How To Save Word Document As PDF

Learning how to save Word document as PDF format is not hard. Why a person would want to do so is a different question. The good news is that the process itself is easy. Microsoft Word does not let users save documents in PDF formats yet. Because one commercial and one open source competitor now offer this functionality, the software giant's popular word processor will include this option soon.

What You Need to Save a Word Document in PDF Format:

• A copy of Office with Word
• A Google account
• Access to Google Docs
• An internet connection

How to Save a Word Document as PDF:

1. Save your Word document in Word itself. Go to the folder on the hard drive where it is stored. You do not need to use anything in the folder yet. Exit word and fire up your favorite browser. Tech geeks know that Firefox is best, although Safari looks prettier.
2. Log into your Google Account. Type docs.google.com into your browser's navigation bar. Wait for the Google docs interface to load. Hit the upload file button above the menu bar.
3. Select the browse button and navigate to the folder where you saved your document. Select the folder. Double-click on the open button.
4. Load the file into the Google docs editor. When it loads, choose the download as menu. Select PDF from the list of options in the pull-down menu.
5. Let the file download. Click on the PDF when it opens. It should come up in Adobe Reader or Foxit depending on the user's setup.

If this process for saving a Word document in PDF format looks ridiculously easy, that's because it is. People who want to complicate it can replace Google Docs with Abiword or Wordpefect, both of which support saving things in the portable document format. Both of these programs can save documents in Word format, so it makes altering the steps above even more unnecessary.