PDF vs Word document: which should you send, and when

What each format is for

A Word document (.docx) is a working file. It stores text, styles, tracked changes and comments, and it reflows to fit the screen or page it is opened on. That is what you want while a document is being written and reviewed. It is also why a DOCX can look different on another computer: a missing font or a different default paper size shifts the layout.

A PDF is a finished page. It fixes the fonts, the line breaks and the page size (Letter in the US), so a page looks the same on a phone, a Mac, a Windows PC and a printer. PDFs open in any browser without Office. The trade-off is that editing a PDF is harder: you can change a line of text with a PDF editor, but you cannot rewrite a chapter comfortably.

Put simply: DOCX is for making the document, PDF is for delivering it. Most documents should live as a Word file while you work on them and be sent as a PDF when they are done. The free converters below handle the switch in either direction, for example Word to PDF when you are on a phone or a computer without Office.

Sending a resume: PDF or Word?

Send a PDF unless the job posting asks for a Word document. A PDF keeps your layout, your fonts and your one-page limit intact on whichever device the recruiter uses, and nobody can accidentally edit it. Name the file with your name, for example Jane-Doe-Resume.pdf.

There are two reasons to send a DOCX anyway. First, the posting or the application portal says Word only; follow the instruction, because some older applicant tracking systems were built around it. Second, a recruiter or agency asks for an editable version so they can remove your contact details or reformat to their template before passing it to a client. In both cases, keep the Word layout simple: standard fonts, no text boxes, no tables for the main content, so it survives being opened in a different version of Word.

Whatever the format, keep both versions. Write and update in Word, export the PDF each time, and check the PDF once on a phone before sending. If you only have a PDF of an old resume, PDF to Word gives you a DOCX you can edit; the layout and tables come through for most resumes.

Contracts and signatures

A contract should be sent as a PDF at the point of signing. The pages are fixed, so both sides sign the same text, and the file can be stamped with a signature and date without the layout moving. Sending a DOCX for signature invites the other party to change a clause, by accident or on purpose, and makes it hard to prove which version was signed.

During negotiation the opposite applies. Exchange a Word document with Track Changes on, so each side sees the edits and comments. When the text is agreed, export the PDF, then sign that. To sign a PDF you received, use a free tool such as DocGopher's Sign PDF, which lets you draw, type or upload a signature and place it in one spot or several; Preview on a Mac and the iPhone Files app do the same offline. These are visual signatures. For a certificate-based digital signature with an audit trail, you need a paid e-sign service.

If a party sends a contract as a PDF and you need to propose changes, convert it to Word, mark up the DOCX with Track Changes, and send that back with a note. Do not retype a contract from a PDF; the conversion is faster and more accurate.

Collaboration and editing

For anything two or more people will edit, Word wins, or any shared editor that saves to DOCX. Tracked changes, comments, version history and the ability to accept or reject each edit do not exist in a PDF in the same way. A PDF can collect comments and highlights from reviewers, which suits a final proofread, but not drafting.

The practical pattern for a team: one editable master in Word, Google Docs or a shared drive; PDF snapshots at each milestone (draft for review, final for approval, signed copy). If several contributors send separate Word files, join them with a merge tool such as Merge Word documents before you tidy the styles, rather than copying and pasting sections.

A warning about editing PDFs instead: a free PDF editor is fine for a date, a name or a missing sentence. It is the wrong tool for rewriting paragraphs, because the text does not reflow across pages. Convert to Word for that, edit, and export a new PDF.

File size

For a plain text document, PDF and DOCX are both small, usually well under 1 MB. Size problems come from pictures. A DOCX stores each inserted image at its original resolution, so a report with twenty phone photos can reach 50 MB. The PDF exported from it is often smaller because the export downsamples images, especially with Word's Minimum size option.

If you must send the Word file and it is too large, compress the pictures inside it with a tool such as DocGopher's Compress Word file, or use Word's own Compress Pictures command. If the PDF is too large, compress the PDF. Email limits of 20 to 25 MB and upload limits of 10 MB on many portals are the usual targets. For a very long document, consider sending a PDF link from a shared drive instead.

Accessibility and screen readers

A well-made Word document is usually more accessible than a PDF. Word's heading styles, alt text on images and real tables are read correctly by screen readers, and the reader can change font size and colors freely. Word's built-in Accessibility Checker flags problems before you share.

A PDF can be accessible too, but only if it is exported with tags from a properly structured source. A PDF exported from Word with headings and alt text keeps that structure; a scanned PDF is a picture with no text at all until it goes through OCR. If you send a PDF to a wide audience, export it from Word with the document structure tags option on, or send both formats and let the reader choose.

For forms, a fillable PDF is easier for most people than a Word form, because it opens on any device without Office and the layout does not break. For a reader who uses assistive technology, a simple Word form or an online form is often easier still.

Converting between PDF and Word

Word to PDF is built in almost everywhere: Word's Save As PDF, Microsoft Print to PDF on Windows, Preview or the Print dialog on a Mac, Google Docs' Download as PDF, and the Pages app on an iPhone. DocGopher's Word to PDF does the same in a browser, which helps on a phone or a shared computer, and takes files up to 300 MB, 50 at a time, with no sign-up and no watermark; files are deleted after 30 minutes.

PDF to Word is less uniform. Word's File, Open command converts a PDF into an editable document and does well on text-heavy pages. Google Docs does the same from Drive with more layout drift. DocGopher's PDF to Word returns an editable DOCX with the layout and tables included. For a scanned PDF, run OCR first so there is real text to convert; otherwise you get a picture inside a Word page.

Whichever tool you use, proofread the converted file. Hyphenation, bullet lists and multi-column layouts are the usual casualties, and a quick pass in Word fixes them.

Decision: PDF or Word?

Run through the questions below in order. The first yes decides.

• Did the recipient or the posting specify a format? Use that one.
• Does the recipient need to edit the text, comment or track changes? Send Word.
• Is the document final, being signed, or going to someone outside your organization? Send PDF.
• Is it a resume, invoice, letter, report or certificate? Send PDF.
• Is it a template, a form you expect back as text, or a draft for a co-author? Send Word.
• Not sure? Send the PDF and offer the Word file on request.