How to Print Part of an Excel Spreadsheet

PDF download Download Article
Learn how to print only a section of a large Excel workbook
PDF download Download Article

Excel sheets can compile a lot of data, and it’s not always convenient to print it all at once. You can print certain sections of a spreadsheet by highlighting the target area, going to the print settings, and choosing the ‘print selected area’ option. A similar process can be used to print selected sheets in a workbook. “Print Areas” can also be used to for those who wish to adjust their formatting before entering the print menu.

Things You Should Know

  • You can select the cells you want to print and then go to File and then Print and select Print the selection .
  • You can edit the print area of the sheet to only print the part you want by going to the Page Layout tab.
  • By selecting Print Active Sheets in the print menu, you will only print the sheets you have selected in a larger workbook.
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Printing from a Selection

PDF download Download Article
  1. Double-click the worksheet or go to “File > Open” in Excel.
  2. Click and hold the first cell in the range and drag the cursor until you've highlighted all the cells that you want to print.
    Advertisement
  3. The menu is in the top left corner of your screen and brings up “Print Settings”.
  4. Below the selected printer device is a dropdown menu to select which part of the workbook you wish to print. This selection will set the print to use only the area of the spreadsheet you have highlighted.
  5. The button is located at the top of the menu. All content except your selection will be excluded from the print.
    6. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Using a Print Area

PDF download Download Article
  1. Double-click the worksheet or go to “File > Open” in Excel.
  2. Click and hold the first cell in the range and drag the cursor until you've highlighted all the cells that you want to print.
  3. This tab is located in the top menu bar, a few options to the right of the “File” menu. Here you can access a number of settings to format your spreadsheet. Among these options is “Print Area”.
  4. Press “Print Area” and select “Set Print Area” from the dropdown. The highlighted cells will be designated to the print area. This area will be saved for future printing and you can continue to work.
    • The “Orientation” button switches between landscape and portrait orientation.
    • The “Margins” button adjusts the margins on a printed page.
    • “Scale to Fit” chooses how many pages you want to fit your printed content into.
    • You can clear, overwrite or add to the print area from the same dropdown menu.
  5. The menu is in the top left corner of your screen and brings up “Print Settings”.
  6. In the dropdown menu under the printer device, make sure “Print Active Sheet(s)” is selected and that the “Ignore Print Area” checkbox is NOT selected.
    • Note that “Print the selection” means that any newly highlighted selection overrides your designated print area.
  7. The button is located at the top of the menu, and the page will print with your print area and page layout adjustments.
    8. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Printing Individual Sheets From a Workbook

PDF download Download Article
  1. In a large workbook, there may be only one or two sheets you want printed. In Excel, go to the “File” menu and select “Open” or simply double-click an Excel file.
  2. Click the sheet name in the bottom bar. Multiple sheets can be selected using Ctrl + click ( ⌘ Cmd + click on Mac).
  3. The menu is in the top left corner of your screen and brings up “Print Settings”.
  4. The first option below the selected printer device is a dropdown menu to select which areas of the workbook to print. “Print Active Sheet(s)” will set the printer to only print the sheets you selected instead of the entire workbook.
  5. Dropdown menus below the selection menu allow you to adjust layout options like page orientation or margins from this panel.
    • If you previously set a print area but decide against using it, select “Ignore Print Areas” to ignore.
  6. The button is located at the top of the menu and your selected sheets will print, excluding the others.
    7. Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    How do I print on both sides of a single piece of paper?
    Community Answer
    Go to "File > Print". In the print settings, you can select to print one-sided or double sided from the dropdown menu.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 0 Helpful 6
  • Question
    How do I print with a freeze?
    Community Answer
    Go to the Page Layout tab and select Print Titles. Select the "Sheet" tab and in the "Rows to repeat at top box" or the "Columns to repeat at left" box, enter the rows or columns that you want to appear on every page you print.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 3 Helpful 4
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      • Once you've set the print area Print Preview will show you what you've selected to print.
        Thanks
        Helpful 14 Not Helpful 4
      • To Print the Whole document after setting the print area just select Page Layout -> Print Area -> Clear Print Area.
        Thanks
        Helpful 6 Not Helpful 3
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      Warnings

      Advertisement

      Things You'll Need

      • Microsoft Excel
      • Printer, to print the document.
      • Paper, to print on.

      You Might Also Like

      2 Simple Ways to Print a Document From Your Computer
      How to
      Make a Spreadsheet in Excel
      How to
      Create Pivot Tables in Microsoft Excel to Analyze Data
      How to
      Group and Outline Excel Data: Easily Collapse Rows of Info
      How to
      Print Cell Formulas Used on an Excel Spreadsheet: 3 Ways
      How to
      Merge Cells in Microsoft Excel: A Quick Guide
      How to
      Unprotect an Excel Sheet
      How to
      Unhide All Rows and Columns in Microsoft Excel
      How to
      Use If‐Else in Microsoft Excel: Step-by-Step Tutorial
      How to
      Insert Pictures in Excel That Automatically Size to Fit Cells
      How to
      Create a Mortgage Calculator With Microsoft Excel
      How to
      Create a Graph in Excel
      How to
      Show Hidden Columns in Microsoft Excel & Unhide Column A
      How to
      Fix Ethernet Doesn't Have a Valid IP Configuration on Windows
      Advertisement

      References

      1. https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Print-a-worksheet-or-workbook-f4ad7962-b1d5-4eb9-a24f-0907f36c4b94

      About This Article

      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 333,538 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Jp Sah

        Feb 13, 2017

        "Nice way of explanation and easy to understand. Awesome, clear method. I love it. "
      More reader stories Hide reader stories
      Share your story

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement