# How do I convert a file to .pdf in Windows? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 4, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convert-a-file-to-pdf-in-windows/282968 "2005-01-04T03:28:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MidnightRadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@MidnightRadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightRadio)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convert-a-file-to-pdf-in-windows/282968/1 "2005-01-04T03:28:22Z")
On my Mac, I’m able to “print” anything as a .pdf file. What I mean is, I can choose “Print” from the “File” menu and instead of actually printing whatever it is I’m looking at, the computer will convert it to a .pdf file. How can I convert, say, a .doc file to .pdf in Windows? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convert-a-file-to-pdf-in-windows/282968/2 "2005-01-04T03:55:13Z")
> [@MidnightRadio](#): > > On my Mac, I’m able to “print” anything as a .pdf file. What I mean is, I can choose “Print” from the “File” menu and instead of actually printing whatever it is I’m looking at, the computer will convert it to a .pdf file. How can I convert, say, a .doc file to .pdf in Windows? First off, let’s get some things stated more accurately so as to find the answer you seek. Generally speaking, a .PDF file can be read by any computer that has .PDF reader software. You can read the history and details of the .PDF file format on the [Adobe web site](http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/adobepdf.html). So while you might create a .PDF file on a Mac, anyone with a Windows machine should be able to read/view it, providing they have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed (or similar software). For a Windows user to convert a (MS Word) .doc file to a .PDF file requires the installation of the full version of Adobe Acrobat (or similar software). ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convert-a-file-to-pdf-in-windows/282968/3 "2005-01-04T04:03:50Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > For a Windows user to convert a (MS Word) .doc file to a .PDF file requires the installation of the full version of Adobe Acrobat (or similar software). Including some cheap or free software. Openoffice is free and will allow one to make some no frills .pdfs. I had good experiences with that before I got Acrobat Pro. ---
**Author:** ![MidnightRadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@MidnightRadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightRadio)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convert-a-file-to-pdf-in-windows/282968/4 "2005-01-04T04:29:09Z")
So, in other words, I’d have to pay for the full version of Adobe Acrobat in order to do what my Mac does for free (and very simply, too)? Hmm. On one hand, I’m really pissed because I have a .doc file on one of the PCs at work that I really need to convert, but apparently can’t (though I think I know somone who has Adobe Acrobat, so maybe all isn’t lost). On the other hand, this is just another in a long line of pleasant surprises my iBook has given me. ---
**Author:** ![jmizzou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/edb3f5/32.png) [@jmizzou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmizzou)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convert-a-file-to-pdf-in-windows/282968/5 "2005-01-04T04:30:31Z")
I’ve used [Pdf995](http://www.pdf995.com/), and it works well. On the plus side, it installs a PDF printer on your Windows machine, so you can print from any application (Word, Internet Explorer, Excel, etc.). You just select that printer when you want to print, and it’ll automatically make it a PDF. On the down side, it’s shareware. Anytime you use that PDF printer, it’ll open your web browser and put up a, “Buy more of our stuff!” webpage. An annoyance, but overall, not too bad. ---
**Author:** ![MidnightRadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@MidnightRadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightRadio)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convert-a-file-to-pdf-in-windows/282968/6 "2005-01-04T04:31:50Z")
> [@Chairman Pow](#): > > Including some cheap or free software. Openoffice is free and will allow one to make some no frills .pdfs. I had good experiences with that before I got Acrobat Pro. I posted before I saw this. Well, no frills is what I need. I just need to convert the document into a .pdf. I’ll see if OpenOffice is installed on any of the computers here at work (I think one of them has it, but I’m not sure). ---
**Author:** ![MidnightRadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@MidnightRadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightRadio)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convert-a-file-to-pdf-in-windows/282968/7 "2005-01-04T04:32:56Z")
> [@jmizzou](#): > > I’ve used [Pdf995](http://www.pdf995.com/), and it works well. On the plus side, it installs a PDF printer on your Windows machine, so you can print from any application (Word, Internet Explorer, Excel, etc.). You just select that printer when you want to print, and it’ll automatically make it a PDF. > > On the down side, it’s shareware. Anytime you use that PDF printer, it’ll open your web browser and put up a, “Buy more of our stuff!” webpage. An annoyance, but overall, not too bad. I’d be really hesitant to put something like that on one of the computers at work, but thanks, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![MidnightRadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@MidnightRadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightRadio)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convert-a-file-to-pdf-in-windows/282968/8 "2005-01-04T04:37:19Z")
Ooh, I just thought of something: What if I emailed the .doc file to my iBook, then somehow converted it to .pdf format there. Is there a way to convert .doc files to AppleWorks files? ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convert-a-file-to-pdf-in-windows/282968/9 "2005-01-04T04:45:17Z")
> [@MidnightRadio](#): > > Ooh, I just thought of something: What if I emailed the .doc file to my iBook, then somehow converted it to .pdf format there. Is there a way to convert .doc files to AppleWorks files? I’d be surprised if the Mac couldn’t read this file anyway. Although I’ve no experience with the particular product, I understand that the files are compatable (i.e. Mac can read and save to Word for Windows). Re: pdf995: I was going to mention that this has both free and (a cheap) paid versions. The tech guy at my old job used the free version and was fine with having it on the computer while my current job has this installed and the machine is absolutely choked with spyware (to be sure, there’s no way of knowing if the pdf995 has anything to do with this) _but_ Acrobat is installed on the computer as well and it’s functions are all but disabled (i.e. Distiller constantly crashes and the the export to pdf options that Adobe likes to throw everywhere are nowhere to be seen). To be safe, I’d stick with the Openoffice. If converting to .pdf is something that you are going to do regularly, I would suggest springing for the full version. Adobe also has a much-cut down version that is meant to be deployed en masse for employees who don’t need to do anything fancy with Acrobat but still need to convert docs regularly. I’m not sure of the pricing, but Adobe’s Web site will have the information. ---
**Author:** ![Qwerty\_not\_Dvorak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/bcef8e/32.png) [@Qwerty\_not\_Dvorak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwerty_not_Dvorak)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convert-a-file-to-pdf-in-windows/282968/10 "2005-01-04T04:52:51Z")
PrimoPDF works for me. ---
**Author:** ![hightechburrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f6c823/32.png) [@hightechburrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hightechburrito)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convert-a-file-to-pdf-in-windows/282968/11 "2005-01-04T05:29:16Z")
> **[PDFCreator](https://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/)** > > Download PDFCreator for free. Converts every printable document to PDF, JPG, PNG, TIF and more. PDFCreator creates professional PDFs with just a few clicks and it's free. PDFCreator comes with many professional features to merge documents, send... This is the one I use, and it works great. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convert-a-file-to-pdf-in-windows/282968/12 "2005-01-04T16:25:25Z")
You don’t even necessarily need to install software on the PC (which is useful to know, since one often encounters PCs in places where installing software is really frowned upon). If you select a color PostScript printer on the PC (and you don’t even need to actually own such a printer, btw — the Apple Color LaserWriter driver installed standard with XP will do fine, just add it to the list of available printers using the Add Printer thingie) and print to file, the resultant file is a raw postscript file that can be opened with Preview on the Mac as easily (and with pretty much the same portability & compatibility) as a PDF. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convert-a-file-to-pdf-in-windows/282968/13 "2005-01-04T16:44:04Z")
You can also make PDFs from common file formats on Adobe’s website. This has the advantage of giving you the full range of options that you’d get with Acrobat. There’s a trial of five free PDFs, after which it’s a subscription ($10/month).