How do I save as PDF or Word, or copy with formatting?

Which One Clear Reader export option do I need?

Pick the One Clear Reader export option by where the document is going. This table matches each job to its option and plan.

All of these work on your Mac. One Clear Reader uploads nothing to make them.

How do I save a document as a PDF in One Clear Reader?

To save a document as a PDF, use Save as PDF (Pro).

1. Open the document in One Clear Reader.
2. Choose File › Save as PDF…, or press ⇧⌘P, or choose Save as PDF in the More menu (•••) or in ⌘K.
3. Pick where to save it and click Save.

You get A4 pages with real, selectable text. Tables, pictures and diagrams come through as they look on the page.

Save as PDF works for Markdown, text, Word, EPUB, web page and spreadsheet files. A file that's already a PDF can't be saved as a PDF again.

How do I make a client PDF with a cover page in One Clear Reader?

To make a client PDF with a cover page, choose Save as client PDF (Pro) in the More menu (•••), or Save as client PDF, with a cover in ⌘K. It adds a cover with a title, a subtitle and a short details list: Prepared for, Prepared by and Date.

One Clear Reader fills the cover from the frontmatter: the block of key: value lines between two --- lines at the very top of a Markdown file. Here's an example to copy and change:

---
title: Launch plan, October
subtitle: What we ship, when, and who owns it
prepared_for: Northwind Studio
prepared_by: Maya
date: 2026-10-01
---

Each cover line accepts a few different keys, so frontmatter your AI already wrote often just works. This table lists the keys each line reads:

Keys aren't fussy about capitals, spaces or dashes, so Prepared for: and prepared-for: work too. A date One Clear Reader can read is written out in full, in your Mac's date style. Anything else is shown as you typed it.

If the first heading repeats the title, it's hidden in the PDF so the title isn't printed twice.

frontmatter in, cover page out.

How do I save a document as Word in One Clear Reader?

To save a document as a Word file, use Save as Word (Pro).

1. Open the document in One Clear Reader.
2. Choose File › Save as Word…, or Save as Word in the More menu (•••) or ⌘K (Pro).
3. Pick where to save it.

One Clear Reader builds a real .docx. Headings become Word headings, so Word's navigation pane and table of contents work. Lists stay lists, tables keep their borders, links stay clickable, and pictures and diagrams go in as pictures. Maths comes through as one line of text.

Pages are Letter size if your Mac is set to US or Canadian English, and A4 otherwise.

Save as Word works for Markdown, text, spreadsheet, web page and EPUB files. It isn't offered for PDFs or for files that are already Word documents.

For free ways to do this and what each one keeps, see how to turn a .md file into a Word document.

How do I paste into email or Slack without the asterisks?

To paste a One Clear Reader document into email or Slack without the asterisks, use Copy as rich text (Pro).

1. Press ⌥⌘C, or choose Copy as rich text in the More menu (•••) or ⌘K.
2. Paste into email, Slack, Notion or Google Docs.

Headings, bold, lists and links come across as formatting. How much of it shows depends on the app you paste into. Buttons from the reading page, like code Copy buttons, are left out.

Pasting AI text into Word covers the other ways people get rid of the stray symbols.

What does Copy as Markdown copy in One Clear Reader?

Copy as Markdown copies the file's own text, and it's free. Choose it in the More menu (•••) or ⌘K.

For a Markdown or text file, that's the Markdown you'd see in the editor. For other files, you get what One Clear Reader converted, as this table shows:

To get real Markdown from a Word file, use Edit a copy as Markdown (see Word files). From a web page, use Save this web page as Markdown in ⌘K.

How do I copy one table from One Clear Reader?

To copy one table, hover over it in One Clear Reader. Two small buttons appear: CSV and Markdown (Pro).

• CSV pastes cleanly into Numbers, Excel or Google Sheets.
• Markdown pastes as a Markdown table, handy for your AI chat.

If you sorted the table by clicking a header, sorting only changes how it's shown. The file isn't changed.

How do I point my AI at one section of a document?

To point your AI at one section, hover any heading in One Clear Reader and click the # that appears. It copies the file path with the heading on the end. Paste it into your AI chat to say "this part". It's free.

Other quick copies, all free:

• Click the path chip in the toolbar to copy the full file path.
• Every code block has a Copy button.
• ⇧⌘C copies the selected text with its file and section, ready for feedback. See review with AI.

Questions people ask