How to Make a PDF Invoice: Word, Google Docs, Print to PDF or an Online Generator

Why Invoices Are Sent as PDF

A PDF keeps the layout you designed. Microsoft lists the reasons to use PDF as a file that "Looks the same on most computers", "Has a smaller file size" and "Complies with an industry format", and names files "intended to be read (not edited) and printed" among the examples. Most customers can open it without the program you made it in.

A PDF is not a lock, though. Microsoft also warns: "Many programs, including Microsoft Word, have the ability to open and edit PDF files. Simply sharing something as a PDF is not sufficient to guarantee the recipient can't edit the file." So keep two things yourself: the editable original (Word, Excel or Google file) and a copy of the exact PDF you sent.

Route 1: Use an Online Invoice Generator

An invoice generator skips the document step: you fill in a form and the site produces the PDF. With ours:

1. Fill in the form on the free invoice generator: your details and logo, the customer, invoice number and dates, line items, tax and notes.
2. Choose the paper size under Document Format (A4, A5, A3, B5, Letter, Legal or Tabloid).
3. Click Preview & Download and check the preview.
4. Click Confirm & Download PDF. A short automatic bot check (Cloudflare Turnstile) runs, our server renders the PDF, and your browser downloads it.

The generator is free and unmetered for normal use; an anti-abuse cap of 20 PDFs per device per day (200 per IP) applies, well above ordinary use, and blank template file downloads are not metered. A one-line "Created free with myinvoicetemplate.com" credit is switched on by default and one free checkbox in the settings turns it off. Your draft is stored in your own browser on this device, so download and keep the PDF you need. Your draft is stored in your own browser on this device; when you download, its content is sent over an encrypted HTTPS connection to our server, which renders the PDF.

Other document types (freelance, VAT, commercial, credit note and more) are listed on the invoice templates hub.

Route 2: Microsoft Word to PDF

These steps are from Microsoft Support, Save or convert to PDF or XPS in Office desktop apps.

Word on Windows

1. If the file was previously saved, select File > Save a Copy. If it is unsaved, select File > Save As or Save a Copy.
2. Select Browse to choose where to save it on your computer.
3. In the drop-down list, select PDF.
4. Select Save. (More Options > Options lets you export only some pages or add a password.)

Word on a Mac

1. Select File, then choose Save As or Save a copy.
2. Select File Format at the bottom of the window and choose PDF.
3. Give the file a name if it does not have one, then select Save.

Word for the web

Microsoft says you can use Word for the web to convert a document into a PDF: select File and choose Print, select Save as PDF in the drop-down under Printer, then select Save, and name the file and choose where to save it. Microsoft calls the result "a basic PDF that preserves the layout and format of your original document". Word for the web is free with a Microsoft account: Microsoft offers "free access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint using Microsoft 365 for the web". The Word desktop app is part of a paid Microsoft 365 or Office purchase.

Need an invoice layout to start from? Our blank Word invoice template is free, and our guide on how to make an invoice template shows how to save it as a reusable Word template.

Route 3: Google Docs or Google Sheets to PDF

From Google Docs Editors Help, Create, view, or download a file:

1. Open the invoice document or spreadsheet.
2. At the top, click File > Download.
3. Choose a file type: pick PDF. The file downloads to your computer.

Google adds a tip for large documents in Chrome: click File > Print, select Save as PDF next to "Destination", then click Save. Google Docs and Sheets cost nothing to use with a Google Account (Google: "Anyone with a Google Account can create in Docs").

Reusing the same layout for every invoice? Keep a master copy and use File > Make a copy for each new invoice, as our template guide explains.

Route 4: Excel to PDF, or Print to PDF From Any App

Excel (Windows)

1. Select the File tab, then Save As or Save a copy.
2. In the File Name box, enter a name for the file.
3. In the Save as type list, select PDF (*.pdf).
4. Select Save.

Microsoft notes that "Saving as PDF creates a .pdf file from File > Save As", while printing "sends a job to a physical printer or virtual printer from File > Print". If the invoice spills onto a second page, fix the paper size and scaling in Page Setup first. Our blank Excel invoice calculates its own totals; its formulas are explained in the template guide.

Print to PDF on a Mac

Apple Support, Save a document as a PDF on Mac: open the document, choose File > Print, "Click the PDF button or click the down arrow to open the PDF pop-up menu, then choose Save as PDF", then enter a name and choose a location.

Print to PDF on Windows

Microsoft describes Microsoft Print to PDF as "an option that lets you create a PDF file from other file formats by using a printer". In the app's Print dialog, pick Microsoft Print to PDF in the Printer list, print, and choose a file name and folder when asked.

Which Routes Are Free?

Costs as stated on each vendor's page on September 25, 2026; vendors change their plans, so check before you rely on one.

How to Make a Fillable PDF Invoice

A fillable PDF has form fields a person can type into. Our blank PDF invoice is not one: it is a flat, print-ready page. If you want an editable invoice without form fields, use our Word or Excel template instead.

With LibreOffice (free)

1. Open or build the invoice layout in LibreOffice Writer.
2. Choose View > Toolbars > Form Controls. LibreOffice Help: "On the Form Controls toolbar, click the icon of the control that you want to add. Then click in the document, and drag to create the control." Add a Text Box (LibreOffice: "Text boxes are fields in which the user can enter text") for each field you want filled in (customer, invoice number, dates, line items, totals).
3. Choose File > Export As > Export as PDF. On the General tab, under Forms, tick Create PDF form: "Choose to create a PDF form. This can be filled out and printed by the user of the PDF document."

Sources: LibreOffice Help, Form Controls and PDF export, General tab.

With Adobe Acrobat (paid)

On Adobe's Acrobat plan comparison (checked September 25, 2026), the row "Create, fill out, sign, and send forms easily" is listed for Acrobat Express, Acrobat Standard, Acrobat Pro and Acrobat Studio, which are paid plans. The free Acrobat Reader is offered separately and is not one of the compared plans.

Naming and Sending Your PDF Invoice

• Put the invoice number in the file name, with your business name: for example Invoice-INV-2026-0042-YourBusiness.pdf. Whatever tool made the PDF, you can rename the file before you attach it.
• Check it before it goes out with the pre-send checklist in our how-to guide.
• Send it with a short covering email; our copy-paste email scripts cover the first send, a reminder and a payment confirmation.
• Keep the PDF you sent with the editable original.

Is a PDF Invoice Enough?

Often, yes. In the United States, our e-invoicing mandates tracker (dataset last reviewed August 20, 2026) lists two United States (federal) rows with the status "no-mandate": No federal e-invoicing mandate and Business Payments Coalition / Federal Reserve E-Invoice Exchange Market Pilot → Digital Business Networks Alliance (DBNAlliance), U.S. Open Exchange Network. The source for both, the Federal Reserve's FedPayments Improvement page on electronic invoices, describes working to "promote greater adoption of e-invoices".

Other countries are different. Where a business-to-business e-invoicing mandate applies, invoices must be exchanged as structured e-invoices in the required format, so a PDF on its own may not be enough. Check the country's row, with its official source, in the e-invoicing mandates tracker.

Frequently Asked Questions