If you save a docx document with content controls to Word 97-2003 doc format, content controls are converted to static text, as doc format doesn't support content controls.

It is difficult to see what the problem is here (and your macro in any case appears to save as PDF format, which is a different issue entirely).

You can record a macro to save as Word 97-2003 format.

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Graham Mayor - MS MVP (Word) (2002-2019)
Visit my web site for more programming tips and ready made processes www.gmayor.com