How to print to PDF on Windows 10

Not very long ago, Windows 10 introduced a new feature that allows you to “print” your files straight to PDF. However, don’t get this confused with “Save as PDF”, which is probably the more popular thing to do. The two are significantly different. Saving your file as a PDF changes your document to a different format. When you print it—actually print it—you would notice that the metadata such as the links and the bookmarks are not translated onto the printed paper. “Printing” to PDF, on the other hand, allows you to translate this document into a PDF—metadata and everything—without using physical paper.

Here’s how to use this feature on a Windows 10 in two ways.

See also: How to edit a PDF for free

Clicking the File Itself

This is probably the fastest and cleanest method to turn any of your documents to a Print to PDF format. To do this:

  1. Go to Libraries on your PC or desktop device, then to Documents or Pictures, depending on where the file you will be converting is saved.
  2. Once you find the file you’re looking for, right-click on it and choose “Print”.
  3. The printing settings/ preview will pop up. From there, go to Printer, scroll down, and choose the “Print as PDF” option.
  4. Click Print. You will immediately see a small window that asks to name your Print to PDF file. Name it and click Save.

Using Printer Settings

To use this method instead, open the file you want to print in a word processor. From there, go to File > Print. The same print settings/ preview will open up as mentioned in the first method. Keep in mind that this feature can be used in any word processor; that’s the beauty of it. You don’t need to open up Word or need to have a text file; it could be an image, a brochure, just about anything that you want to be converted to the Print to PDF format.

Go to Printer, scroll down, and click the “Print as PDF” option.

Now click Print. A menu should appear that asks you to name the file. Name it whatever you like and click Save. And that’s it!

This feature in Windows 10 is major because it’s unique as well as super easy to use. This was not possible in the earlier Windows systems. You can find the “Save to PDF” or even the “Print as PDF” feature in other programs, Windows is not limited to one program, because you can use this feature from any program on your device that will print for you.

How to Enable the Print to PDF Feature

If you can’t find this feature under the Printer settings, don’t worry! Here’s how you can enable it on your Windows.

  1. Use the “Programs and Features” tab: This tab can be found in the Control Panel. From there, select “Turn Windows features on or off”. Choose the “Microsoft Print to PDF” feature. Click the “OK” button and quit. Restart if the feature doesn’t show up automatically.
  2. Use the Devices tab: In settings, go to Devices > Printers and Scanners > Microsoft Print to PDF. Follow the instructions that follow.

There you go! Just as easy to download as it is to use. You can always use traditional PDFs if that’s your thing but you’ll need another program to annotate or interact with the metadata in it. This feature saves you that extra work.

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