How to convert a Word document to PDF without changing the fonts
You set the document up carefully, convert it to PDF, and the headings are a different font and a table has slipped onto the next page. It is a common problem, and it almost always comes down to fonts. Here is what is going on and how to avoid it.
Why the fonts change
A Word file only stores the name of a font, such as Calibri or Times New Roman. It does not carry the font itself. Whatever converts the file has to find a font with that name on its own machine, and if it cannot, it quietly picks a substitute.
Substitutes are rarely the same width. Text that fitted on one line now wraps, a list gets longer, and a page break lands somewhere else. That is why a changed font often shows up as a changed layout.
What this converter does about it
The Word to PDF tool on this site ships its own set of open fonts that are built to match the common Microsoft ones letter for letter: Carlito for Calibri, Arimo for Arial, Tinos for Times New Roman, Caladea for Cambria, Gelasio for Georgia and Cousine for Courier New. Because the widths are identical, lines break in the same places, so the PDF keeps the layout of the document.
Hindi and Marathi text is drawn with Noto Sans and Noto Serif Devanagari. The fonts are embedded in the PDF, so it looks the same on a phone, a laptop and a printer.
If your document uses an unusual font
A decorative or company font cannot be matched, because it is not one of the standard ones. The tool then uses the closest open font and lists the swap in the result, so you know what changed. If the exact font matters, for example for a logo or a letterhead, export that file from Word itself (File, Save As, PDF), which has the font on hand.
A short check before you convert
- Open the document and look at the last page. Whatever is on it will show in the PDF as well.
- Make sure the file is a .docx. An old .doc file needs a Save As in Word first; the tool will tell you if it meets one.
- Remove any password protection. A protected file cannot be opened by any converter.
- Check the preview the tool shows for page one. It is drawn the way the PDF will look.
What to look at afterwards
Scroll through the PDF once, especially if the document has charts, drawings or text boxes. Those are the parts a converter is least likely to reproduce exactly. If the result mentions something it could not carry over, that is where to look first.
Your file is converted on your own device. It is never uploaded, which matters for contracts, CVs and anything with personal details.