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Today, Mytour will guide you through the process of converting text documents, images, Microsoft Office files, or XPS into PDF (Portable Document Format). You can leverage built-in features on both Windows and Mac computers to accomplish this seamlessly.
Steps
Using Print to PDF on Windows
Open the file you wish to convert. Navigate to the folder containing the file you want to transform into PDF format, then double-click the file to open it.
- If you want to add multiple images to a single PDF file, follow these steps: select each image by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking on each file, then right-click one of the selected images and choose Print from the dropdown menu. This allows you to skip the next step.
- If you want to create a PDF file for an HTML document, open the HTML file in Notepad by right-clicking the HTML file and selecting Edit from the dropdown menu.
Note: You can only convert the following file types:
• Text files (.txt)
• Microsoft Office documents (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx, etc.)
• Images (.jpg, .png, .bmp, etc.)
• XPS files (.xps)
Open the "Print" menu. The quickest way is to press the Ctrl and P keys simultaneously, but you may also need to click File and select Print from the dropdown menu.
- Don’t worry if you don’t have a printer connected to your computer, as we won’t actually be printing the document.
Click on the printer name near the top of the menu, under the "Printer" or "Printers" heading. A dropdown menu will appear.
- If you’re working with a text document or XPS format, you can skip this step.
Select the Microsoft Print to PDF option from the dropdown menu. Your computer’s "Print to PDF" feature is what you’ll use to "print" the document.
- If you’re using a text document or XPS format, simply click the Microsoft Print to PDF option under the "Select Printer" section near the top of the window.
Click Print. This option is usually at the bottom of the menu, but for Microsoft Office programs (like Microsoft Word), you’ll need to click the Print option at the top of the menu. A File Explorer window will appear.
Enter a name for the document. Type the desired name for the PDF version into the "File name" field.
- Since you’re creating a PDF version, you can use the same name as the original file and save it in the same location if preferred.
Choose a save location. On the left side of the window, click the folder where you want to store the PDF file.
- For example, if you want to save the PDF file to your desktop, locate and click the Desktop folder in the left sidebar.
Click Save at the bottom of the window. This will save the changes and create the PDF file in the selected location.
Using Preview on Mac
Know which files you can convert to PDF using Preview. While the list below isn’t exhaustive, common formats that can be converted to PDF include:
- TIFF files
- Images (.jpg, .png, .bmp, etc.)
Select the file. Navigate to the folder containing the file you wish to convert, then click on the file to select it.
- If you want to select multiple images, click on each image while holding down the ⌘ Command key.
Click File in the top-left corner of the screen. A dropdown menu will appear.
Select the Open With option from the File menu. A submenu will pop up.
Click Preview from the pop-up menu. The file will open in Preview.
Click File again. Another dropdown menu will appear.
Click Export as PDF…. This option is located in the dropdown menu. A new window will pop up.
Enter a name. Type the desired name for the PDF file into the "Name" text field.
Choose a save location. Click the "Where" box and select the folder where you want to save the PDF file from the dropdown menu.
Click Save at the bottom of the window. The document will be converted into a PDF file and saved to the selected folder.
Using the File Menu on Mac
Know which files can be converted to PDF using the File menu. The File menu can be used to convert the following document types into PDF format:
- Text files (.txt)
- Microsoft Office documents (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx, etc.)
- Apple documents (e.g., Numbers, Pages, etc.)
Open the document. Double-click the document you want to convert to open it in the default program.
Click File in the top-left corner of the screen. A dropdown menu will appear.
Click the Print option in the File dropdown menu. The Print window will open.
- Don’t worry if you don’t have a printer connected to your computer, as we won’t actually be printing the document.
Click the "PDF" menu at the bottom-left corner of the window. A dropdown menu will appear.
Click Save as PDF. This option is located in the dropdown menu.
Enter a name. Type the desired name for the PDF file into the "Name" text field.
Choose a save location. Click the "Where" box and select the folder where you want to save the PDF file from the dropdown menu.
Click the blue Save button at the bottom of the window. The document will be converted to PDF format and saved to the selected folder.
Tips
- If you’re short on time, consider using an online converter like SmallPDF to transform multiple files into PDF format.
Warning
- Not all file types can be converted to PDF, so you might encounter some formatting issues.
