How To Convert Files To PDF On Windows 10
PDF is the preferred format for sharing documents online. It may be restricted in many ways but this format exists for only one purpose; properly displaying a document online. If you’re ever worried that a Microsoft Word file may not look the same on someone else’s system, you can convert it to a PDF. The format is also used to share slideshows and can be used for other document types and images. On Windows 10, there’s a built-in tool that allows you to convert files to PDF.
This tool is meant for file formats that can be converted to PDF e.g., you can convert a PNG image to a PDF file however, you cannot convert an MP3 file to PDF.
Convert Files To PDF
Open the file you want to convert to PDF and tap the Ctrl+P keyboard shortcut, or right-click the file and select Print from the context menu. This will open the print dialog. Open the Printer dropdown an select Microsoft Print to PDF.
You can select the size of the paper and the quality of the print. Click Print and give the output PDF file a name.
The PDF takes a while to be created and if you’re dealing with a particularly large file, it can take even longer. There are no encryption options which means you cannot lock the file with a password. If you need to add a password, you’re going to have to use a different app to convert it, or you can add it to an archive and apply a password to the archive instead.
You cannot use the Microsoft print to PDF printer app to create a multi-page document however, if you’re converting a multi-page document or a long spreadsheet, the output file will have multiple pages. It doesn’t unnecessarily try to fit everything onto one page. In some cases, for example when dealing with a spreadsheet, the rows and columns may be adjusted and you might end up with more pages than you anticipated. If you’ve ever printed a spreadsheet, this is something you likely expect.
The formatting is maintained in all cases. If the app does cut anything out, uncheck the ‘Fit picture to frame’ option and it ought to fix the problem.
You don’t get many options for controlling the quality of the output file which means you might end up with a particularly large PDF. In some cases, you might be able to change the quality but you cannot rely on the option wholly.
