Microsoft Excel: How to Change the Print Area

To change a print area in Microsoft Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select the cells you want, then choose Page Layout > Print Area > Set Print Area. To remove the existing boundary, choose Page Layout > Print Area > Clear Print Area. Check File > Print before printing to confirm what will appear on the pages.

What an Excel print area controls

A print area is a range of worksheet cells Excel is instructed to print. It is useful when a worksheet contains supporting calculations, notes, reference lists, or other information that should remain in the workbook but not appear on paper or in a printed PDF. You can set a print area for a whole worksheet without deleting or hiding the cells outside it.

Print areas belong to individual worksheets, not to the entire workbook as one shared setting. A sheet can have its own print area while another sheet prints normally or uses a different one. The setting is saved with the workbook, so it generally remains in place when the file is saved and reopened. If you send the workbook to someone else, the print area can affect what they see when they print that sheet.

A print area defines which cells are eligible to print; it does not decide how they fit on paper. Paper size, orientation, margins, scaling, and page breaks affect the printed layout separately. A correct print area can still span several pages or look too small if those other settings are unsuitable.

Set or replace a print area

To define a new print area, first select the cells on the worksheet. You can drag across a range, or select a range by clicking the Name Box to the left of the formula bar, typing a reference such as B2:H35, and pressing Enter. Then use the ribbon command:

Open the worksheet you want to print.
Select the cell range to include. Include any column headings or labels that should appear on the page.
Choose Page Layout > Print Area > Set Print Area.
Open File > Print and inspect the preview. If necessary, return to the sheet and adjust the selection or page setup.

Choosing Set Print Area with a new selection replaces the current print area on that worksheet. For example, if a sheet currently prints A1:F40 and you select A1:H25 and set that as the print area, Excel uses the new range rather than combining the two. This is usually the right choice when the report layout has changed or the old range includes unwanted cells.

Take care with the selection before setting it. A stray cell far below or to the right of the intended report can make the print range much larger than expected. The preview is a quick way to catch that mistake: unexpected blank pages or very small content often indicate an oversized range or unsuitable scaling.

Include an additional, separate range

If the information you need is in two separate parts of the same worksheet, you can add a second range instead of replacing the first. Select the additional cells, then choose Page Layout > Print Area > Add to Print Area. Excel keeps the existing area and adds the selected range to it.

For example, a sheet might have a summary in A1:D12 and a short list of assumptions in A20:D26. Adding the second range can include both parts without printing the rows between them. When a print area contains multiple nonadjacent ranges, Excel treats them as separate print areas; they print on separate pages rather than being placed side by side as one continuous block. Check the preview to see the resulting page order and layout.

To replace a multi-range print area with one continuous block, select the desired block and use Set Print Area. To start over without any defined print area, use Clear Print Area, then create a new area if needed. Adding ranges is handy for occasional reports, but if readers need a single compact page, rearranging the worksheet into one continuous report may produce a clearer result.

Edit, clear, or remove the print area

Excel does not provide a drag handle on the worksheet for resizing a print area. The straightforward way to change its boundaries is to select the replacement cells and choose Set Print Area. If you want the whole used worksheet to be available for printing again, choose Page Layout > Print Area > Clear Print Area. Clearing the print area removes the restriction; it does not erase worksheet data or change the cell formatting.

After clearing it, Excel determines the printable worksheet content according to the print command and other page settings. Review the preview rather than assuming that every cell in the worksheet will fit on one page. If you only need a one-time print of a selection and do not want to alter the saved print area, use the print options to print the selection when that option is available in your desktop Excel version. This avoids changing the worksheet’s ongoing print setup.

If a worksheet has several print areas and the output is confusing, clearing them all and setting the intended area again can be simpler than trying to diagnose each range. Remember that this action applies to the active sheet. Repeat it on other worksheets if they have separate print areas you also want to change.

Check print preview and page setup

Use File > Print to inspect the result before sending it to a printer or saving it as a PDF. The preview shows how the selected print area is divided into pages under the current settings. If it is not what you expect, return to the worksheet or adjust the page setup, then preview again.

