How to Convert DOCM to PDF? – Perfect Methods Explained

Microsoft Word is a reliable word processor with numerous formats for saving textual content, including DOCX, PDF, TXT, and HTML. Many Word users don’t know about the DOCM format, aka the Word Macro-Enabled Document, used to save documents with macros. For those who don’t know, Macros are scripts used for automating tasks or adding functionality to the document. Many Word users look to convert DOCM files to a secure, static format like PDF due to security concerns. If you are also looking for solutions to convert DOCM to PDF, then this blog post is for you.

Why Convert DOCM File to PDF Format?

We will explore some of the reasons Word users often convert DOCM files to PDF:

• Formatting Preservation: Since DOCM files can lose their formatting when opened in other applications, it becomes imperative to save their data in a static format like PDF. PDF files retain the formatting and layout of the original document (DOCM here)—font, text style, etc.—across devices. 
• File Compatibility: DOCM files are compatible only with Microsoft Word (2007 and above versions) besides online sites like OpenOffice Writer and Google Docs. Moreover, you can’t directly open DOCM files on the latter mediums since they don’t support the macro functionality. On the contrary, PDF files are widely accessible across devices and software without constant dependence on Microsoft Word. You can open them on dedicated PDF readers and even web browsers.
• Heightened Security: Another reason to convert DOCM to PDF is the enhanced document security. PDF files offer many strong security features, including password protection (user-level and document-level) and document encryption. Moreover, you can increase the authenticity of the PDF file by adding signatures. Since DOCM files with macros pose security risks, converting them to PDF eliminates the threat of harmful embedded macros.
• Long-term Content Archiving:  The fourth reason DOCM file users look to convert their data to PDF is content archival. PDF files are reliable when it comes to long-term data conservation, as they get less corrupted and face no compatibility issues. PDFs are widely valid for legal proceedings as their data remains unchanged longer than the easily editable DOCM files.

How to Convert DOCM to PDF? – Verified Methods

Now that we have read the reasons for converting DOCM file data to PDF, let’s explore the solutions for the same in this section. We will begin with manual methods and then discuss one professional solution for the data conversion.

Manual Methods to Export DOCM to PDF

We will discuss three methods to manually convert your DOCM file data to PDF in this section. One of these methods involves Microsoft Word, while another involves using an online file conversion website.

Manual Solution #1: Online File Converter

Many online file conversion websites deal with the process of converting DOCM file content to PDF. We will explore one such website, CloudConvert, for this blog. Let’s see the steps involved in online DOCM data conversion to PDF:

• Visit the Online DOCM to PDF Conversion website.
• Click the Choose File button to add the DOCM file on the website’s interface.
• Some online tools have the option to apply basic settings like quality once the files get added.
• Click the Ok button and start the conversion process by clicking the Convert button.
• Download the converted PDF file and repeat the conversion process with other DOCM files.

There are online options available for RTF to PDF conversion as well.

Manual Solution #2: Microsoft Word’s “Save As” Feature

Since DOCM is a Microsoft Word-based file format, it’s totally easy to save it in PDF format using the Save As feature. We will discuss the process to convert DOCM to PDF using the Word desktop app:

• Open the Word DOCM file on your computer.
• Click on File and select the Save As option.
• Browse the location for the resultant PDF file.
• Click Save after selecting PDF from the Save As Type menu.
• Repeat the same process with other Word DOCM files.

MS Word is also helpful in converting ODT file to PDF individually.

Both of these solutions make it easy to export the DOCM data files to PDF, but they have certain limitations. We will mention those limitations in the next section.

Since DOCM is a Word document format related to macro, you may also be interested in reading about how to save Word document as PDF.

Drawbacks of the Manual Solutions

1. Both of these methods take time to convert the DOCM file data to PDF, especially when you use the Word app. 
2. Using an online website (CloudConvert in this case) for the data conversion process poses security risks. Avoid using this method if your DOCM files contain sensitive data.

Now that we have known the limitations of the manual methods, let’s explore the professional solution for DOCM to PDF data conversion.

Convert DOCM Files to PDF Professionally

So far, we have discussed the reasons to convert DOCM to PDF and the manual solutions for the same. Since the manual methods have drawbacks that restrict their usage, let’s discuss the professional method: an automated software.

The SysTools Document Conversion Software is here to help you convert your DOCM files to PDF with original formatting. Its user-friendly interface helps everyone, even non-technical users, to easily convert their DOCM macro files to PDF. This automated utility seamlessly converts your DOCM files to PDF format in bulk without issues. Moreover, users can preview their DOCM file data before the conversion and even convert password-protected data to PDF.

Download Now Purchase Now

Download Now Purchase Now

The downloaded software is completely free. It is a demo version that we provide to help users decide about buying our product’s full version. The free demo version can convert up to 5 .docm files at once. Users can check the exported PDF files to see if it’s up to the mark. If yes, then users can opt for the licensed full version of the software.

DOCM Conversion to PDF Using the Software

1. Download and run the automated utility on your Windows or Mac computer.
2. Click the Add File(s) or Add Folder(s) button to add the DOCM file(s).
3. If you have added a password-protected DOCM file, enter its password to unlock it.
4. Click the Next button and preview the DOCM file content.
5. Once you have viewed the content, click the Next button and apply Page Settings (margin, font, font size, etc.).
6. Click the Change button under the Select Destination Path section to select the location.
7. Start the DOCM file conversion to PDF by clicking the Export button.
8. View the converted PDF files in the selected folder with the export report.

The tool also aids in converting numbers file to PDF along with 40+ other file formats.

Conclusion

We discussed the reasons and solutions to convert DOCM to PDF in this blog post. The reasons mentioned in the blog necessitate immediate conversion of DOCM data files to PDF. The manual solutions discussed here look easy, but they have certain limitations. Since these limitations restrict their usage, the automated software we discussed here becomes the perfect solution for data conversion. Use it to export your DOCM data to PDF with intact formatting and layout.