How to create PDFs since Windows Fax and Scan won't

Windows 8 doesn't include PDF scan, or does it?

You'll first need a document scanner, of course, but yes, Microsoft's operating system ships with the ability to scan out of the box. The program you use is called Windows Fax and Scan.

Download this free guide

72-Page PDF: Windows 10 Frequently Asked Questions

In this comprehensive guide, our experts answer the most frequently asked Windows 10 questions ranging from the OS itself, to migration, to user-adoption, and everything in between.

Start Download

• Corporate E-mail Address:

  You forgot to provide an Email Address.

  This email address doesn’t appear to be valid.

  This email address is already registered. Please login.

  You have exceeded the maximum character limit.

  Please provide a Corporate E-mail Address.

By submitting my Email address I confirm that I have read and accepted the Terms of Use and Declaration of Consent.

By submitting your personal information, you agree that TechTarget and its partners may contact you regarding relevant content, products and special offers.

You also agree that your personal information may be transferred and processed in the United States, and that you have read and agree to the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy.

That said, there's no way I know of to save a scanned image to a PDF with Windows Fax and Scan. Instead, the file-format options are .bmp, .jpg, .png, and .tif.

Converting one of these graphic image files to a PDF is easy enough using Microsoft Word. You simply copy the image into a Word document and then save it as a PDF. You can also use a third-party tool such as PDFCreator to convert graphic image files to PDFs.

On a related note, there's a Modern UI application in Windows 8 called "Reader." This app can be used to view and make changes to PDF files.

In addition, it's possible to edit PDFs natively in Office 2013.

Like most things in the Windows 8 interface, Reader is ridiculously frustrating to use on a traditional, non-touch PC. You may find the easiest thing to do is use Adobe Reader to deal with PDFs. More information on the Reader app can be found on Microsoft's product page.