Convert ODT to PDF: step-by-step in­struc­tions

Users of OpenOf­fice and Li­bre­Of­fice will already be familiar with the ODT format. The extension iden­ti­fies files created with the word pro­cess­ing programs OpenOf­fice or Li­bre­Of­fice Writer. As of version 2007, Microsoft Word can open files with an .odt extension without prior con­ver­sion. This means that Word users have the option to edit these files. Re­cip­i­ents without a cor­re­spond­ing word pro­cess­ing program, on the other hand, will have dif­fi­cul­ty opening or reading the document. In addition, .odt files may be displayed dif­fer­ent­ly depending on the device and operating system. To avoid these problems, it is rec­om­mend­ed to use the PDF format. We show you how to convert an ODT file into a PDF.

In a pro­fes­sion­al en­vi­ron­ment in par­tic­u­lar, unau­tho­rized or ac­ci­den­tal editing of files by other users is un­de­sir­able. To avoid issues of other users creating different versions of files or making unau­tho­rized changes to a document, you should convert .odt to .pdf and share files with other users only after this con­ver­sion

One of the most important ad­van­tages of PDF files is their uniform read­abil­i­ty on any device and operating system. You only need an in­stal­la­tion of Adobe Acrobat Reader which is free and comes pre-installed on many computers. Unlike ODT files, the PDF format ensures that content is correctly displayed. A PDF document is com­pa­ra­ble to a virtual printout.

PDF files require very little storage space. In addition, the file format offers various security settings. If required, file printing can also be prevented. Elec­tron­ic sig­na­tures confirm the au­then­tic­i­ty and validity of documents. If editing of certain areas is desired, special form fields allow you to restrict changes made by other users. In other words, the PDF format is versatile but also com­pat­i­ble with all devices.

OpenOf­fice Writer provides the option to specify the file format when saving a file. To convert a file from .odt to .pdf, follow this step-by-step guide. The procedure in Li­bre­Of­fice is similar.

Create or open the document you want to convert from .odt to .pdf using the OpenOf­fice Writer program.

The term “PDF printer” is mis­lead­ing. This is not a physical printer that puts PDF files on paper. Rather, it is a digital tool that can be used to convert files from formats such as .odt to .pdf. You can learn how this works in the following tutorial.

To use a PDF printer, it is necessary to install the ap­pro­pri­ate software. Various free tools are available online for this purpose. A versatile program is the PDF24 Creator, which allows extensive editing of PDF files. Popular ap­pli­ca­tions include the merging of multiple PDF files, removing in­di­vid­ual pages, and PDF en­cryp­tion.

After suc­cess­ful in­stal­la­tion, the tool will au­to­mat­i­cal­ly appear in the list of available printers. To convert an ODT file into a PDF, first open the cor­re­spond­ing document in OpenOf­fice Writer. Click on “File” in the menu and then on “Print…”.

Numerous free tools are available on the web that can be used without pre-in­stal­la­tion. Con­vert­ing .odt to .pdf is possible in this way and elim­i­nates the need to install an ad­di­tion­al program, but also to open the file in OpenOf­fice Writer. Es­pe­cial­ly when using smart­phones or other devices without the ap­pro­pri­ate software, this method offers clear ad­van­tages.

Launch an online converter, for example the Online tool from PDF24 or the Online2pdf converter.

In your chosen converter, upload the ODT file using drag-and-drop or by spec­i­fy­ing the file path. Then click “Convert” to start the con­ver­sion. You can then download the generated PDF file and save it locally.