Convert Excel To PDF
Sometimes, it may be useful to convert Excel files to PDF ("Portable Document Format"). PDF files present a read-only version of your spreadsheet to others, thereby preserving the document's formatting and preventing the document from being easily altered.
Also, individuals who don't have Excel installed on their computer can read PDF files, although they will need the Adobe Reader software, which can be downloaded for free from the Adobe website.
Save to PDF in Current Versions of Excel (Excel 2013 and Later):
In current versions of Excel, you can save your Excel spreadsheet to a PDF file using the 'Export' command, as follows:
- From the 'File' menu, select the Export option;
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From the 'Export' options select Create PDF/XPS Document and click on the Create PDF/XPS button to open up the 'Publish as PDF or XPS' dialog box:
- From the Save as type drop-down menu, ensure the option PDF (*.pdf) is selected;
- Type a file name into the File name: field;
- Note that the dialog box has options that allow you to open the file after publishing, optimise the new PDF file or, by clicking on the Options... button, specify the section of the Excel file that you wish to publish;
- Once you are satisfied with your selected options, click Publish.
Save to PDF in Excel 2010:
In Excel 2010, you can save your Excel spreadsheet to a PDF file using the 'Save As' menu:
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From the 'File' menu, select the Save As option to display the 'Save As' dialog box:
- From the Save as type: drop-down menu, select the option PDF (*.pdf);
- Type a file name into the File name: field;
- Note that the dialog box has options that allow you to optimise the new PDF file, open the new file after publishing or, by clicking on the Options... button, specify the section of the Excel file that you wish to publish;
- Once you are satisfied with your selected options, click Save.
Save to PDF in Excel 2007
If you have Excel 2007 and you want to save your Excel to a PDF file, you may need to download an add-in (a program that interacts with Excel) to do this. Microsoft provide a free add-in for this purpose, which can be downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center.
Once the add-in is installed, this runs whenever you start up Excel. You can then save an Excel file as a PDF document as follows:
- From the main Excel menu, click on the right arrow next to the Save As option;
- Select the option PDF or XPS (see the above image on the right), to open up the 'Publish as PDF or XPS' dialog box;
- In the dialog box, type the PDF filename, choose the file type "PDF", and click on the Publish button.
You should be aware that to reverse this process (i.e. convert PDF to Excel) is much more difficult than converting Excel to PDF. However, converting to PDF does not delete your original spreadsheet so you will not lose your original editable version of the file.