How to save web pages as PDFs in any browser

In this guide we'll see, step by step and in great detail, how you can convert websites to PDF in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Windowsmobile and with online toolsWe'll also see what you can do with those PDFs afterwards (compress them, merge them, edit them, protect them, etc.), what happens with pages that load a lot of dynamic content, and how to get by when what you want is a complete top-to-bottom capture.

How does "print as PDF" work in any browser?

In most cases, converting a web page to PDF basically consists of Use the print function and choose a virtual destination instead of a physical printer.The browser generates a preview of the page, you adjust what you want and, instead of sending the command to a printer, you save the result as a PDF file.

This procedure is very similar in Google Chrome, Microsoft EdgeMozilla Firefox, Safari, or other Chromium-based browsers: Open the website, use the print option, choose "Save as PDF" or a PDF printer, and click Save.From there, you just need to select the destination folder.

Before pressing the final button, it's worth taking a few seconds to Review the print customization optionsPaper size, margins, scale, headers/footers, orientation, and even whether you want all pages or just some. Depending on the browser, you may also be able to change the document title or adjust the quality to reduce the file size.

If you see that in your browser (especially in FirefoxIf the option to print or save as PDF doesn't appear, it's a good idea to check. If there are any pending updatesModern versions of browsers include these features as standard, and once updated, the process is usually just as simple for all of them.

Save websites as PDFs from Google Chrome

Google Chrome is the most used browser and, as expected, includes a Built-in option to convert any page into a PDF file No extensions are needed. It's fast, convenient, and usually respects the website's basic design quite well.

To use it, simply open the website you want to save and go to the Chrome menu, the typical button with three vertical dots in the upper right cornerWithin that menu you will find the "Print..." option, which is the one we are going to use even if you don't want to print anything on a physical printer.

In the print window you will see, on the right, a preview of the result And on the left, the "Destination" section. This is where you need to select "Save as PDF". As soon as you do, the preview will change to show you what the final PDF document will look like.

Before saving, you can adjust several parameters: Pages to include, orientation (portrait/horizontal), margins, color or black and white, headers and footers, scale and other details. These small tweaks allow you to create a cleaner PDF, ideal for reading or sending by email.

When you have it to your liking, click on “Save”, choose the destination folder and Chrome will generate the PDF file with the content of the websiteIt is a very useful method for storing long articles, instructions, or invoices that you want to archive.

Chrome extensions to save pages as PDFs

If the browser's native printing system falls short or you're looking for something even more straightforward, you can use Specific extensions to convert websites completely or partially to PDFThere are several quite popular ones in Chrome.

One is Save as PDFIt's very popular among those who frequently save websites. Its philosophy is simple: you access the page you want to convert and click on the extension button. It takes care of the rest, generating the PDF file without you having to adjust much.

However, for security reasons, this extension It usually fails on websites that require a username and password (for example, intranets, online banking, or private access). Because it cannot properly manage the session, it is not always able to process the content after login.

The strength of Save as PDF is that it offers Additional conversion options for better control of the final documentIt maintains a very intuitive user experience. The downside is that, on very complex or restricted pages, it may fail and not generate the PDF correctly.

Another veteran of the Chrome Web Store is Print Friendly & PDFIt was created with the idea of ​​allowing users Print web pages respecting the format but without ads, useless menus or annoying elements, and to this day it remains a benchmark solution.

This extension stands out because it uses the PDF standard created by AdobeTherefore, the compatibility and quality of the generated document are usually very good. It typically results in lightweight, clean, and much more readable PDFs than a direct print job from the browser.

The problem is that, if you're looking for very advanced editing or automation functionsIt might fall a little short compared to other alternatives. But for obtaining a well-formatted PDF from almost any article or blog, it's more than sufficient.

You also have options like “Print for Google Chrome”, an extension that allows you to save the current webpage as both a PDF and a HTML generated from visible contentThe process is similar: click the extension button, choose the format (PDF or HTML), and create the file.

Its main advantage is that, in addition to PDF, Generates a local HTML file with the included multimedia resourcesThis is ideal if you want to preserve the structure so you can open it offline as is. The downside is that it offers very few additional settings to fine-tune the result, so control over the conversion is limited.

