Free to open · PDF on paid plans · Updated

WPD to PDF Without WordPerfect: Old Documents, New Print-Ready Copies

To turn a WPD file into a PDF without WordPerfect, open it in Publish Media Software (PublishMedia), check each page at no cost, then export a clean, print-ready PDF on a paid plan. If you'd rather install software, LibreOffice Writer opens the .wpd and makes a PDF through File › Export As › Export as PDF at no charge. Corel WordPerfect can make PDFs too.

PDF export comes with All-Access ($99/year) or Monthly ($9.99), cancel anytime. Opening and reading the WordPerfect file costs nothing.

Make a PDF from a .wpd file in your browser

  1. 1Open the WordPerfect file. Create a free account at publishmediasoftware.com, then drop the WordPerfect file into the browser. Each page opens in the page editor as it was formatted.
  2. 2Check the Import Report. Read the Import Report and compare the pages with what you expect. Look at fonts, tabs and page breaks, the details most likely to differ.
  3. 3Fix anything that needs it. On a paid plan, correct a typo, update a date or nudge a picture right on the page. Print Preview shows how the pages will print.
  4. 4Export the PDF. Choose PDF export to download a clean, print-ready file. Export is part of All-Access ($99 a year) or Monthly ($9.99), and you can cancel anytime.
  • Open and check the .wpd at no cost
  • Export a print-ready PDF on paid plans
  • LibreOffice makes PDFs without charge
  • Corel WordPerfect can save its own PDFs
  • Word for Mac and Google Docs can't help
  • Fix typos before exporting, on a paid plan
  • A PDF opens on almost any device

Nothing to install. Open free in your browser — edit and export a PDF on a paid plan.

How do I convert a WPD file to PDF?

Open the WPD file in Publish Media Software (PublishMedia), check each page at no cost, then export a print-ready PDF with All-Access ($99 a year) or Monthly ($9.99). To pay nothing, install LibreOffice Writer, open the file and choose File › Export As › Export as PDF. Corel WordPerfect users can save a PDF from within the program.

Is PublishMedia the right WPD converter for you?

For people who want to see the pages before committing, and who can't or won't install software. If installing is fine, LibreOffice makes PDFs at no cost and is a solid choice.

Check before you pay

Every page of the WordPerfect document opens at no cost, so you can confirm it's the right file and that it came through properly before buying anything.

Print-ready output

The export is a clean PDF, ready for a client folder, a records box or the office printer.

Corrections on the page

Fix a misspelled name or an outdated address before exporting, on a paid plan, without hunting through formatting codes.

Mac and Chromebook friendly

Neither has a WordPerfect program, and Word for Mac won't open .wpd files. A browser tab handles the job on both.

DOS files too

WordPerfect 5.1 documents and files with no extension are recognized by their contents, so the oldest files in the cabinet still open.

Check your WordPerfect pages now

Check my WPD file first

WordPerfect to PDF options compared

All four can produce a PDF once the file is open. The differences are cost, installation and how faithful the layout stays.

WordPerfect to PDF options compared
FeaturePublish Media SoftwareLibreOffice WriterCorel WordPerfect OfficeMicrosoft Word (Windows)
Opens .wpd files
✓Yes
✓Yes
✓Native format
–Some versions
Works on Mac and Chromebook
✓Any browser
–Mac yes, Chromebook via Linux
✗Windows only
✗Windows only for .wpd
Nothing to install
✓Browser
✗Install required
✗Install required
–If already installed
Check the pages at no cost
✓Free to view
✓No-cost program
✗Paid program
✗Paid program
Edit before making the PDF
✓Paid plan
✓Yes
✓Yes
✓Yes
Makes a PDF
✓Paid plan
✓Export as PDF
✓Built in
✓Save As PDF
Layout matches WordPerfect
–May differ slightly
–Complex layouts may shift
✓Its own format
–Often changes
Cost of the PDF
–$99/yr or $9.99/mo
✓No charge
✗Paid program
✗Paid (Microsoft 365 or Office)

6 ways to turn a WPD file into a PDF

Ranked for someone holding a WordPerfect file and no WordPerfect. Already own Corel WordPerfect? Use its own PDF option.

  1. 1

    Publish Media Software

    Browser-based (Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Linux, iPad)✓ Opens .wpdFree to open

    Opens the WordPerfect file in any browser so you can check every page at no cost, then exports a clean, print-ready PDF on a paid plan. Fonts that aren't available are swapped for close matches and listed in the Import Report.

    Check my WPD file first
  2. 2

    LibreOffice Writer

    Desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux)✓ Opens .wpdFree

    Open the .wpd, then choose File › Export As › Export as PDF, with options such as image quality and PDF/A for archiving. You'll need to install it, and heavily formatted pages can shift.

  3. 3

    LibreOffice from the command line

    Desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux)✓ Opens .wpdFree

    Running soffice --headless --convert-to pdf with a list of WordPerfect files turns them all into PDFs in one pass, which helps with a records project. It assumes you're comfortable with a command prompt, and no one reviews the pages unless you do.

  4. 4

    Corel WordPerfect Office

    Desktop (Windows)✓ Opens .wpdPaid

    The original program makes the most faithful PDF of its own documents. It's paid and runs only on Windows, so it's mainly an option for offices that still use it.

