How to Save a Notepad Document as a PDF on Windows 11

What you need: A Windows 11 computer and the name of a note you saved in Documents with Notepad, such as the note from How to Save a Document in the Documents Folder on Windows 11. You do not need a printer: these steps make a PDF file instead of a paper copy.

Steps

1. Click Start (the Windows logo) on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen.
2. Type File Explorer, then click File Explorer in the search results to open it.
3. Click Documents on the left side of the File Explorer window. Look through the names for your note. Windows may hide the ending of a name, such as .txt. Scroll down to see more files.
4. Right-click your note by clicking its name once with the right mouse button. Move the pointer onto Open with to open its list, then click Notepad. Your note opens in Notepad, and its name appears on the tab at the top of the Notepad window.
5. At the top of the Notepad window, click File, then click Print. A window with Printer near its upper-left corner opens. If the large area on its right shows a message instead of a picture of your page, that is normal for Notepad.
6. Click the name shown under Printer to open the list of printers, then click Microsoft Print to PDF. Check that Microsoft Print to PDF is now shown under Printer. If it is not in the list, click Cancel and stop here; your note stays as it was.
7. Click Print at the bottom of the window. Nothing is printed on paper. Wait a few seconds for a window titled Save Print Output As to open.
8. In the list on the left side of the Save Print Output As window, click Documents.
9. Near the bottom of the window, click the File name box. Click it three times quickly to highlight any text in it, then type your note's name followed by PDF, such as Shopping list PDF, so you can tell the two files apart. The ending .pdf is added for you.
10. Click Save at the bottom right of the window. The window closes. If a message asks whether to replace a file that already exists, click No, type a different name in the File name box, and click Save again.
11. Click File Explorer (the yellow folder) on the taskbar to bring its window to the front. It still shows Documents.

Expected result: Documents shows a new file with the name you typed, such as Shopping list PDF. Scroll down to see more files if you do not see it. This new file is the PDF. Your note is still there and has not changed.