PDF vs Word vs JPG: Which File Format Should You Send?

Word (.docx)

Word documents store structure: headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, styles. The layout is calculated when the document is opened, based on the page size, fonts available and software version.

Strengths

• Easy to edit. Anyone with Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice or Pages can change it.
• Collaboration features. Track changes and comments make review rounds smooth.
• Reflows. Text adapts to different page sizes and screens.
• Reusable. Styles and templates make it easy to build new documents from old ones.

Weaknesses

• Layout can shift. Missing fonts get substituted, line and page breaks move, and complex layouts can break in Google Docs or older Word versions.
• Easy to change. That's a feature for collaborators and a risk for final documents.
• Carries hidden data. Tracked changes, comments, hidden text and author information often travel with the file. Word's Inspect Document feature cleans them.
• Needs software. Phones can open .docx files, but formatting may differ.

Send a Word document when

• the recipient needs to edit or comment on it: drafts, templates, collaborative reports
• you're submitting to a publisher, journal or editor that asks for .docx
• the content will be reused in another document

Images (JPG and PNG)

An image is a grid of pixels. A photo of a document, a screenshot or a page exported as a picture contains no text in the computer's sense, only shapes that look like letters.

JPG vs PNG

• JPG compresses photos well by discarding fine detail. It's small, but sharp edges such as text can get faint artefacts.
• PNG stores pixels without loss. It's ideal for screenshots, text and diagrams, and larger for photos.

Strengths

• Viewable everywhere, including in chat apps that preview images but not documents.
• Easy to post on social media, websites and in presentations.
• Hard to edit text, since there's no text layer.

Weaknesses

• Text isn't text. You can't search it, copy it or have a screen reader read it, unless someone runs OCR.
• One page per file, typically. Multi-page documents become a pile of images that can get out of order.
• Quality loss. Compression, resizing and re-sharing in chat apps degrade images each time.
• Large and inconsistent sizes. A phone photo of a page can be 5 MB; a screenshot might be cropped differently each time.

Send an image when

• you're posting on social media or embedding in a slide
• the recipient will view it only in a chat app
• you need a quick visual of one page, such as a single ticket or a QR code

Convert PDF pages to images with PDF to JPG. Combine images into a PDF with JPG to PDF.

Side-by-side comparison

	PDF	Word	JPG/PNG
Looks the same everywhere	Yes	Mostly	Yes
Easy to edit	No	Yes	No
Text searchable	Yes (digital)	Yes	No
Multi-page in one file	Yes	Yes	No
Opens without special software	Yes	Mostly	Yes
Password protection	Built in	Built in	No
Typical size, 5-page text document	100 to 300 KB	30 to 100 KB	1 to 5 MB total
Best for	Final documents	Drafts and collaboration	Quick visuals

Quick guide for common situations

Job application (CV, cover letter): PDF, unless the employer explicitly asks for Word. A PDF keeps your layout intact on the recruiter's screen.

Invoice or receipt: PDF. It's a final record and shouldn't change.

Contract for signature: PDF. Use Word only during negotiation, when both sides edit drafts.

Draft report for colleagues to review: Word, with track changes on.

Manuscript for a publisher: Word, unless they ask otherwise.

School homework submission: whatever the teacher asks for; otherwise PDF for finished work.

Scanned ID or certificate for an application portal: PDF, combining multiple pages into one file, compressed to fit the limit.

Event flyer for Instagram or WhatsApp: image (PNG for designs with text, JPG for photo-heavy designs). Keep a PDF for printing.

Meeting notes to share quickly: if the recipients will edit, Word or a shared Google Doc; if they only need to read, PDF.

Technical notes written in Markdown: convert to PDF with Markdown to PDF for people who don't use Markdown tools.

A single page someone needs to see on their phone right now: an image of that page.

Converting between formats

You'll often need to move between them. Some conversions are clean; others involve guesswork.

• Word to PDF: clean. Use File, Save As, PDF in Word, or Download, PDF in Google Docs.
• PDF to Word: reconstruction. Simple documents convert well; complex layouts need cleanup. See the PDF to Word guide.
• PDF to image: clean. Choose the resolution: 150 DPI for screens, 300 DPI for print.
• Image to PDF: clean, but the text stays an image. Run OCR if you need searchable text.
• Image to Word: requires OCR, which recognises letters from pixels and is never perfect.

