4 Best Free Document Converter Software Programs

Converters for PDF, DOCX, XLSX, WPS, and more

By
Tim Fisher
Photo of Tim Fisher, Lifewire GM and Writer
Tim Fisher
Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability
  • Emporia State University

Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the SVP and General Manager of Lifewire.

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Updated on March 2, 2023

A document converter is a type of file converter that changes one kind of document file format—such as PDF, XLSX, DOCX, TIF, or TXT—into another type. If you're unable to open or edit a document because you don't have a program that supports it, converters can help.

Every program listed below is free to use. We haven't included any trialware or shareware converters.

01
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Zamzar

Zamzar PDF conversion options
What We Like

  • Converts hundreds of file types.

  • Works with video, images, audio, ebooks, and music files.

  • Special request option for conversions of file types not listed.

What We Don't Like

  • Heavy site traffic can delay conversions.

  • Limited to two file conversions every 24 hours.

Zamzar is an online document converter service that supports many common word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and other document formats.

You can convert files that are as large as 50 MB.

Input Formats: CSV, DJVU, DOC, DOCX, EML, EPS, KEY, KEY.ZIP, MPP, MSG, NUMBERS, NUMBERS.ZIP, ODP, ODS, ODT, PAGES, PAGES.ZIP, PDF, PPS, PPSX, PPT, PPTX, PS, PUB, RTF, TXT, VSD, WKS, WPD, WPS, XLR, XLS, XLSX, and XPS

Output Formats: CSV, DOC, HTML, MDB, ODP, ODS, ODT, PDF, PPT, PS, RTF, TIF, TXT, XLS, XLSX, and XML

It also supports document to MP3 conversion, meaning it functions as an online text-to-speech tool. Several image formats are also supported as output options for many types of files, as is the SWF video format.

Not all output formats are available for all input formats. For example, you can't convert DOC to PUB.

Zamzar will work with any operating system that supports a web browser, such as all versions of Windows, Linux, and macOS. All you need to do is upload the file to the site from your computer, a URL, or a file storage site like Dropbox or OneDrive.

02
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FileZigZag

FileZigZag document file converter
What We Like

  • Simple interface and easy to use.

  • File sizes up to 150 MB for registered users, 50 MB for unregistered.

  • Registration isn't required.

What We Don't Like

  • Registered users receive priority.

  • Free users are limited to 10 conversions per day.

  • Only supports local uploads (not from a URL or cloud storage site).

FileZigZag is another online document converter service that will convert most common document, spreadsheet, and other similar formats.

Input Formats: CHM, CSV, DOC, DOCM, DOCX, DOTX, HTM, HTML, HTMLZ, JSON, ODG, ODP, ODS, ODT, OTG, OTP, OTS, OTT, PDF, POT, POTX, PPT, PPTM, PPTX, RTF, SDA, SDC, SDW, SNB, STC, STI, STW, SXC, SXD, SXI, SXW, TXT, TXTZ, XHTML, XLS, XLSM, XLSX, XLT, XLTX, and XPS

Output Formats: CSV, DOC, EPS, HTML, ODG, ODP, ODS, ODT, OTG, OTP, OTS, OTT, PDF, POT, PPT, RTF, SDA, SDC, SDW, STC, STI, STW, SXC, SXD, SXI, SXW, TXT, VOR, XHTML, XLS, and XLT

It also accepts several image formats as inputs and outputs but does not act as an OCR tool. There are also several input formats we listed above that don't export to every output format.

We like how simple it is to use FileZigZag, and on top of that, it can convert large document files (really large documents are supported if you pay).

Much like Zamzar, this site can be used from any web browser on any operating system.

03
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AVS Document Converter

AVS Document Converter
What We Like

  • Supports all the common document formats.

  • Isn't complicated to understand how to use it.

  • Tabbed interface to work on multiple files at once.

What We Don't Like

  • Must install the program to use it.

  • Formatting on converted files isn't perfect.

Another installable document file converter is this one from AVS4YOU, aptly called AVS Document Converter. The output formats consist of the popular DOCX and PDF formats, but also some image file formats.

Input Formats: PDF, DJVU, DJV, EPUB, DOCX, DOC, ODT, ODP, RTF, HTM, HTML, MHT, TXT, PPT, PPS, PPTX, PPSX, XPS, TIF, TIFF, PRC, MOBI, AZW, and FB2

Output Formats: PDF, DOCX, DOC, JPEG, TIFF, GIF, PNG, HTML, MHT, ODT, RTF, EPUB, FB2, and MOBI

Depending on the output format you choose, there are a number of customizations you can tweak if you want to. For example, when converting a file to PDF, you can add a watermark and even merge PDFs into one file or extract pages from a PDF. However, when converting to an eBook format, there's an option to save the cover image and embed fonts.

This program was designed to run on Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.

04
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Doxillion

Doxillion document converter in Windows 7
What We Like

  • Multiple file conversions at once.

  • Windows and Mac software versions available.

What We Don't Like

  • Software install required.

Doxillion is another free document converter that supports popular file types. Unlike the two converters above, Doxillion is an actual program you have to install to your computer before you can convert any files.

Input Formats: DOCX, DOC, HTML, HTM, MHT, MHTML, ODT, RTF, PAGES, EPUB, FB2, MOBI, PRC, EML, TXT, WPD, WP, WPS, PDF, CSV, JPEG/JPG, BMP, GIF, PCX, PNG, PNM, PSD, RAS, TGA, TIF, and WBMP

Output Formats: DOC, DOCX, HTML, ODT, PDF, RTF, TXT, and XML

You can add whole folders full of files or just choose specific files that you want to be converted.

Up to three right-click menus can be added to Windows Explorer. What this does is let you right-click a file and convert it quickly without having to first open the Doxillion program.

This program is said to run on Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP, plus macOS 13 through 10.5.

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