How to Set Print Area in Excel on Windows and Mac

Hit Print on a busy spreadsheet and Excel happily churns out every scrap of it: the notes column, the workings off to the side, that test formula you left way off to the right. A print area tells Excel exactly which block of cells is the "real" page, so every printout and PDF comes out the same, tidy way.

The handy part is that it sticks. Microsoft says the print area is saved with the workbook, so you set it once and anyone who prints the file later gets the same result. I'll cover setting it on Windows and Mac, using more than one area, adding cells and clearing it.

Setting a print area in Excel for Windows

1. Select the cells you want on the printed page, headings included.
2. Go to the Page Layout tab.
3. In the Page Setup group, select Print Area.
4. Select Set Print Area.

Excel draws a faint line around the area. When you print or export to PDF, only those cells appear. Save the workbook and the setting is kept for next time.

Setting a print area in Excel for Mac

On a Mac, Microsoft's help puts the command in the File menu at the top of the screen rather than on a ribbon tab.

1. Select the cells you want to print.
2. Open the File menu.
3. Point to Print Area, then select Set Print Area.
4. Go to File, then Print, to check the result.

If you only need to print a selection once, without saving anything, Microsoft's Mac page suggests a shortcut: select the cells, go to File, Print, and choose Selection in the drop-down before printing.

Checking your Excel print area before you print

Microsoft recommends Page Break Preview for seeing exactly what will print. Go to View, then Page Break Preview in the Workbook Views group. The print area shows in white with page numbers, and everything outside it turns grey.

It's also where you'll notice if the area is too wide for one sheet of paper. If a single column spills onto a second page, it's usually easier to adjust page breaks than to shrink everything. My guide on inserting page breaks in Excel covers that next step.

Setting more than one print area on a sheet

A worksheet can have several print areas, and Microsoft says each one prints on its own page. That's useful for printing a summary block and a chart block from the same sheet without the workings in between.

1. Select the first block of cells.
2. Hold Ctrl and select the next block, and any others.
3. Go to Page Layout, Print Area, Set Print Area.

Each block now prints as a separate page, in the order they appear on the sheet.

Adding cells to an existing Excel print area

Forgot a column? You don't need to start again.

1. Select the extra cells.
2. Go to Page Layout, Print Area.
3. Select Add to Print Area.

There's a catch Microsoft points out: only cells right next to the current print area are added to it. If the cells you pick aren't touching the area, Excel creates a second, separate print area instead, which then prints on its own page. On a Mac, Microsoft's help says the cells you add don't have to be next to the existing area.

Clearing a print area in Excel

1. Click anywhere on the sheet.
2. Go to Page Layout, then Print Area.
3. Select Clear Print Area.

On a Mac it's File, Print Area, Clear Print Area. Microsoft warns that if your sheet has several print areas, clearing removes all of them at once, so there's no option to clear just one. Set the ones you want again afterwards.

Task	Excel for Windows	Excel for Mac
Set	Page Layout, Print Area, Set Print Area	File, Print Area, Set Print Area
Add cells	Page Layout, Print Area, Add to Print Area	Select the cells, then Set Print Area
Clear	Page Layout, Print Area, Clear Print Area	File, Print Area, Clear Print Area
Check	View, Page Break Preview	File, Print preview

Print areas for quotes, rotas and reports

For small businesses, print areas shine on any sheet you send out regularly: a weekly rota, an order summary, a quote layout or a monthly report for a client. Set the area once around the part the reader should see, and keep your workings to the right or below it. Adding printed gridlines to the area makes tables easier to read on paper.

I'd also save a PDF from the print area rather than sending the spreadsheet itself when a client only needs the numbers. It stops them scrolling into your notes.

A last tip: print areas live on each sheet separately. If your workbook has a summary tab and a detail tab, set an area on each one, and choose to print the entire workbook when you want both in one go.

If the print area in Excel isn't behaving

• The whole sheet still prints: check the print settings. If you've chosen to print the entire workbook or to ignore the print area, Excel prints everything.
• Extra blank pages: a second print area may have been created by accident. Clear all print areas and set the one you want again.
• Part of the area is cut off: open Page Break Preview and drag the blue page break lines, or change the page orientation.
• Print Area is greyed out: you may be editing a cell. Press Enter or Esc, then try again.

Frequently asked questions

How do I set a print area in Excel?

Select the cells, go to the Page Layout tab and in the Page Setup group select Print Area, then Set Print Area. Only those cells print from then on.

Is the print area saved in Excel?

Yes. Microsoft says the print area is saved when you save the workbook, so it applies every time the file is printed.

Can a sheet have more than one print area?

Yes. Hold Ctrl while selecting each block, then set the print area. Microsoft says each print area prints as a separate page.

How do I clear the print area in Excel?

Go to Page Layout, Print Area, Clear Print Area. If there are several print areas, Microsoft says clearing removes all of them.

How do I set a print area on a Mac?

Select the cells, open the File menu, point to Print Area and choose Set Print Area. Clear it from the same menu.