A useful habit: keep the editable source (Word, Google Doc, design file) for everything you send as PDF. Then you never need the lossy PDF-to-Word conversion.

How the recipient's device changes the answer

The same file behaves differently depending on where it's opened, and it's worth picturing the recipient before you choose.

On a desktop computer, all three formats work well. PDFs open in the browser or a reader, Word files open in Word or LibreOffice, images open in any viewer. The main risk is Word layout shifting if the recipient lacks your fonts.

On a phone, PDFs open in the built-in viewer but don't reflow, so the reader pinches and scrolls across A4 pages. Word files open in a preview that often simplifies formatting: tables collapse, headers and footers vanish, comments may be hidden. Images display instantly and fill the screen, which is why people send screenshots in chat apps.

On a tablet, PDFs shine: a full page fits the screen, and annotation apps let people write on them with a stylus.

On an e-reader, PDFs are awkward because pages are too large for the small screen. Formats designed for reflow, such as EPUB, work better, but that's beyond most everyday documents.

When printed, PDF wins clearly. It prints exactly as designed, while a Word file may paginate differently on the recipient's printer and an image may print at the wrong size or with cropped edges.

A practical rule: if you know the recipient will read on a phone and only needs one page, an image is fine. If they'll read several pages, print, or keep the document, send a PDF.

A little history

The three formats come from different eras and solve different problems. Word's .doc format dates from the 1980s, when the goal was editing on a single computer. PDF arrived in 1993 to solve the opposite problem: sending a finished page to someone with different software. JPG was standardised in 1992 for photos, and PNG in 1996 as a lossless format for graphics. Each still does its original job best, which is why the choice between them hasn't gone away even as software has improved.

Security considerations

PDF offers the strongest built-in protection: AES-256 encryption with a password (Protect PDF), permission flags and certificate-based digital signatures. It's also easier to strip hidden data from a PDF with a sanitizer.

Word supports password encryption too, and modern Word encryption is strong. But Word files are more likely to carry tracked changes and comments you forgot about.

Images have no protection at all. Anyone can forward, crop or edit them. They also carry EXIF metadata, including, for phone photos, the GPS location where the photo was taken. Strip it before posting photos of documents.

Accessibility

People who use screen readers rely on real text and structure. A tagged PDF or a well-structured Word document with real headings reads well. An image of text is invisible to a screen reader unless it has alt text describing it. If accessibility matters, avoid sending text as images.

What about other formats?

A few more formats show up often enough to mention.

ODT (OpenDocument Text) is LibreOffice's native format and an open standard. It behaves like Word: editable and reflowing. Word opens it, but complex formatting can shift. Send it to LibreOffice users; send .docx or PDF to everyone else.

RTF (Rich Text Format) is an old, simple editable format that almost any word processor reads. It's useful when you don't know what software the recipient has and the document is plain. It doesn't handle complex layouts well.

TXT is plain text with no formatting at all. It's perfect for code, logs and notes that will be pasted elsewhere, and useless for anything that needs headings or tables.

HEIC is the default photo format on iPhones. It's efficient, but many Windows programs and websites can't open it. Convert to JPG before sending photos of documents to people outside the Apple ecosystem.

WEBP is a modern image format with smaller files than JPG. Browsers display it everywhere, but some older desktop software can't open it. Fine for websites; risky as an email attachment.

Common questions

Why do recruiters ask for Word CVs? Some applicant tracking systems parse Word more reliably than PDF. Modern systems handle both, but follow the instructions if they specify.

Is a PDF always smaller than Word? No. A text-only Word file is often smaller. A PDF with embedded fonts and images can be larger. Photos dominate size in both.

Can someone edit my PDF? With the right tools, yes. PDF resists casual edits, not determined ones. For legal certainty, use a digital signature.

Should I send both PDF and Word? For documents the recipient might edit and also needs to read on a phone, sending both is a kind courtesy.

What about Google Docs links instead of files? Links work well for collaboration but depend on access settings and the document staying online. For final records, send a file.

Summary

Send PDF for finished documents where layout and integrity matter. Send Word when the recipient needs to edit. Send images only for quick visuals, social posts and chat previews. Keep the editable source of anything you share, protect sensitive PDFs with a password, and convert between formats with tools that keep your files on your own device. A deliberate choice of format saves the recipient a step and saves you a follow-up email.