PDF vs Word: When to Use Each Format

The two formats do different jobs, and choosing well saves a lot of formatting headaches.

Use Word (or another editable format) when

• The document is still changing or several people edit it.
• You need tracked changes and comments.
• Layout is secondary to content.

Use PDF when

• The document is final and should look identical on every device.
• You are sending it to someone who only needs to read, print or sign it.
• You want to embed fonts and avoid reflowing.

Converting

Word to PDF is straightforward from inside Word: use Save as or Export. If you do not have Word handy, Word to PDF converts text, headings, lists and tables, though not images or custom fonts.

PDF to Word is harder because a PDF stores positioned text rather than paragraphs. PDF to Word extracts the text of PDFs that have selectable text so you can reuse it, but you should expect to reformat.

Keep the source

Always keep the editable original. It is far easier to change the source and export a new PDF than to edit the PDF.

Accessibility

PDFs exported from well-structured Word documents, with real headings and alt text, are easier for screen readers than PDFs made from scans.