My .docx looks different in PaperDocs: fonts changed, text wider, layout moved

Check and change the fonts in 6 steps

1. Open the file with Import a file (or drag the .docx onto the page). The page size, the sizes of the text and the tables are read in with it.
2. Click in a paragraph and look at the font box in the Home tab. A family that the device lacks but PaperDocs has a free font for is shown with the free name, for example “Carlito”, and the open list adds “Carlito (Calibri alternative)”.
3. Open the font box. Families the device does not have and PaperDocs has no font for are listed at the end, in the group Not installed on this device. Type in Search fonts to find a name.
4. To use one font for everything, choose Select all in the Edit menu (or press Ctrl+A, Cmd+A on a Mac), then pick the font. It is applied to every paragraph and table cell, and the text sizes stay as they are.
5. To change only a part, select that text and pick the font. Pick a font that is installed on your device or has a free alternative, so that the line breaks you see are the ones you will get.
6. Check the page in the Layout tab, Page setup…, then open the File menu and choose Download document (.docx). The font names are written into the file.

Why a .docx changes when the fonts differ

A .docx stores only the name of each font, not the font itself. If a device has no font with that name, it draws the text in another one. Every font has its own letter widths, so the same text becomes wider or narrower, lines wrap in other places and a paragraph can move to the next page.

PaperDocs reduces this: for the common office fonts the device lacks, it loads a similar free font, only when text uses it. This does not make the two fonts identical, so some lines can still break differently.

What happens to the fonts of a file

What to do when the layout still moves

Choose one font on purpose. Select all, pick a font that has a free alternative or is installed, and read the document again: the line breaks you see are then the ones you get on this device.

A recipient who opens the .docx on a device without that font sees the same substitution. If the layout must stay exactly as it is, send a PDF instead: choose Download PDF in the File menu, or Print… and “Save as PDF”.

Supported formats

• Open: .docx, .pdf, .txt, .md, .html
• Download: .docx, .html, .txt
• Print or save as PDF

Frequently asked questions

Why do the fonts change when I open a .docx?

Because the file stores only font names, and a device without that font shows another one. Widths differ, so lines wrap in other places. PaperDocs shows a similar free font for many common names, so the change is smaller.

Does PaperDocs keep the font names when I download .docx again?

Yes. A font set on a piece of text is written into the .docx with its real name, also when a free alternative is shown on screen. The main font of the document is saved as Calibri.

How do I use one font for the whole document?

Choose Select all in the Edit menu (Ctrl+A), then pick the font in the Home tab. It applies to all paragraphs and table cells. Text sizes are not changed.

Why is the font box not showing the font of my text?

The font is probably not in the list and has no free alternative. The text still has its name and keeps it in the .docx, but the box stays on the last font it showed.

Are the page setup and the tables kept?

Yes. Page size, orientation and tables are read in. A custom page size is converted to the closest standard size, and columns are not imported as columns.

How can the layout stay exactly the same for everyone?

Send a PDF. It fixes the fonts and the line breaks. Choose Download PDF in the File menu, or Print… and “Save as PDF”.