How to save web pages as PDFs with Firefox

Mozilla Firefox also allows you to convert websites to PDF without installing anything, taking advantage of the integrated printing options And, on Windows, the Microsoft Print to PDF virtual printer. Its approach places a strong emphasis on privacy, but doesn't sacrifice convenience.

To begin, open the website in question and enter the Firefox menu using the button with three horizontal lines in the upper right cornerWithin the menu, choose the "Print..." option, which will take you to a screen with a preview of the page you are about to print.

On this preview screen you can tweak things like margins, orientation, headers, scaling, or whether you want all pages or a specific range.When you are satisfied, click on “Print” (usually at the top left).

Your operating system's print dialog box will open. In Windows, this is where you select your printer. “Microsoft Print to PDF”By selecting that destination, instead of printing a paper, a local PDF file will be generated with the web content.

One important detail about Firefox is that Opening the menu and clicking on "Print" is not the same as using the shortcut Ctrl + PThe menu path takes you to a slightly more complete preview screen, while the shortcut more directly launches the system's print dialog.

If you're in a hurry and don't need to adjust anything, you can press Ctrl + P and choose either “Microsoft Print to PDF” or your configured PDF printer. It's a quick way to convert the webpage without getting bogged down in extra options.

Create PDFs from Microsoft Edge, Opera, and other browsers

The new Microsoft Edge, based on Chromium, inherits many features from Chrome but adds its own unique touches and very deep integration with WindowsSaving websites as PDFs in Edge is just as easy as in Chrome.

With the page open, go to the Edge menu (the icon of three dots in the upper right corner) and choose “Print”. You will see a preview on the left or right (depending on the version) and a series of options. In the printer section, select “Microsoft Print to PDF” or “Save as PDF”, depending on what appears.

Once you've selected this destination, configure your desired print options (pages, margins, color, headers, etc.) and click "Print" or "Save." Edge will generate the PDF with the native integration of Windows 10 and 11which usually gives very stable results.

In the case of OperaThere is one interesting little difference: in addition to the classic printing system, the browser includes a specific option to save as PDF from the context menuThis speeds up the process in many situations.

To use it, go to the website, click with the Right-click on any free area and select “Save as PDF”. A dialog box will automatically open allowing you to choose the file name and the folder where you want to save it.

After accepting, Opera will create the PDF with the entire pageIf for some reason this option gives you problems on a specific website, you can always resort to the classic printing shortcut: press Ctrl + P and choose your PDF printer just as you would in Chrome or Edge.

If you use a less well-known browser or a customized version, don't worry: as long as you have a virtual printer like Microsoft Print to PDF Or equivalent, you can convert any website to this format. You just need your browser to allow printing the page.

Using the Microsoft Print to PDF virtual printer (Windows)

In Windows 10 and Windows 11Microsoft includes a virtual printer called “Microsoft Print to PDF”This utility allows you to convert virtually anything printable into a PDF file, without external programs.

All you have to do is open the webpage (or document, image, etc.) in the program you want, go to the print menu and select “Microsoft Print to PDF” as the destination printerInstead of sending the command to a physical printer, the system will ask you for a name for the file and a folder in which to save it.

This virtual printer not only works with browsers, but also with applications of all kinds: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, LibreOffice, Notepad, Photoshop, GIMP and virtually any software that has a printing option. Everything that comes out of that "printer" is saved as a PDF.

If you then want to make simple changes like add annotations, change the orientation of some pages, or highlight textYou're not even required to install a heavyweight editor: Microsoft Edge itself is capable of opening PDFs and allowing certain levels of markup and light editing.

For more in-depth editing (modifying content, redesigning, converting to other formats, etc.), you will need to use more advanced solutions such as Adobe Acrobat or PDFelement, which are specifically geared towards professional work with PDFs.

Convert web pages to PDF from your mobile device (Android and iPhone)

If you want to save an article or an invoice from your mobile device, it's also easy. Modern browsers Android y iOS They include features to create PDFs directly from the share or print option..

En iPhoneUsing Safari, open the website you're interested in and tap the icon. menu (usually a button with three dots or the share button)Next, tap the "Share" icon, the typical box with an arrow pointing upwards.

Within the sharing options, tap on “Options” at the top and change the format from “Automatic” to "PDF"Once done, confirm with “OK” and select “Save to Files” to store the PDF directly in the Files app or on iCloud Drive, whichever you prefer.

