Why Your Font Changed When You Converted to PDF
Quick answer: the program that makes a PDF can only draw text in fonts it has. If your font isn't on that computer or server, it uses a stand-in. Five common fonts have exact stand-ins; everything else gets the nearest match, which can move lines and pages. To keep an unusual font, make the PDF in Word on your own computer.
Why it happens
A Word document doesn't contain its fonts. It just names them: "this paragraph is Aptos, 11 point". When you open it, your computer draws the text using its own copy of Aptos. When you convert it somewhere else, such as an online converter, a colleague's laptop or an older copy of Word, that computer looks for Aptos. If it doesn't have it, it picks a replacement.
A PDF works the other way. When it's made, the fonts are embedded: the letter shapes are stored inside the file. That's why a PDF looks the same everywhere, and also why the font has to be right at the moment the PDF is made.
What we found when we tested 12 fonts
We converted a Word document written in 12 popular fonts using SwapDoc's Word to PDF converter, and listed the fonts in the resulting PDF.
| Font in Word | Font in the PDF | Same line breaks? |
|---|---|---|
| Calibri | Carlito | Yes |
| Cambria | Caladea | Yes |
| Arial | Liberation Sans | Yes |
| Times New Roman | Liberation Serif | Yes |
| Courier New | Liberation Mono | Yes |
| Aptos, Segoe UI | Liberation Sans | Close, not exact |
| Verdana | DejaVu Sans | Close, not exact |
| Georgia | Liberation Serif | Close, not exact |
| Garamond | EB Garamond | Close, not exact |
| Century Gothic | URW Gothic | Close, not exact |
| Comic Sans MS | Comic Neue | Close, not exact |
The first five rows are metric-compatible fonts. They were designed so every letter is exactly as wide as in the Microsoft original. The text looks very slightly different close up, but every line and page breaks in the same place. The rest look similar, but their letters are a little wider or narrower, so a paragraph can gain or lose a line, and a one-page letter can spill onto two.
The first time we ran this test, every font in the second group came out in a serif font like Times, even sans-serif fonts like Aptos and Verdana. We fixed that by adding the closer matches above. Other converters will have their own gaps, which is why it's worth checking any PDF you didn't make yourself.
Four ways to keep your font
1. Make the PDF in Word itself
This is the surest fix. Word uses the fonts on your computer and embeds them in the PDF.
- Windows: File → Save As → choose PDF from the "Save as type" list → Save.
- Mac: File → Save As → File Format: PDF → Export.
Our guide How to convert Word to PDF covers this and other free methods.
2. Switch to a safe font
If the document is going to be converted or edited on other computers, use one of the five metric-compatible fonts: Calibri, Cambria, Arial, Times New Roman or Courier New. To change the whole document in Word, press Ctrl + A (Cmd + A on a Mac) and pick the font. If your headings use a different font, change the theme fonts instead under Design → Fonts.
3. Embed the fonts in the Word file
Word for Windows can store fonts inside the .docx: File → Options →
Save → Embed fonts in the file. This helps when someone else opens your Word file on
their computer. It makes the file bigger, and some fonts' licences don't allow embedding, so
Word quietly skips them.
4. Check the PDF before you send it
Open the PDF and compare the page count with your Word document. Then check the fonts:
- Adobe Acrobat Reader: File → Properties → Fonts tab. "Embedded Subset" means the font is stored in the PDF.
- Any browser: you can't list fonts, but zooming in to 200% on a heading and a paragraph usually shows whether the letter shapes match your original.
If you see a font you didn't use, that's a stand-in.
Other times a font changes
The PDF looks wrong on someone else's computer
A PDF made without embedded fonts relies on the reader's computer having them. This is rare with Word and most converters, but it happens with some older tools and "print to PDF" drivers. Re-make the PDF with Word's own Save As PDF.
The font changed when I opened a Word file on another computer
Same cause, other direction: that computer doesn't have the font. It's especially common with Aptos, which older copies of Word and other apps don't have. See our upcoming guide to Aptos for what to do.
The font changed after converting a PDF back to Word
Converting PDF to Word brings the font names across, but the computer opening the Word file still needs those fonts. Our guide to fixing formatting after converting covers this and other layout problems.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does my PDF have a different font from my Word document?
- Whatever made the PDF didn't have your font, so it used a stand-in. Calibri, Cambria, Arial, Times New Roman and Courier New have exact stand-ins on most converters; other fonts get the closest match.
- How do I keep my exact font in a PDF?
- Make the PDF on the computer that has the font. In Word, use File → Save As → PDF.
- Which fonts are safest for converting to PDF?
- Calibri, Cambria, Arial, Times New Roman and Courier New.
- How can I check which fonts a PDF uses?
- In Adobe Acrobat Reader, open File → Properties → Fonts.