Steps for Converting a Microsoft Word File to PDF to Include the Tag Structure

Table of Contents

Introduction

PDFs are widely accepted to be the most accessible and secure format for files to be distributed as, since they offer consistent formatting and can reduce and restrict editing from other users. They are also one of the most commonly used formats, and the majority of users will have a program to read them, while not every user will have Microsoft Word. The following article will outline how to convert a Microsoft Word document into a PDF so you can start sharing your documents with others without worrying about edits and formatting differences.

The Two Methods

There are two main ways to convert a Word document to PDF. Both methods will yield similar results, but there are also some key differences between the two. The main differences will be in how the document is tagged, and will have minimal visual differences. This article will explain what the two methods are, the steps on how to use them to convert a Word to a PDF document, and how to make sure that the PDF is tagged.

Adobe Acrobat Plugin Method

The first method requires the Adobe Acrobat plugin. If you would like add the plugin to MS Word for free, here are the steps:

  1. Open Word.
  2. Go to File > Options > Add-ins.
  3. At the bottom, in the Manage box, select COM Add-ins and click Go.
  4. In the list, look for Acrobat PDFMaker Office COM Addin.
    • If it’s there, make sure the box is checked.
    • If it’s unchecked, check it and click OK.
  5. If you don’t see it listed, click Disabled Items in the Manage dropdown, then Go, and re-enable it if it appears there.

After this, you should see the Acrobat tab appear in the Word ribbon.

When converting a document using the plugin, it will open a box to direct where to save the file. Before saving, select “Options” and ensure that “Enable Accessibility and Reflow with Tagged Adobe PDF” is selected. This will increase the accessibility of your final file, but will not make it fully accessible.

For those who do not have the plugin, the second method can also be utilized instead and does not require any third party software.

“Save as” Method

The second method can be applied by using Word’s “Save as” feature. Simply go to “Files”, “Save As”, expand the “Save as type” menu, and select the PDF file type. Make sure to open “Options” and make sure “Document structure tags for accessibility” is selected. Once again, this will increase accessibility but will not create a fully accessible file.

Pros and Cons of Each Method

Both methods will result in a tagged PDF, which is essential to having an accessible file. There may be slight differences between conversions, with slightly different spacing and page breaks, but the majority of the differences will not be visual and instead affect how the tags are structured. The Adobe plugin generally creates cleaner tags, but can take longer to convert large documents. Otherwise, both methods are mostly equal.

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