PDF vs DOCX: Which Format Should You Use?

I get this question a lot: "Should I send this as a PDF or a Word doc?" And my answer is almost always the same: it depends on what you're trying to do.

That sounds like a cop-out, but it's genuinely true. PDF and DOCX are designed for different things. Comparing them is like comparing a photo frame to a sketchbook. One is for displaying finished work. The other is for creating and editing.

Let me break this down properly.

What Is a PDF, Really?

PDF stands for Portable Document Format. Adobe created it in 1993 (yeah, it's over 30 years old) with one goal: make documents look the same everywhere. It doesn't matter if you open a PDF on Windows, Mac, Linux, your phone, or a printer from 2005. It looks identical.

A PDF is essentially a snapshot. It preserves fonts, images, layout, colors — everything exactly as the creator intended. That's its superpower. It's also kind of its limitation, but we'll get to that.

What Is a DOCX?

DOCX is Microsoft Word's format, introduced in 2007 with Office 2007. It replaced the older .doc format. Under the hood, a .docx file is actually a ZIP archive containing XML files, images, and styling information.

DOCX files are built for editing. They're fluid — text reflows based on the page size, fonts can be substituted, margins can change. The same .docx file might look different on two different computers depending on what fonts are installed and which version of Word (or Google Docs, or LibreOffice) opens it.

The Key Differences

1. Layout Consistency

PDF wins. Completely. A PDF looks the same everywhere. Always. That's the whole point.

DOCX? Not so much. I once sent a perfectly formatted Word document to a colleague who opened it in LibreOffice. The tables were shifted, the fonts were substituted, and a header that was supposed to be on page one ended up on page two. It was a mess. This isn't rare — it happens constantly when people use different word processors or even different versions of the same word processor.

2. Editability

DOCX wins here. That's what it's for. You can open a .docx, change text, add images, restructure paragraphs, track changes, add comments. It's a living document.

PDFs can be edited, but it's awkward. You can use tools like our PDF editor to make changes, but the experience is nothing like editing in Word. PDFs treat text as positioned elements on a canvas, not as a flowing document. Move one paragraph and everything else stays put. It's more like editing a poster than editing a letter.

3. File Size

This one varies a lot, but generally DOCX files are smaller than equivalent PDFs — especially for text-heavy documents. PDFs embed fonts (or subsets of fonts), which adds size. They also store precise positioning data for every element.

That said, a bloated Word doc with embedded images can easily be larger than a compressed PDF. If file size matters, you can almost always compress a PDF significantly without visible quality loss.

4. Security

PDF has better security options. You can password protect a PDF with 256-bit AES encryption. You can add digital signatures. You can restrict printing and copying (though, as I've written about elsewhere, permissions passwords are easily bypassed).

DOCX files can also be password protected, but the encryption has historically been weaker, and compatibility issues mean encrypted .docx files sometimes won't open in non-Microsoft software.

5. Compatibility

PDFs can be opened on basically any device made in the last 20 years. Every browser can display them. Every phone can display them. Even most smart TVs can display them. No special software needed.

DOCX requires Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, or another compatible word processor. Most people have access to at least one of these, but the rendering differences between them can be significant. And if you're sending to someone you don't know (a recruiter, a client, a government agency), you can't guarantee what they'll open it with.

6. Printing

PDFs print exactly as they appear on screen. What you see is what you get. That's why print shops, publishers, and anyone who cares about print quality uses PDF.

DOCX printing depends on the printer driver, the installed fonts, and the software doing the printing. I've seen Word documents that looked fine on screen print with completely wrong spacing because the printer had a slightly different page area than Word expected.

When to Use PDF

Use PDF when the document is finished and you want it to look exactly right. Specifically:

• Resumes and CVs. Always PDF. You've spent time on the formatting — don't let a recruiter's ancient copy of LibreOffice ruin it.
• Contracts and legal documents. PDF ensures everyone sees the same thing. Important when exact wording matters.
• Invoices and receipts. Clean, consistent, professional.
• Reports and presentations. Once finalized, lock it down as PDF.
• Forms. Fillable PDF forms work in any PDF reader.
• Anything going to print. Always PDF. No exceptions.
• Anything you're posting publicly. PDFs can't be accidentally edited by the recipient.

When to Use DOCX

Use DOCX when the document is still being worked on or when you specifically need someone to edit it:

• Collaborative writing. Google Docs (which uses a DOCX-compatible format) is built for this. Real-time editing, comments, suggestions.
• Draft documents. If it's not final, keep it in DOCX so you can easily revise.
• Templates. If someone needs to fill in their own information, DOCX makes more sense than a fillable PDF in many cases.
• Internal documents. If everyone in your company uses Word, sending DOCX internally is fine. You control the environment.
• Documents that need track changes. Word's track changes feature is genuinely great for editing workflows. There's nothing like it in the PDF world.

The Conversion Question

Often you'll create something in Word and need to send it as a PDF, or receive a PDF and need to edit it in Word. Both conversions are common and both have gotchas.

DOCX to PDF

This is the easy direction. Word, Google Docs, and LibreOffice can all export to PDF. The result is usually good, though there can be minor differences (especially with complex layouts or unusual fonts). If you want perfect fidelity, use the same software that created the document to export the PDF.

PDF to DOCX

This is the hard direction. Converting PDF to Word means reconstructing a flowing document from a fixed layout. It's like trying to turn a painting back into a sketch. Our PDF to Word converter does a solid job for most documents, but complex layouts with multiple columns, tables, and images will never convert perfectly. That's just the nature of the formats.

My advice: if you know you'll need to edit a document later, keep the original DOCX. Don't rely on being able to convert the PDF back perfectly.

What About Google Docs?

Google Docs deserves a quick mention. It uses its own format internally but can import and export both DOCX and PDF. For collaborative work, it's arguably better than Word because it's browser-based and real-time.

The catch: Google Docs' PDF export is decent but not as precise as Word's. And its DOCX export can introduce formatting quirks. If pixel-perfect layout matters, Google Docs isn't the best choice.

What About Other Formats?

While we're at it, here are some other formats you might encounter:

• ODT (OpenDocument Text): LibreOffice's native format. Good for open-source workflows but poor compatibility with Microsoft Office.
• RTF (Rich Text Format): An old format that's widely compatible but limited in features. No encryption, no embedding.
• TXT: Plain text. No formatting at all. Sometimes that's exactly what you want.
• EPUB: For ebooks. Basically HTML in a ZIP file. Great for reflowing text on different screen sizes, terrible for fixed layouts.

My Personal Take

I default to PDF for almost everything I send externally. Resumes, invoices, proposals, reports — all PDF. I don't want to worry about how the recipient's software will render my document. I want it to look exactly how I designed it.

For internal work and collaboration, I use Google Docs (which is DOCX-compatible). Track changes, comments, real-time editing — that's where DOCX shines.

The workflow usually looks like this: create in Docs/Word → collaborate and revise → finalize → export as PDF → distribute. The DOCX is the workshop. The PDF is the gallery.

Quick Reference

• Need consistent formatting? → PDF
• Need to edit? → DOCX
• Sending externally? → PDF
• Collaborating? → DOCX (or Google Docs)
• Going to print? → PDF
• Need security? → PDF (with encryption)
• Archiving? → PDF/A (a special archival version of PDF)

There's no universal winner. Pick the format that fits the job. And if you're ever unsure, PDF is the safer bet for sharing — because you know exactly what the other person will see.