There's no file format quite like a PDF when it comes to keeping your documents neat, locked-down, and exactly as you intended. Once you send one off, nothing shifts, stretches, or jumps to the wrong page. That fixation is its greatest strength, but it’s also the reason I rarely use PDFs to save my writing.
I never consider a piece of writing truly finished until I've published or submitted it. Every time I open a draft, I expect to expand a paragraph, tighten an explanation, rearrange a section, or completely overhaul an argument. Fortunately, there are several file formats that make editing easier than evena freemium PDF editor ever could.
Changing the format of your file usually requires opening the File menu and selectingSaveorSave As. After naming your file, you can select the specific format you want to use.
DOCX
For full editing freedom, and clean formatting across devices
When I want to write without worrying about whether my formatting will survive the trip to another device or app, DOCX is usually the format I trust most. As Word’s default file format, it handles collaboration tools, comments, graphic elements, and evenadvanced Word features, like macros, without any issues. It also behaves consistently across Windows and Mac, which means I can switch devices without watching my layout fall apart.
Because it supports nearly everything Word can do, DOCX is the closest to a do-everything workspace. If you revise heavily, embed visuals, or co-edit with others, this format gives you the freedom to experiment while keeping your document stable. And since most writing apps canopen and read DOCX files, you rarely have to worry about working with teams or editors outside the Microsoft ecosystem. In most cases, nothing disappears, breaks, or becomes unsupported the moment you share it.
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TXT
Keep only your words and nothing else
The cleanest writing often happens when there's nothing on the page except your text—no formatting distractions, no styling choices, and no bloat. That's what a .txt file gives you. It strips out every trace of formatting and leaves you with nothing but your words.
Because TXT holds only plain text, you can move your writing between different apps without any invisible or incompatible formatting tagging along. It's also one of the easiest formats to open anywhere, whether that's your grandma's phone, an old high school laptop, or the basic notes app on your phone. Almost every piece of hardware can read a .txt file!
So, when you've written a lot and want to send your work to an editor who only cares about the prose, or you want to paste your text into another application without worrying about formatting conflicts, TXT is often the safest choice.
As mentioned earlier, Microsoft Word saves files as DOCX by default, but you can change this easily. Head toFile ->More ->Options, and in theWord Options dialog box, open theSavemenu. Under theSave Documents section, find theSave files in this format list. Choose the file type you want to use by default, select it from the dropdown menu, and clickOK.
ODT
A flexible, open format that works anywhere
ODT is basically the open-source twin of DOCX, and it's an excellent choice if youmove between Microsoft Word and processors like LibreOffice or OpenOffice. With an .odt file, your writing stays accessible across platforms, so you're not locked into Microsoft's ecosystem.
However, it's not perfect. Some Word features, like track changes, bibliographies, watermarks, macros, and certain table or content elements, either aren't supported in ODT or behave differently when you switch back and forth between formats. Even so, ODT handles most everyday writing tasks with ease, and its open-source foundation means you're never at the mercy of one company's decisions about how your word processor evolves. It works almost everywhere, even if it trims the extra bells and whistles that Word offers.
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RTF
Simple formatting that's readable on almost every device and platform
You can say that RTF is the middle child between minimalist TXT and full-featured DOCX. It preserves your basic formatting—bold, italics, headings, alignment—without locking you into one word processor. Because nearly every writing app can open an .rtf file, it’s ideal for sharing drafts when you want the document to look right but don’t need any advanced features. It's essentially DOCX lite.
RTF is also extremely reliable for cross-platform sharing. Whether someone opens your file on Windows, Mac, or Linux,using Word, Google Docs, or a text editor from the 2000s, they'll see the document the way you intended. It's not as feature-rich as DOCX, but you probably don't need macros every time you write.
PDFs are great for final delivery, but these formats are better for actual writing
If your writing is finished, polished, and ready to be shared exactly as you intend, there's no better option than a PDF. It locks your work in place, prevents accidental changes, and ensures that what you send is exactly what others see.
But if you're still writing, or even mostly done but not entirely done, you really don't need to freeze your work just yet. Formats like DOCX, TXT, ODT, and RTF keep your writing open, editable, and easy to move between operating systems, applications, and collaborators. Save your drafts in any of these, and reserve PDFs for when you're truly, completely done.
