
The issue of font availability is an excellent way to describe this problem. When it comes to PDF files the document will retain its exact formatting, unless it is edited. Microsoft Word documents are generally less likely to retain their formatting as they are easy to edit. While many great PDF editors exist, editing a PDF remains significantly more challenging for an ordinary user relative to a Word file.Īnother distinction between PDF and Word files is how the content is delivered. Word documents, by design, are much easier to edit than a PDF file. Generally speaking, the perceptions above are also true. Most PDF viewers, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, do not allow users to view a PDF file without a password (if enabled). Unlike a Word document, a PDF has this added security that allows you to have peace of mind when transferring sensitive documents. One other distinction that gives PDF an edge, is the feature of password protecting a PDF. As a result, Word documents are generally easier to edit. If you need to make changes to the document, you may do so in Microsoft Word and then save it as a PDF. Word documents, on the other hand, can be generated in Microsoft Word and saved as either a DOC/DOCX or PDF file. As a result, it is relatively less common for ordinary users to be familiar with the editing capabilities of Adobe Acrobat. This is because PDF files were designed to be a text delivery format that retains its formatting across all devices. The capacity to alter file documents in PDF is generally more restricted. The characteristics of the respective platforms, as well as their capacity to edit documents, are two of the most major distinctions between PDF and Word. The Capabilities of PDF versus Word Documents Meanwhile, Microsoft Word may be used to read and write Word documents. Adobe Acrobat may be used to edit and read PDF files. Each company also created software that allows users to create documents according to their preferences. Perhaps the most common perception of PDF versus Word is that the PDF is a document format that is easily viewed, whereas a Word document is a file format that is designed to be edited. On the other hand, Microsoft designed and developed both DOC (the original Word document format) and Microsoft Word, a document editor. Adobe Systems devised and developed both the PDF and Adobe Acrobat to edit PDF files. For starters, separate software companies created each format. The Main Difference Between PDF and Word Documentsĭespite the fact that PDF and Word document files are both major file formats for editing and reading written documents, they are each distinct.
