Converting a Word document to PDF on Mac is a built-in operation — no extra software needed. The method you use affects the output quality, so it's worth knowing which approach gives the best result for your situation.
From Microsoft Word for Mac
In Word for Mac, go to File → Save As and choose PDF from the format dropdown, or use File → Export → Export as PDF. Both produce a properly structured PDF with embedded fonts, selectable text, and vector graphics preserved. The Export route gives slightly more control — you can choose a page range and set the PDF compatibility level — but for most purposes Save As → PDF works fine.
One thing worth checking before exporting: image compression. Word sometimes embeds images at lower resolution than the originals if the document has been sent between computers or saved in compatibility mode. Go to File → Reduce File Size and choose whether to compress images or not — for a final PDF you're distributing, skipping compression and exporting at full quality gives you a cleaner result that you can always compress afterward.
Using Mac's Print Dialog
Any application that can print can create a PDF on Mac. In Word, Pages, or any other app with a Print option: File → Print, then click the PDF button in the bottom-left corner of the print dialog and choose Save as PDF. This works even for apps that don't have a direct PDF export option.
The print-to-PDF route produces good results for most documents but can be slightly lower quality than direct export for complex files. Vector content is generally preserved, but some advanced Word formatting features don't always survive the print path as cleanly as they do through direct export. For straightforward documents — reports, letters, contracts — there's no meaningful difference.
From Pages or Google Docs
If the document is in Apple Pages: File → Export To → PDF. Pages offers quality settings in the export dialog — choose Better for screen sharing, Best for print-quality output. From Google Docs in a browser: File → Download → PDF Document. Both produce clean PDFs with selectable text.
If You Have a .docx File But Not Word
If you need to convert a .docx file on a Mac without Microsoft Word installed, a few options work well. LibreOffice (open source, free) opens .docx files and exports to PDF reliably. Google Docs converts .docx files on upload and exports PDF from there. Pages on Mac also opens .docx files and can export them as PDF, though complex Word formatting sometimes doesn't survive the Pages import cleanly.
For a quick one-off conversion without installing anything, uploading to Google Docs and downloading as PDF is the most accessible path. For regular conversions of complex documents, LibreOffice produces more faithful output than the online route.