Save files as PDFs on Windows 10 without the need for additional software

Have you ever wanted to save a file as a PDF? In previous versions of Windows, you could not do this without using online services or downloading third-party software. If not, you must work with a poorly formatted PDF or pay a premium service for better quality PDFs.

For a long time Windows refused to provide PDF support. Instead, they tried to promote their own format, the XPS file. With Windows 10 , Microsoft finally brought PDF support into its own operating system. This means you no longer need to download additional software or use online services to convert files to PDF format.

Why save a file as a PDF?

Firstly, it is important to note that every operating system is capable of saving and viewing PDF files. If you want to send a text document to a friend or colleague from a Windows machine, sending it as DOCX can be a problem for people running OS X or Linux. Meanwhile, using PDF means anyone can read it without a problem.

This means that the PDF format can adapt to different devices and machines. It doesn't matter if the recipient of the file is on a desktop, laptop, tablet or phone, all have the ability to open and read PDF files.

If you are building a website and you want to upload a document for everyone to see and download then PDF is a smart solution to choose from. Not only can anyone download any operating system or device, many web browsers today will open PDF right there, allowing you to read documents without downloading them.

If you are saving a website for any purpose, saving it as an HTML file can cause clutter in the content. However, saving it as a PDF will preserve all elements of the site without any errors.

Save the file as a PDF on Windows 10

First, to save the file as a PDF file, we need to take a detour. Typically, when software provides the opportunity to save a document as a PDF file, it will be an option in Save As or there will be a separate option to export the file as a PDF. When saving as PDF in Windows 10, we will not use the Export feature or even the Save As feature, but we will go through the print function of Windows.

Yes, this is the same feature that you use to print documents via the printer. It may seem unusual to use the print feature, but it has certain benefits. If you can print a document, you can also save it as a PDF. This means everything with print functionality can be saved as PDF, from Word documents to web pages. Going through the print feature provides the PDF function in software that does not support PDF files.

To save as a PDF file, first open the document you want to convert, then try to print through the software that contains the document. In the example below, the software used is Microsoft Word, so we use the same method as when printing normal documents or do.

In the print menu of the software you use, select the printer you want to use.

Please note that there is an entry in the list that is not a printer, it is Microsoft Print to PDF . The name is so but Windows will not print anything when you click on this option. Instead, it will save the file in the PDF format we need. Select this option and click on Print . This is a bit strange, although we are saving the file but they are "virtual" printing it first.

Clicking on Print will open the Save As window . Save the PDF as you normally would any document.

You should now have a PDF version of the file you just printed out, which looks almost identical to the file.

For a long time Windows users could only create PDFs using third-party software. Fortunately, Microsoft recently responded to the PDF support request. Through the print function of Windows 10, you can save documents and web pages as PDF files easily.