The Hidden PDF Shortcut Trick No One Talks About in MS Word

I used to think converting a Word document into a PDF was just another boring, repetitive task—until I discovered a hidden trick that changed everything. Most people know about the usual methods: clicking through the File > Save As menu or using Ctrl + P to "print" the document as a PDF. But what if I told you that you could turn your Word file into a polished PDF with a secret keystroke combination that almost no one talks about?

One day, while experimenting with shortcuts, I accidentally hit Alt + F, E, A in sequence. To my surprise, this instantly opened the "Export" menu, and my fingers naturally pressed Enter. Within seconds, my Word document transformed into a perfect PDF—no extra clicks, no formatting issues, no unnecessary steps. It felt like magic.

Once I realized how powerful this shortcut was, I started refining my technique. Instead of navigating the menu manually, I trained my fingers to hit Alt + F, E, A, P, Enter in a swift motion. This automatically selects "Create PDF/XPS Document" and confirms the export. The best part? It doesn’t just save a PDF—it optimizes it for sharing, making sure everything from embedded fonts to hyperlinks stays intact

Another trick that blew my mind was the Ctrl + Shift + S, Tab, P, Enter method. This one feels even smoother because Ctrl + Shift + S jumps straight to the "Save As" window. From there, pressing Tab highlights the file type dropdown, then pressing P selects "PDF," and hitting Enter finalizes the process. It’s so seamless that now I instinctively use it anytime I need a PDF version of my document.

After integrating these shortcuts into my workflow, I realized how much time I had been wasting clicking through menus. Now, I can convert reports, invoices, resumes, or even long manuscripts into beautifully formatted PDFs in under two seconds—without touching the mouse. It’s one of those game-changing tricks that once you learn, you’ll never go back

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