[Guides](/safe-docx/guides.md) / Convert DOCX to PDF

Beginner ⏱ 10 min

# Convert DOCX to PDF with an AI agent

Turn a Word .docx into a PDF in two steps — safe-docx exports semantic HTML, then Chrome, LibreOffice, or Pandoc renders the PDF. All local, no upload.

Most DOCX-to-PDF routes mean uploading the document to a converter site or installing a dedicated library. If the document is a contract, the upload is the problem. safe-docx does not ship a PDF renderer — pagination and font metrics are a layout engine's job, not a document editor's — but its `export` tool emits semantic HTML, and every machine already has something that turns HTML into PDF. The recipe: safe-docx exports the HTML in your agent session, then Chrome, LibreOffice, or Pandoc renders the PDF. Two commands, nothing leaves your machine.

## Choosing the PDF renderer for step two

| Consideration | Chrome / Chromium (headless) | LibreOffice (headless) | Pandoc |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Already on the machine | Almost always | Sometimes | Rarely (plus a PDF engine) |
| HTML/CSS rendering quality | Best (browser engine) | Good (own HTML import) | Depends on PDF engine |
| Page setup control | Print CSS (`@page`) | Export filter defaults | Engine variables |
| One-line command | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | One-off conversions on a laptop | Office-style output, batch jobs | Pipelines that already use Pandoc |

The PDF renders safe-docx's semantic HTML — structural, not a pixel-exact clone of the Word layout. For a print-exact reproduction, export the PDF from Word or LibreOffice using the original `.docx`.

## The workflow, step by step

1.  1
    
    ### Install safe-docx for your agent
    
    Add the Apache-2.0-licensed safe-docx MCP server to your agent once. For Claude Code:
    
    ```
    claude mcp add safe-docx -- npx -y @usejunior/safe-docx
    ```
    
    The same server works with Gemini CLI, Cursor, and Codex.
    
2.  2
    
    ### Export the .docx to semantic HTML
    
    Ask in plain language: _“Export bonterms-mutual-nda.docx to HTML.”_ The agent calls the safe-docx `export` tool with the HTML format:
    
    ```
    export(file_path="bonterms-mutual-nda.docx", format="html")
    ```
    
    The tool writes `bonterms-mutual-nda.html` next to the source — paragraphs, headings, nested lists, tables with merged cells, images, and footnotes, as structural HTML.
    
3.  3
    
    ### Render the HTML to PDF with a tool you already have
    
    Any HTML-to-PDF renderer finishes the job. If Chrome or Chromium is on the machine — it almost always is — the agent finds the executable and runs one command:
    
    ```
    CHROME="/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome"  # macOS
    "$CHROME" --headless --no-pdf-header-footer \
      --print-to-pdf=bonterms-mutual-nda.pdf bonterms-mutual-nda.html
    ```
    
    On Linux the binary is usually `google-chrome` or `chromium` — set `CHROME` accordingly.
    
4.  4
    
    ### Or use Pandoc — or convert directly with LibreOffice
    
    If you already script with Pandoc, point it at the exported HTML. Pandoc needs a PDF engine on the machine — a LaTeX install by default, or pass `--pdf-engine=weasyprint`:
    
    ```
    pandoc bonterms-mutual-nda.html -o bonterms-mutual-nda.pdf
    ```
    
    And if LibreOffice is installed, you can skip the HTML step entirely: it converts the original Word file straight to PDF, with the closest layout fidelity. The PDF lands in the directory you run it from (pass `--outdir` to choose another):
    
    ```
    soffice --headless --convert-to pdf bonterms-mutual-nda.docx
    ```
    
5.  5
    
    ### Tune the page setup with print CSS (optional)
    
    The exported HTML is deliberately unstyled, so the renderer's defaults decide margins and page size. For Chrome, ask the agent to add a small print stylesheet to the HTML head before rendering:
    
    ```
    <style>
      @page { size: Letter; margin: 1in; }
      body { font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 1.5; max-width: 42em; }
    </style>
    ```
    
    That one block controls page size, margins, and typography for the whole document.
    

## Related guides

### [Convert DOCX to Markdown](/safe-docx/guides/convert-docx-to-markdown.md)

### [Convert DOCX to HTML](/safe-docx/guides/convert-docx-to-html.md)

## Frequently asked questions

<details>
<summary>Can safe-docx export a PDF directly?</summary>

No, and that is a deliberate scope decision. A PDF renderer needs a full layout engine — line breaking, pagination, font metrics, headers and footers — which is a different problem from reading and editing DOCX. The supported path is the two-step recipe: export semantic HTML with safe-docx, then render the PDF with Chrome, LibreOffice, or Pandoc.
</details>

<details>
<summary>Will the PDF look exactly like the original Word document?</summary>

No. safe-docx exports the semantic tier — structural HTML that mirrors the document outline, not a pixel-faithful clone — so the PDF reflects that structure with the renderer's typography. If you need a print-exact reproduction of the original layout, open the .docx in Word or LibreOffice and export the PDF from there.
</details>

<details>
<summary>Which PDF renderer should I pick?</summary>

Chrome or Chromium if it is already on the machine — it renders modern HTML and CSS best and supports print CSS for page setup. LibreOffice headless gives office-style output and also converts the original .docx directly when layout fidelity matters more than the HTML route. Pandoc fits pipelines that already use it, but needs a separate PDF engine.
</details>

<details>
<summary>Can the agent run the whole conversion by itself?</summary>

Yes. Ask for the outcome — convert this .docx to PDF — and the agent chains both steps: the safe-docx export tool call, then the renderer command in the shell. Everything runs locally, so the document never leaves your machine.
</details>

## Convert and edit DOCX from your agent

Install safe-docx, point your agent at a Word file, and export the HTML your PDF renderer needs — or edit the document in place.

[About safe-docx](/products/safe-docx.md) [Browse templates](https://openagreements.org/templates)