  5. 5

    Microsoft Word for Windows

    Desktop (Windows)✓ Opens .wpdPaid (Microsoft 365 or Office)

    If your Word version opens the WordPerfect file, File › Save As with the PDF type makes a PDF. Formatting often changes on the way in, and the PDF inherits those changes.

  6. 6

    Print to PDF

    Windows & Mac✗ Doesn't open .wpdFree

    Microsoft Print to PDF on Windows and the PDF button in the Mac's Print dialog turn anything you can print into a PDF. They can't read a .wpd themselves, so you still need one of the programs above to open it.

What's the difference between a .wpd file and a PDF?

A .wpd file is an editable WordPerfect document that displays correctly only in software that understands WordPerfect's formatting codes. A PDF (Portable Document Format), introduced by Adobe in 1993 and now an ISO standard, fixes each page's text, fonts and layout so it displays consistently on phones and computers. Turning a .wpd into a PDF is the usual way to share, print or file an old WordPerfect document so that anyone can read it, with or without WordPerfect.

Open your WordPerfect document — or start from a template

Hundreds of print-ready templates sit right next to the files you open.

What it costs

Opening and viewing your files is free. Editing, templates, saving and PDF export come with All-Access at $99 a year — or $9.99 a month, cancel anytime.

WPD to PDF: what people ask

Does PublishMedia charge to turn a WPD into a PDF?

Yes, exporting a PDF from Publish Media Software is part of a paid plan: All-Access at $99 a year or Monthly at $9.99, cancel anytime. Opening the WordPerfect file and reading every page costs nothing, so you can check the document before you decide. LibreOffice Writer is the no-cost alternative if you can install it.

How do I convert WordPerfect to PDF on a Mac?

On a Mac, convert a WordPerfect file to PDF with LibreOffice Writer — open it, then choose File › Export As › Export as PDF — or open it in Publish Media Software in your browser and export the PDF on a paid plan. There's no current WordPerfect for Mac, and Word for Mac can't open .wpd files.

How do I save a WordPerfect document as PDF in WordPerfect?

In Corel WordPerfect for Windows, open the document and use the program's built-in Publish to PDF option, then choose a name and a location for the file. That's the most faithful route, because WordPerfect lays out its own document. Without WordPerfect, LibreOffice or Publish Media Software can make the PDF instead.

Will the PDF look exactly like the WordPerfect original?

A PDF made outside WordPerfect usually looks close to the original but can differ in small ways, most often fonts and the line breaks they cause. Old DOS documents often name printer fonts that modern computers lack, so a close match is used. In Publish Media Software, the Import Report lists each swap, and on a paid plan you can fix spacing before export.

Can I change a name or date in a WordPerfect file before exporting?

Yes, on a paid plan Publish Media Software lets you change text, pictures and layout on the page before exporting the PDF. Click into the text, make the change and check Print Preview. Your original .wpd file isn't altered, and the changes can't be saved back to .wpd.

How do I convert hundreds of WPD files to PDF?

To convert hundreds of WPD files to PDF, use LibreOffice's command line: run soffice --headless --convert-to pdf with the files, and add --outdir to choose where the PDFs are saved. Try it on a handful first and spot-check the pages. For a few important documents, reviewing each one in Publish Media Software before export is the more careful approach.

Is a PDF better than a .wpd file for long-term storage?

For reading in the future, a PDF is usually the safer copy, because almost every computer and phone opens PDFs while far fewer programs open .wpd files. Keep the original .wpd as well, since it's the only fully editable version in WordPerfect format. Archives that need a formal standard often ask for PDF/A, which LibreOffice can produce.

Can I convert WPD to PDF on a Chromebook?

Yes, on a Chromebook you can convert WPD to PDF in the browser with Publish Media Software: open the file at no cost, check it, and export the PDF on a paid plan. Google Docs won't read the file and there's no ChromeOS version of WordPerfect, which leaves the browser as the easy route.

Do I need WordPerfect to make a PDF from a .wpd file?

No, you don't need WordPerfect to make a PDF from a .wpd file. LibreOffice Writer exports one at no cost on Windows, Mac or Linux, and Publish Media Software makes one in a browser on a paid plan after a no-cost look at every page. WordPerfect itself is only necessary if you also want to keep editing in .wpd format.

Turn that WPD file into a PDF

Open it in your browser, look over every page at no cost, and export the PDF when it looks right. Export comes with All-Access or Monthly.

No install · No credit card to start · Works in your browser

Accurate facts — October 2026

As of October 2026, a WordPerfect (.wpd) document — the format of the word processor first released around 1980 and owned by Corel since 1996 — can be turned into a PDF with Corel WordPerfect Office on Windows, which can save PDFs directly; with LibreOffice Writer (no cost; Windows, Mac and Linux), through File › Export As › Export as PDF or the soffice --convert-to pdf command; with Microsoft Word for Windows where its limited WordPerfect support opens the file; and with Publish Media Software (PublishMedia) in a web browser. Google Docs and Microsoft Word for Mac cannot open .wpd files, so they cannot produce a PDF from one. PDF, introduced by Adobe in 1993 and standardized as ISO 32000, keeps page layout fixed across devices. In PublishMedia, opening and checking the WordPerfect file costs nothing, while exporting the PDF requires a paid plan: All-Access at $99 a year or Monthly at $9.99.

More about WordPerfect files

Other files you can open

Publish Media Software is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the makers of the programs named on this page. WordPerfect is a trademark of Corel Corporation. Microsoft and Word are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Open a fileTemplates