9 Easy Ways to Make a PDF: Free & Online

Quick and easy PDF-making methods

Co-authored by Luigi Oppido and Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: December 20, 2024 Fact Checked

Do you need to create a PDF document? It's the easiest file type to send to others, and it's the most compatible file for all different systems (like between your computer and phone and tablet). Read on for a list of different ways to make PDF documents.

Making a PDF File

Open Adobe Acrobat.
Click + Create or Create a PDF.
Choose how to make your PDF and follow the on-screen prompts to make the document.

1

Finder on Mac

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Use the free built-in tools with Mac to create PDFs. Click to select the files you want to combine into a PDF in Finder or on your desktop.
- Control-click the files and choose Quick Actions > Create PDF.^{[1]
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2

Adobe Acrobat

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You can easily create a PDF with or without a subscription. In the bar at the very top of your screen, click + Create and you'll be prompted how to create your PDF. If you pay for Adobe Acrobat Pro, you'll see a "Create a PDF" option near the top as well.
- Click either of those buttons and you'll get more creation options, like if you want to make the PDF out of a single file, multiple files, from your scanner, or a webpage, if the information is saved in your clipboard, or if you want to create the PDF starting from scratch (a blank document). You can create a PDF from a blank document (starting from scratch) even if you don't pay for a subscription!

3

Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Forms

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Create a file in any Google document style and save it as a PDF! The best part about this is you can use anything, like Google Slides, Google Docs, or Google Sheets.
- Once you finish creating your document, go to File > Download > PDF document.^{[2]
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4

Canva

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Create a PDF for free. Go here: https://www.canva.com/create/pdf-maker/ and click Make a PDF. Sign in if prompted and you'll be able to create the document online and then download the PDF to your local storage!
- Download the PDF by clicking Share > Download and make sure the "File type" is "PDF Standard", then click Download.

5

PDF24TOOLS

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Make a PDF online for free. Go to https://tools.pdf24.org/en/create-pdf and click how to create your PDF.
- For example, if you have an image that you want to convert to PDF, click Images to PDF. Or if you have a physical document that you want to turn into a PDF, click Create PDF with a camera.
- You can also use this site on iPhone, iPad, and Android, meaning you can make PDFs while you're mobile.

6

SmallPDF

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Convert files to PDF online for free. Go to https://smallpdf.com/pdf-converter and choose the file you want to make into a PDF. You can delete or rearrange pages before you download the document.
- There's a limit to how many documents you can download per month using the free plan, but that's unlimited when you pay for a plan.

7

DocFly

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Go to https://www.docfly.com/create-pdf and click Upload File to convert a document to PDF. You can download the resulting file 3 times or pay to unlock unlimited downloads.

8

Microsoft Word

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Save your Word doc as a PDF for free. Open your document in Word, go to File > Save and change the "Save as type" to "PDF." Click Save to save the file as PDF.^{[3]
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Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

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- If you're on a Mac, you'll see Export instead of "Save".

9

Print to PDF

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Turn a webpage into a PDF without downloading any software. Navigate to the page that you want to save as a PDF, then press Ctrl+P (Windows) or ⌘ Cmd+P (Mac) to open the Print Menu.
- Select "Save as PDF" from the drop-down. If you're using Windows, you'll see this option under the "Printer" menu. You'll see the "Save as PDF" option under the "Local Destinations" heading on Macs.
- Click Save to save the webpage as a PDF.
- You'll need to repeat this process for all separate pages on the site that you want to save, like for an About Me and Contact page. Once you have separate PDFs for those, you can merge them in multiple ways.

Expert Q&A

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Question

How can I merge two PDF files into one?

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.

Luigi Oppido

Computer & Tech Specialist

Expert Answer

You can use Acrobat or CutePDF to do that by using the Merge function. If you don't want to use any software, you can also do it the old-fashioned way by printing both documents and scanning the pages in the desired order to create a new PDF.

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Can I create a PDF file from pictures?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Yes. One easy way to do this is to save an image as a PDF file in a graphics editing program, such as Adobe Photoshop. Your scanner software might also allow you to save scanned images as a PDF. If you have Microsoft Word, paste one or more images into a .doc file and export it as a PDF.

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What programs can I use to create PDF files?

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Staff Answer

You can export PDF files from Word documents or create them in Adobe Acrobat Pro. There are also a variety of free programs you can use, such as AbleWord or PDFMate.

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The links in the text will not work in PDF format, so be sure to write the entire URL (https://something.com) instead of linking text (creating hyperlinks).

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You can use OpenOffice instead if you don't have Word.

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If you already have a file on your computer, you can easily convert it to PDF.

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