The PDF format it has now become the most used one for sharing documents of all kinds. Even presentations and numerical tables are often “run” on PDF documents because this format is the only one that guarantees the following advantages:
- High compatibility with devices: the PDF can be viewed on any computer and mobile device without problems and without having to install additional software
- Safety of data: PDF, unlike Word, Excel and Powerpoint, is not easily editable and this makes the information more protected
- Limited weight: the PDF is a “compressed” file which, unlike Office documents, has less weight (in Kb), making online sharing easier (via email, ftp, etc…)
Often, however, many documents that contain the information to be shared or sent are created with the Office package and therefore the files are in Word, Excel and Powerpoint format. This is where the question that is also the subject of this article arises: How to attach a Word, Excel, Powerpoint file to a PDF?
How to attach a Word, Excel, Powerpoint file to a PDF?
The answer to this question is not very difficult if you use the right software tools. It is true that PDF is not as easily editable as Word, Excel or Powerpoint but it is not impossible either. Thanks to a program called PDFelement, editing PDFs and inserting other files (as attachments) will be as simple as doing so on Office documents. The steps to follow to attach a file to the PDF will be very similar, for example, to when you use Word and want to insert a file into Word.
Here are the steps to follow to use PDFelement To attach a Word, Excel, or Powerpoint document to a PDF:
Step 1. Download and install PDFelement on your computer (Windows or macOS)
Link to download the free demo version:
After installing and launching the software you will see this home screen:
Step 2. Open the PDF document in the program
Click on the button at the bottom left OPEN FILE… and import the PDF file into the program. The document will appear in the central PDFelement screen and at the top you will see the bar with all the editing tools to use.
Step 3. Attach Word, Excel or Powerpoint to the PDF
To add an attachment to the PDF, first click on the menu at the top ANNOTATION.
Then on the right click on the icon ADD ATTACHMENT and click on the page where you want the attachment icon to appear.
Once you click you will see a window open from which you can search and select the file to attach (Word, Excel, Powerpoint or other file types).
By double clicking on the attachment icon you will also be able to customize the graphics meaning you can choose the style, color and opacity.
Once you have inserted the attachment, click on the menu at the top File –> Save As and save the new PDF to your computer. If you are using the demo version of the program you will be asked to save the PDF with watermark (i.e. with a writing that will appear on the document). So make sure to save the file with another name to avoid overwriting the original PDF and proceed to save.
Finally, open the modified PDF and try clicking on the inserted attachments to see if everything works as it should. That’s all!
