Print, save & share

Choose what the recipient needs

Use .xlsx when someone needs worksheets, formulas, formatting and editable charts. Use PDF when they need a fixed-layout view for reading or printing. A PDF does not give them the working formulas as spreadsheet cells.

CSV is useful for transferring a flat table to another system. It saves one sheet’s text/value data, not a complete multi-sheet workbook with formulas, charts and formatting. Save a separate copy if exporting CSV so you retain the working .xlsx file.

The course workbooks use .xlsx and contain no macros. Files with macros use different formats, which are outside this beginner course.

Worked example: a one-page-wide report

1. Select the intended report area, such as A1:D8.
2. In desktop Excel, use Page Layout → Print Area → Set Print Area.
3. Choose portrait or landscape to suit the report’s width.
4. If appropriate, fit to one page wide while allowing automatic height.
5. Open File → Print and inspect the preview before printing or saving a PDF.

Forcing a long dataset onto one page both wide and tall can make text unreadable. One page wide with multiple pages tall is often clearer. Check margins, clipped headings, blank pages and whether the page order makes sense.

Menus vary by platform. In Excel for the web, start printing through Excel’s own File → Print command so the worksheet is prepared correctly.

Check the actual exported output

After saving a PDF, open it. Confirm every intended column is present, headings are readable and the right records are visible. A correct workbook does not guarantee a useful printed page.

For a long report, consider repeating the heading row on printed pages where the platform supports it. Add units to headings and include enough context for a reader who does not have the source workbook.

Give the right people the right access

For an online workbook, use the Share controls and choose whether recipients can view or edit. Share with specific people when appropriate, and test the link using the intended level of access. A link in an email is useful only if the recipient has permission.

Hiding a sheet, column or filtered row does not remove its data from a shared workbook. If a recipient should not receive that information, prepare an appropriate copy that excludes it and verify the copy before sending.

Use descriptive names such as Monthly-budget-2026-04.xlsx. Keep the working version distinguishable from a PDF or exported CSV so future edits begin from the correct file.