How to Set Print Area in Excel (5 Methods)

In the sample dataset we only want to print a portion of the content.

dataset

 


 

Method 1 – Set Print Area From Page Layout Tab

  • Select the cells you want to set as the print area.
  • Go to Print Layout > Print Area and select Set Print Area.

set print area in excel

  • To view the print area, go to the View tab and select Page Break Preview.
  • The spreadsheet will be shown in Page Break view. The cells that are set as the print area are marked as page 1.

view print area


Method 2 – Set Print Area From Page Setup Window

  • Go to the Page Layout tab and click on the little arrow icon from the bottom right corner of the Page Setup ribbon.

set print area in excel

  • Go to the Sheet tab in the Page Setup window and click on the Collapse icon from the end of the Print area box.

set print area in excel

  • Select the cells to be set as the print area and click on the Expand icon in the Page Setup – Print area box.

set print area in excel

  • It will expand the Page Setup window.
  • Click on OK.

set print area in excel

  • To view the print area, go to the View tab and select Page Break Preview.
  • The spreadsheet will be shown in Page Break view. The cells that are set as the print area are marked as page 1.

view print area 


Method 3 – Set Multiple Print Areas in Excel

  • Select the cells to be set as the print areas.
  • Go to Print Layout > Print Area and select Set Print Area.

 

set print area in excel

  • Select adjacent cells to the first print area and go to Page Layout > Print Area > Add to Print Area.

set print area in excel

  • These cells will be added to the previous print area, as shown in the Page Break Preview of the View tab.

view print area

  • Select cells which are not adjacent to the first print area and go to Page Layout > Print Area > Add to Print Area.

set print area in excel

  • Excel will set these cells as a different print area.

view print area


Method 4 – From Page Break Preview

  • Go to the View tab and select Page Break Preview.
  • Set the print area by dragging the blue lines from the outside of the page to the correct location.

view print area

  • The blue lined boxed area has been set as the print area.

view

Read More: How to Set Print Area for Multiple Pages in Excel


Method 5 – Set Print Area in Multiple Sheets Using VBA

  • Press ALT+F11 to open the VBA window.
  • In the VBA window, go to the Insert tab and select Module.

module

  • Enter the following code in the Module(Code) window.
Sub Print_Area()
    Dim PrintArea As Range
    Dim PrintAreaAddress As String
    Dim Sheet As Worksheet
    On Error Resume Next
    Set PrintArea = Application.InputBox(" Select a Range for Print Area", Type:=8)
    If Not PrintArea Is Nothing Then
        PrintAreaAddress = PrintArea.Address(True, True, xlA1, False)
        For Each Sheet In ActiveWindow.SelectedSheets
            Sheet.PageSetup.PrintArea = PrintAreaAddress
        Next
    End If
    Set PrintArea = Nothing
End Sub

The code will create a Macro named Print_Area. This Macro will open a window where you can input the selected cells and set the print area.

code

 


  • To apply the Macro for a single sheet, press ALT+F8.
  • Select Print_Area from the Macro name box and click on Run.

macro

  • Select the cells to be set as print areas and click OK in the Input window.

set print area in excel

Excel will set the selected cells of this sheet as the print area.

view print area


This Macro will also allow the user to set a cell range from multiple sheets as the print area.

  • Select the sheets by pressing CTRL and clicking on the sheet name from the Status Bar.

set print area in excel

  • Press ALT+F8.
  • Select Module1.Print_Area from the Macro name box and click on Run.

macro

  • A window named Input will appear.
  • Select the cells to be set as print areas and click OK in the Input window.

multiple sheets

  • The selected cells will be set as the print area in all the selected sheets.
  • The Page Break Preview of any of these sheets will show the selected cell ranges are set as the print areas.

page break preview


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Prantick Bala
Prantick Bala

PRANTICK BALA is a marine engineer who loves exploring Excel and VBA programming. Programming, to him, is a time-saving tool for efficiently managing data, files, and internet tasks. He is proficient in Rhino3D, Maxsurf, C++, MS Office, AutoCAD, Excel, and VBA and goes beyond the basics. Armed with a B.Sc in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering from BUET, he has transitioned into the role of a content developer. Beyond his work, find him immersed in books, exploring new... Read Full Bio

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