Printing a sheet in Excel: how it works

Check the print preview first under File > Print, or with Ctrl + P. On the Page Layout tab you choose landscape, a print area and a heading row that repeats on every page.

Try the first exercises for freeIn the lesson Page setup and printing

How do you print a worksheet neatly?

On your screen, a worksheet is as wide and as long as you like, but a sheet of paper isn't. That's why Excel spreads your worksheet over pages when you print. Without any settings, a column often ends up on a second page, or the header row is only on the first page.

A few settings on the Page Layout tab solve that: a landscape page for a wide list, a print area if you only need part of it, and print titles so that your header row comes back on every page. In the print preview, you see the result straight away.

What do you set up for printing?

A wide list: set the orientation to Landscape, or choose 1 page under Width.
A long list over several pages: repeat the header row with Print Titles.
You only need part of the sheet: set a print area.
You want to send the sheet as a document that nobody can change: save it as a PDF.

Printing a worksheet, step by step

This is how to go about it:

Choose File > Print, or press Ctrl + P, or Cmd + P on a Mac. Look at the print preview on the right to see how many pages it will be.
If your list is too wide, choose Orientation > Landscape on the Page Layout tab. If it still doesn't fit, choose 1 page under Width.
Choose Page Layout > Print Titles and, under Rows to repeat at top, click your header row.
If you only want to print part of it, select it and choose Page Layout > Print Area > Set Print Area.
Look at the print preview again and click Print.

Where it often goes wrong

Freeze Panes only works on screen. For a heading row on paper, use print titles.
If there's still something in a cell far away from your list, Excel also prints all the empty pages in between. Set a print area, or clear that cell.

Want to try it yourself?
Practise this in the lesson Page setup and printing. The first exercises are free.

Try the first exercises for free

Frequently asked questions

How do I print just part of my sheet?

Select that part and choose Page Layout > Print Area > Set Print Area. Or choose Print Selection in the print window.

Can I save the sheet as a PDF?

Yes. Choose File > Save As and pick PDF as the file type, or choose a PDF printer in the print window.