How to Easily Convert Excel to PDF: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you’ve ever needed to share an Excel spreadsheet with someone who doesn’t use Excel — or if you just want to lock in your formatting — converting your Excel file to PDF is the way to go. PDF files are easy to share, print, and view across all devices without worrying about messed-up formulas or shifted tables.

In this post, we’ll walk you through how to convert Excel to PDF using several simple methods, whether you’re on a computer or using online tools.

Why Convert Excel to PDF?

Before we jump into the steps, here’s why you might want to convert Excel files to PDF:
✅ Preserve formatting — Keep your tables, charts, and layouts intact.
✅ Make it shareable — PDFs can be opened on any device, even without Excel.
✅ Lock content — Prevent accidental changes by providing a non-editable version.
✅ Professional appearance — PDFs often look cleaner for reports or official documents.

Method 1: Convert Excel to PDF Using Microsoft Excel

The easiest way is right inside Excel itself. Here’s how:

Open your Excel file.
Make sure everything looks the way you want it to appear in the PDF.
Go to File → Save As (or Export).
Select where you want to save the file.
Choose PDF as the file type.
In the “Save as type” dropdown, select PDF.
Click Options (optional).
You can adjust settings like which sheets to include or whether to publish the entire workbook.
Save the file.
Excel will generate a PDF version of your spreadsheet.

Method 2: Convert Excel to PDF Using Online Tools

If you don’t have Excel installed, or you need a quick solution, online converters are a great option.

Some popular online tools:

Smallpdf (smallpdf.com)
ILovePDF (ilovepdf.com)
Adobe Acrobat Online (adobe.com/acrobat/online)

Here’s how:

Go to the tool’s website.
Upload your Excel file.
Wait for the tool to process and convert it.
Download the resulting PDF.

⚠ Tip: For sensitive data, be cautious when using online tools — always choose trusted sites.

Method 3: Print to PDF

Most modern computers let you “print” to a PDF file even if you don’t have a dedicated converter.

Open your Excel file.
Go to File → Print.
Select a printer called “Microsoft Print to PDF” (Windows) or “Save as PDF” (Mac).
Adjust settings as needed, then click Print or Save.

This will generate a PDF as if you printed it on paper.

Final Tips for Best Results

✅ Check page breaks: Use Excel’s Page Break Preview to make sure your data fits neatly on the pages.
✅ Adjust margins: Tweak the layout so columns or rows aren’t cut off.
✅ Set print area: If you only want to export part of your sheet, define the print area under Page Layout → Print Area.

Conclusion

Whether you’re sharing a financial report, a project plan, or a simple list, converting Excel to PDF makes your documents look clean, professional, and easy to open on any device. With the built-in Excel tools, free online services, or simple print-to-PDF features, you have plenty of easy ways to get the job done.