the attachment to your phone, open this page in Chrome, Safari or Samsung Internet, tap Select Word file and choose the document from Downloads or Files. The PDF is ready to send back in a few seconds, and the document never leaves your phone.
Privacy and security
Many online converters upload your document to a server, convert it there and keep a copy for some time. CleanPDF reads and converts the file inside your browser instead. That matters for the documents people convert most: CVs with home addresses, contracts, medical letters and business reports. No account is needed and nothing is stored.
Good to know
- Old .doc files (Word 97–2003) cannot be read in the browser. Open them in Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice, save as .docx, then convert.
- Password-protected Word files must be opened in Word and saved without a password first.
- Drawings in EMF or WMF format, which older Word documents sometimes contain, cannot be shown by browsers. The tool tells you if any were left out.
- Long documents are fine. The preview shows the first 60 pages, and the download always contains every page.
- Need it editable again? Use PDF to Word to turn a PDF back into a .docx.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert Word to PDF for free?
Open your .docx file on this page and press Download PDF. It is free, with no sign-up and no watermark, and it works in any modern browser.
Is my Word document uploaded to a server?
No. The document is read and converted inside your browser, so it never leaves your device.
Will my PDF look exactly like my Word document?
Your content will be the same: text, headings, lists, tables, images and links. The layout is clean and standard, so special fonts, colours, text boxes and headers are not copied. For an exact copy of a designed page, use Save as PDF in Word.
Is the text in the PDF selectable?
Yes. The PDF contains real text, so you can select, copy and search it, and screen readers can read it.
Can I convert Word to PDF on my phone?
Yes. Open this page on Android or iPhone, tap Select Word file and pick the document. The PDF downloads to your phone.
Can I convert a .doc file?
Not directly. Old .doc files need to be saved as .docx first in Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice. Then convert the .docx here.
Are images and tables kept?
Yes. Pictures are placed in the PDF and scaled to fit the page, and tables keep their rows, columns, borders and header rows.
Do links still work in the PDF?
Yes. Web and email links from your document are clickable in the PDF.
Can I choose A4 or Letter size?
Yes. Choose A4, US Letter or US Legal, along with the margins, font style and text size.
Can I add page numbers?
Yes. Tick Add page numbers and each page gets a number at the bottom centre. For more choices, use Add Page Numbers to PDF afterwards.
Does it work with documents from Google Docs?
Yes. In Google Docs choose File, Download, Microsoft Word (.docx), then convert that file here. Google Docs can also download a PDF directly.
Why do some characters show as question marks?
The standard PDF fonts used here cover English and Western European languages. Scripts such as Urdu, Arabic, Hindi or Chinese, and emoji, cannot be shown with them. For those documents, use Save as PDF in Word or Google Docs.