On Android, the process is usually similar in Chrome. Open the page, tap the three-dot menu in the upper right corner and select “Share”. Among the options you will see “Print”; tap it to open the print preview.

In the printer list, select “Save as PDF”Then, tap the PDF icon or the save button, choose the location (storage internal storage, Google Drive, etc.) and you'll have the file ready. Mobile browsers usually generate PDFs quite compressed and lightweight, perfect for sending by courier or mail.

Online converters to convert a URL to PDF

When you have to deal with very complex websites, with a lot JavaScript, dynamic content, or sophisticated responsive designsThe browser's traditional printing system may not respect the original design as well as you would like.

In such cases, the online converters of web pages to PDF They usually produce better results. These services receive the URL, load the page on their own servers, and generate a PDF, trying to maintain the original appearance as much as possible.

When choosing one of these tools, it's worth making sure they offer features such as Hyperlink preservation, support for dynamic content, respect for responsive design, and the ability to clean up ads or pop-upsMany free options already meet all of these requirements.

There are services that stand out for being completely free, work online, with no usage limits and an acceptable level of security For non-sensitive content (typical public guides, articles, or tutorials). They usually include a simple field to paste the URL and a button like "Convert to PDF".

For more demanding needs, such as corporate websites, internal documentation, or protected content, there is usually payment plans with more control over quality, privacy, and automationDon't forget, though, that these converters usually can't access pages after a login, so you'll have to use the browser's method for that type of content.

Capture an entire page as an image and save it as a PDF

There are websites where methods like "View source code" or inspecting elements to locate hidden PDFs don't work, especially if All the content is embedded in images.In those cases, the solution is to take a full screenshot of the page.

What you need is a tool (built into the browser or external) capable of Take a screenshot of the entire page from top to bottom.not just from what you see on the monitor. Once you get that elongated image, you can convert it to PDF easily.

Many browsers already include "Full Page Screenshot" options or similar, and if not, you can always resort to specific extensions or third-party programs that they take the full screenshot and save it directly as a PDF or as an image to then convert it.

This method does not capture selectable text or links, because the result is basically a page photoBut it's very useful when you want to save exactly what you see, with all the graphic elements, even if they are locked from printing or are part of an unrelated viewer.

Working with your PDFs: editing, compressing, merging, and more

Converting a website to PDF is not the end of the road, but the beginning. The PDF format is very versatile and has... dozens of tools to modify, protect, or transform those documents depending on what you need at any given time.

Platforms like Smallpdf, Lumin, and many others offer more than twenty specific utilities: from remove unnecessary pages, compress the file, merge multiple PDFs into one or protect them with a password...even editing the content or converting it to formats like Word, Excel or image.

Among the most practical functions after saving a web page as a PDF are the following: compress the file so you can send it by email without size problems, and the ability to join several separate saved pages into a single, organized document.

It is also very useful to be able to edit the PDF to add annotations, highlight fragments, strikethrough sensitive data, or delete sections that you're not interested in (like banners or repetitive sections). For all of this, you need PDF editors, either online or installable.

Some services, such as those provided by Lumin, allow you to work with PDFs in the cloud: add notes, merge files, redact confidential information, or convert them to other formats directly from the browser, without installing heavy applications on your computer.

If you want to transfer it to an office document for layout, you can use a PDF to Word converterThese converters attempt to reconstruct the layout from the PDF, with varying degrees of success depending on the complexity of the original page.

You even have the option to transform it into other useful formats, such as ePub for electronic booksIf you're interested in reading your saved articles on an ebook reader, with the layout adapted to that type of device.

Save only a portion of a web page as a PDF

You don't always need the entire website; sometimes you're only interested in a specific article, a table, or a block of instructions. In those cases, you can print only a selection of the content to create a much cleaner PDF.

Most browsers allow you to select text (and some associated images) with the mouse, and then, when you go to print, choose an option similar to “selection only” or “print selection” in the print dialog box. This way, the PDF will only contain what you have selected.

Another practical technique is to copy what you are interested in into a word processor like Word or Google Docs, Format it to your liking and then export it to PDFIt takes a little longer, but the result is usually much tidier and without visual clutter.