9 Free PDF Converters for Windows Users

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With PDFs being one of the preferred ways to protect and send documents, Windows users need an easy way to convert Word documents, PowerPoints, and other files to PDFs. We’ve scoured the Internet to determine which free PDF converter options are the best for Windows users.

Good to know: learn how to delete pages from a PDF file.

Content

1. Adobe PDF Converter

While Adobe’s Acrobat app for Windows doesn’t offer a free PDF conversion option, Adobe does have a free Web PDF converter – but there’s a catch! You’ll need to sign up with a free account on the Adobe website. You only get to use the tool one time before receiving a prompt that asks you to update to Pro.

Adobe has several other online tools available, so if you’re interested in one of those, you won’t be able to take advantage of the PDF converter while you’re using the same Adobe account. Bypass this restriction by signing up with a different email address.

Once the conversion has taken place, edit the resulting PDF by highlighting text, adding a signature, or even filling in a form – all for free. You can drop Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or images in Adobe’s web converter.

Tip: need to search your new PDF file? Learn how to do so.

2. SmallPDF

SmallPDF is an online PDF-converting web tool that allows you to upload files from your device, as well as directly from Google Drive or Dropbox. Use SmallPDF to quickly convert DOC, XLS, PPT, or JPG/PNG files to PDF. The process is quite smooth, and the tool retains the formatting very well.

Once the conversion is complete, download the new PDF, and use other tools to modify it further. For instance, you can opt to do a PDF compression, as well as sign it or protect it with a password. While these tools are great to have, you’ll need to upload the PDF again to use them.

The best thing about SmallPDF is that you don’t have to sign in with an account, unless you want to upgrade to a paid plan and access additional features, such as accessing advanced comprehension or editing tools.

3. FreeConvert

FreeCovert is another online PDF converter you can access directly from your browser. You can upload files up to 1GB without paying a dime, although if you need more, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid tier. FreeCovert supports up to more than 300 file types, so you can convert almost anything to a PDF.

The tool lets you add files from your device, Dropbox, and Google Drive, as well as via a link. It even supports a batch conversion feature for increased efficiency, which is available for free.

FreeCovert allows you to select a range of pages you wish to convert, so you don’t have to convert the whole document if you don’t need to. Converted files are deleted after eight hours to protect your privacy. The tool works extremely fast, even when multiple documents have been uploaded. It’s certainly worth a try.

FYI: PDF not opening in Chrome? Learn what steps to take to reverse the situation.

4. Total PDF Converter

Total PDF Converter is an app that is available via the Microsoft Store. It features a convert-to-PDF feature, as well as one to covert a PDF to another file type. Convert files such as DOCX, PPT, Excel, RTF, text, and images to PDF. The process is super simple.

Total PDF Converter has a batch convert files feature that can help you save a lot of time. It’s also quite fast. The program saves the converted files to the specified location.

This tool also doubles as a PDF viewer and editor, but I don’t recommend it for this purpose. While Total PDF Converter works very well for converting, it crashed multiple times while I was using it to annotate a PDF.

5. PDF Candy

PDF Candy is an online PDF converter that also includes a suite of tools that allow you to process PDF files in various ways. This includes a wide range of options to convert to PDF from Word, Excel, JPG, MBP, Mobi, ePUB, HTML, XLM, TXT, and more. But if you’d rather not have to look for specific options, there’s also an all-inclusive PDF converter tool. It carries claims that it can convert almost any file to PDF.

You don’t need to create an account to use PDF Candy, which is very convenient. The tool is fast, but unfortunately, it does not support batch processing in the free version.

On the bright side, a big plus of using PDF Candy is that you can immediately jump between other editing tools. For example, if you need to transform a Word document to a PDF, then compress it or add a password, you can, without having to upload the resulting PDF.

Tip: check out these Scribd alternatives that can host your PDF files.

6. DoPDF

DoPDF is another alternative that will convert files to PDF. There’s a Windows app version of DoPDF, but that requires a subscription. The online tools, however, are completely free.

With this PDF converter, you can transform a wide range of file formats, including DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, HTML, TXT, EPUB, JPG, ODD, SVG, TFF, CSV, OpenOffice, and more. The tool supports bulk processing and is reasonably fast. It also produces results of good quality.

According to doPDF, the original files, as well as the resulting ones, will get deleted after two hours. Optionally, you can delete them yourself. This Windows PDF converter also includes an additional free merge PDF files tool.

7. PDF2Go

PDF2Go offers another straightforward option for converting files to PDF on the Web. It supports free batch processing, so you won’t have to add your files one at a time, thus wasting precious time.

In terms of features, PDF2Go is very straightforward. It lets you upload almost any kind of files, from documents and ebooks, to images and presentations or spreadsheets. The conversion happens within seconds, then all that’s left is to download the resulting PDFs to your machine.

Alternatively, continue editing the PDF, as PDF2Go will retain the PDFs you just created. For instance, you can compress your PDF or go on to edit it. Not all tools are available for free on this Windows PDF converter, as a very useful Convert with OCR option is only available in the Premium version.

Tip: check out more options to help you compress PDF documents.

8. AVS Document Converter

If you need to do document conversion, even without an Internet connection, you can install a dedicated program on your device, such as AVS Document Converter. The software allows you to transform almost any type of file into a PDF. It supports batch conversion with a little twist: the files will be available in separate tabs, and you’ll need to click the Convert Now button for each.

With this Windows PDF converter, you can also opt to add a watermark to the converted PDF and protect it using a password. The conversion process is pretty smooth, even if you’ve uploaded several documents. Even with larger files, such as EPUBs, the conversion didn’t take long.

AVS Document Converter also has options for converting files to DOC/DOCX, image, HMTL, ODT, RTF, TXT, and eBook. What’s more, you can use the command line to start conversion sessions using the program.

9. Filestar

Filestar offers a stylish alternative for your PDF conversion. On top of that, it’s powered by AI and includes many “skills” (aka features), such as compress, extract, ZIP, and more.

This Windows PDF converter only lets you convert one file at a time in the free version, but you can do more than just convert it. You can upload from your local device, clipboard, URL, or path. Once the file has been added to Filestar, you’ll need to search and click the “convert to PDF” skill to kick-start the conversion process, but there are many more to access.

During my DOCX to PDF conversion, Filestar offered the option to change the font and color, which is a nice addition. The program also includes options for automation, so if you do PDF conversions constantly, you can launch this skill immediately via hotkeys, shortcuts, command line, and more.

Good to know: it’s possible to insert a PDF into a Word document.

If you need to do more conversions, some of the tools listed above may be of help. Yet, you may be confronted with some unique scenarios when you convert Google Docs to Microsoft Word or Excel to Google Sheets.

Image credit: Freepik. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.

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Alexandra Arici –
Staff Writer

Alexandra is passionate about mobile tech and can be often found fiddling with a smartphone from some obscure company. She kick-started her career in tech journalism in 2013, after working a few years as a middle-school teacher. Constantly driven by curiosity, Alexandra likes to know how things work and to share that knowledge with everyone.

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