I sent a proposal as a .docx and it arrived looking like a ransom note
The client opened my file on a machine without my fonts installed. Every heading turned into Times New Roman, the two-column pricing table exploded, and the spacing disappeared. That was the last time I sent a .docx for anything that mattered.
I sent a project proposal last year as a .docx file. I had spent two hours on the layout: a custom font for the headings, a two-column section with pricing, a footer with my contact details. It looked sharp on my screen.
The client opened it on a Windows machine at her office. Her machine didn't have my fonts. Word substituted them. The headings turned into something resembling Times New Roman. The two-column pricing section collapsed into a single column that spilled onto a second page. She sent me a screenshot. It looked like a ransom note.
That was the day I stopped sending .docx files for anything a client would judge me on.
What PDF actually solves
When you export to PDF, the fonts get embedded in the file. The layout is locked. What you see on your screen is what they see on theirs — regardless of whether they have Word, regardless of which operating system they're running, regardless of whether they've installed your font or not.
PDF isn't a living document. That's the whole point. For anything you're sending out to be read, reviewed, or filed, fixed is better than flexible.
Three ways to convert, and which one to reach for
- Native Word export: File > Save As > PDF (or Export on newer versions). This is the best option if you have Word. It uses Microsoft's own renderer, so it knows exactly how your document is supposed to look. Fast, offline, no upload required.
- LibreOffice or Google Docs: open the .docx file, then download or export as PDF. LibreOffice handles most formatting correctly. Google Docs is fine for simple documents but occasionally gets confused by complex tables or custom styles.
- Online converter: upload the file, get a PDF back. Useful when you're on a machine that doesn't have Word — a library computer, a Chromebook, someone else's laptop. Most process server-side, so don't use them for confidential documents.
Always check the output before you send it
Even native Word export can surprise you. A text box set to a fixed position might shift. An image anchored to a paragraph might appear on the wrong page. Tables sometimes add a ghost row at the bottom.
Open the PDF. Flip through every page. Look specifically at: any section with columns, every table, the first and last page, and wherever you used a non-standard font. If something's wrong, you want to catch it before the client does.
The file size thing nobody mentions
A Word file with embedded images can export to a surprisingly large PDF. The default export settings don't aggressively compress images. A 4 MB .docx can become a 20 MB PDF. If you're emailing it and the size is an issue, run it through a compressor after converting — usually 60 to 80 percent reduction without visible quality loss.
The Word to PDF tool on this site converts in your browser with no account required.