Confirm the correct sheet: Print preview reflects the worksheet or selection being printed. A print area on another sheet will not change the active sheet’s layout.
Check orientation and paper size: A wide report may work better in landscape orientation; a narrow list may suit portrait. These options are on the Page Layout tab.
Review margins: Large margins reduce the space available for cells. Narrower margins can help, provided the printer can handle them.
Look at page breaks: A range can occupy several pages. Check where headings, totals, and related rows are split.
Consider scaling: Scaling can fit a range to a chosen number of pages, but forcing a large worksheet onto one page may make the text too small to read.

In the Page Layout tab’s Scale to Fit group, you can adjust width, height, and scale. For example, setting the width to one page while leaving height automatic can keep all columns together while allowing rows to continue onto additional pages. This is often more legible than fitting both width and height to one page. Scaling changes the printed size; it does not change which cells are in the print area.

Print area versus print selection and print titles

These three printing controls solve different problems. A print area is a saved instruction about which cells on a worksheet to print. A print selection is a choice to print only cells selected for a particular print job, where the print options offer that choice. Print titles repeat specified rows or columns on each printed page; they do not expand or replace the print area.

For example, if a list spans five pages, setting its header row to repeat can make every page understandable. Use Page Layout > Print Titles to open the Page Setup options for rows to repeat at the top or columns to repeat at the left. This is separate from selecting the range with Set Print Area. A useful combination is a print area around the report plus repeating column headings for pages after the first.

When a worksheet is filtered, only visible rows normally appear in the printed output, while hidden rows and columns are not printed. If the preview omits entries, check whether a filter or hidden rows are responsible before changing the print area. The print area controls the boundary, not whether cells are hidden.

Common print-area problems and fixes

Old cells still appear: The worksheet may have a multi-range area, or the selection used for the new area was larger than intended. Clear the area and set it again using a carefully selected range.
The report is tiny: The range may include empty rows or columns far from the report, or scaling may be forcing too much content onto one page. Check the preview and the width and height settings.
Blank pages appear: Look for extra ranges, distant used cells, or page breaks that extend the output. Clear and reset the print area, then inspect the preview page by page.
New rows are missing: A print area is a defined range, so do not assume it will include every row added later. After expanding a report, reset or extend the print area and preview the result.
The printed result differs from the screen: Worksheet view is not a reliable substitute for print preview. Check paper size, orientation, margins, scaling, and page breaks in the print settings.

One common misconception is that changing the print area deletes or hides the cells outside it. It does neither: those cells remain available for editing, formulas, and on-screen viewing; they are simply excluded from printing through that area. Another is that a print area is a permanent document-wide rule. It is saved per worksheet and can be changed or cleared whenever the workbook’s reporting needs change.

Windows, Mac, and Excel for the web

In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, use Page Layout > Print Area for the set, add, and clear commands. Excel for Mac also provides print-area commands on the Page Layout tab, though ribbon placement and dialog appearance can vary slightly by release. The Windows print shortcut is Ctrl+P; on Mac, use Command+P.

Excel for the web does not offer the same desktop ribbon workflow for defining a persistent print area. If you need to set or revise the saved print area, open the workbook in the desktop Excel app and use its Page Layout commands. The web version can still support basic printing, but its available controls may differ. If the print boundary is important to a shared report, verify it in the desktop app and check the final preview before distributing the workbook.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I change the print area in Excel?
Select the new cells, then choose Page Layout > Print Area > Set Print Area. This replaces the previous print area on the active worksheet.

How do I clear the print area without deleting cells?
Choose Page Layout > Print Area > Clear Print Area. It removes the printing boundary only; worksheet values and formatting remain intact.

Can I print two separate ranges on one worksheet?
Yes. Select the additional range and choose Add to Print Area. Excel treats separate areas as separate print areas, so inspect the preview to see how they fall on pages.

Why is Excel printing blank pages?
Check for an oversized or multi-range print area, distant cells included in the range, and page breaks. Resetting the print area and checking File > Print often reveals the cause.

Does changing the print area change what appears on screen?
No. It affects what Excel prints, not which cells are visible or stored in the worksheet. Cells outside the print area remain in the workbook.

Will the print area include rows I add later?
Not necessarily. After adding rows or columns, check the saved boundary and preview. If the new content is outside the defined range, set the print area again or add the new range.

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Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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