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A
Ajfisjsi34
Participant
June 17, 2023
Question

Acrobat Pro Desktop & Word - Can't save large document to PDF with link

  • June 17, 2023
  • 1 reply
  • 6680 views

Good afternoon,
I have been trying for hours now to save a large Word file, in the .docx format (130 Mb, 400 pages) to a PDF, with no success. I am on MacOS Ventura, Word v16, Acrobat Pro 2023. Here is what I have tried:
* From Word, File, Save As, PDF, Best for printing: works but all the hyperlinks and the table of content is gone.
* From Word, File, Save As, PDF, Best for electronic distribution and accessibility (Microsoft online service): can't export file, This version of Word can't export to this type of file because the file is too large. Generally, a file that is larger than 40MB is too big to export.

 

I understand the above two options are native to Microsoft. I am on the trial version of Acrobat Pro Desktop, as I thought it would allow me to do what I want. But I'm still unable to save my file while keeping the hyperlinks.
* From the Acrobat tab in the ribbon > Create PDF. I get a warning that the file is too big for the online converted, and asks me if I want to use the local Acrobat Converter. I click yes. I am presented with the Save As window of Microsoft Word, with the same two above options, and the same result. 

* From Acrobat Pro Desktop: Open > Show All Files > Select my Word document. I get the message: "File size exceeds Adobe Create PDF online service limit. Use Acrobat local PDF converter instead?" > Click Yes > I have a loading bar labeled Acrobat PDFMaker popping up > Word opens > I again get the error message "

This version of Word can't export to this type of file because the file is too large. Generally, a file that is larger than 40MB is too big to export."

 

Is there no way to export a large file to PDF? I've been searching this community and many others, and apart from one generic answer saying that Adobe Acrobat Pro would be able to do it, I'm not able to find any help.


I'm hoping someone in this community has a solution.

 

Thank you,

 

A

    1 reply

    ls_rbls
    Community Expert
    ls_rblsCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 17, 2023

    Hi @Ajfisjsi34 ,

     

    If you go to the folder where that file is saved into, and right-click on it => select from the context menu "Print" => and from the print dialog window select "Adobe PDF" as the virtual printer would you get the same error output?

     

    Also, does this problem manifests with every PDF document or just the one that you are currently working with?

     

    Just for troubleshooting purposes, you can test with a web browser that has PDF viewing capability (i.e. Mozzilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge) or another PDF editor (other than Adobe Acrobat Pro DC).

     

    If you get the same error when you test the same PDF file with other software then it may be possible that such file has some sort of encryption or a problem with its PDF structure.

     

    In which, case I would make a copy of the original file using Save As PDF (give it a different file name), and also Save As reduced PDF file:

     

    A
    Ajfisjsi34Author
    Participant
    June 18, 2023

    Hi @ls_rbls ,

     

    Thank you for your answer. 

    There is no print option when right clicking on the file. 

    I can save other documents with a working table of contents, but this one document is the only one that is too big and causing issues. 

    I created this Word document myself from scratch, it has no encryption. 

    I can't use Adobe Online Services either because the file is also too big for that service.

    Thank you,

    A

     

     

    L
    LurkingWithPride, Again
    Participating Frequently
    March 26, 2025

    @Ajfisjsi34, it's not the answer I would have liked to give you, either. But it is where our technology is at this point.

    Many Mac-ers pick up a used or lightweight Windows computer and install a license of Word 365 and Acrobat Pro just for this purpose. Nothing fancy or expensive. I do recommend that it have at least 8GB RAM and Windows 11 on it.

     

     


    Another solution (that you can accomplish with a Mac alone) is to break the Word file into multiple parts (and changing each part's starting page number so that it follows the ending page of the previous part). When a part is 40MB or smaller, the Microsoft conversion tool can handle it. You can then use Adobe Acrobat's "Organize Pages" tool to combine the various PDFs made from the individual segments of the Word document.

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