How to convert a Word document to PDF on Mac
If you have Word, choose File › Save As › PDF. Without Word, Pages opens .docx files and exports them with File › Export To › PDF. FileMate does it from Finder without opening any app: right-click the .docx and choose FileMate › Convert to PDF. Report.pdf appears next to Report.docx. The converter is built into FileMate, so Microsoft Office isn’t needed and nothing is uploaded.
The document is converted on your Mac, even offline. It never goes to a conversion website.
Convert Word to PDF with FileMate
- Select the .docx file in Finder. Select several to convert them all.
- Right-click and choose FileMate › Convert to PDF.
- Report.pdf is saved next to Report.docx, which stays unchanged.
Long documents show their progress in the activity window, for example “Page 3 of 6”.
Your options on a Mac
| Method | Needs | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Word: File › Save As › PDF | Microsoft Word | Exact Word layout, including complex formatting |
| Pages: File › Export To › PDF | Pages (free from Apple) | Occasional documents, if you don’t mind opening Pages |
| FileMate: right-click › Convert to PDF | FileMate | Converting from Finder, several documents at once, no app to open |
Convert Word to PDF with Pages
- Right-click the .docx in Finder and choose Open With › Pages.
- Pages converts it into a Pages document and may warn about fonts or features it changed.
- Choose File › Export To › PDF, pick a quality, and save.
That works well for simple documents. It takes a few steps per file, and Pages leaves a converted copy open that you then close without saving.
What stays the same, and what can differ
FileMate’s converter keeps headings, text styles, lists, tables with merged cells, pictures, charts, headers and footers, and the page size, margins and orientation of each section. Links stay clickable in the PDF.
Some things can come out differently from Word’s own PDF:
- Fonts. FileMate uses the fonts installed on your Mac. Fonts that come with Office, such as Calibri and Cambria, are replaced with similar ones, such as Helvetica Neue and Georgia.
- Floating content. Text boxes and floating shapes may move into the text or be left out.
- Columns and comments. Multi-column sections become one column, and comments aren’t shown.
When a PDF has to match Word exactly, for a formal submission with strict formatting, export it from Word itself.
What FileMate doesn’t convert
Older .doc files, password-protected documents and files over 150 MB. To convert an old .doc, open it in Pages or Word and save it as .docx first.
Do I need to upload the document?
No. Online Word-to-PDF converters upload the document to their server, convert it, and send it back. With FileMate, the conversion runs in a converter inside the app, which is blocked from the network. The document never leaves your Mac.
Get FileMate
Right-click the .docx, choose Convert to PDF, and the PDF is next to it. No Office, no upload, and no converter website between you and the file.
Normal price €9.99, now €4.99 incl. VAT
One payment, no subscription. macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel.