How to Save Excel as PDF on Mac: Every Method, Setting and Fix
Saving an Excel workbook as a PDF on a Mac takes about ten seconds once you know where the options are, and they are not where Windows users expect. There is no Export button with a Create PDF entry. Instead the PDF format hides in the Save As dialog, and the print dialog has a PDF menu of its own. This guide is the starting point: the two basic methods, the settings that decide how the PDF looks, and where to go when it comes out wrong.
Quick answer: Press ⇧⌘S in Excel for Mac, choose PDF from the File Format menu, pick what to export (the active sheet, the entire workbook or the selection) and click Save. The other route is ⌘P, then the PDF menu in the bottom-left corner of the print dialog, then Save as PDF.
The two built-in methods
| Save As with PDF format | Print dialog with PDF menu | |
|---|---|---|
| Keys | ⇧⌘S | ⌘P |
| Where PDF is chosen | File Format menu | PDF menu at the bottom left |
| What to export | Chosen in the export options (sheet, workbook or selection, labels vary) | Follows the print settings; preview shows the pages |
| Best for | Whole workbook, or when you want to name and place the file in one step | Quick check of page count, then save or email |
| Extras | File type options | Save to iCloud Drive, email, open in Preview and more |
Both methods use the same print layout engine, so a setting that fixes one fixes the other. Which you use is a matter of habit. People who want to see the page count first use ⌘P, and people exporting a full workbook tend to use Save As. Our guide to the Save and Save As shortcuts covers the dialog in full, and the guide to Excel to PDF keyboard shortcuts lists every key on the route.
Step by step: save a workbook as PDF
Save the workbook first with ⌘S, so you are not exporting unsaved work.
Click the sheet you want and check how it looks in View > Page Break Preview.
Press ⇧⌘S.
In File Format, choose PDF.
Choose what to export, using the wording your version shows.
Name the file, choose a location and click Save.
Open the PDF in Preview and scroll through every page.
Step 7 is the one people skip. Opening the file takes five seconds and catches blank pages, clipped columns and missing sheets before the recipient sees them.
Settings that decide how the PDF looks
Excel does not make a special PDF layout. It uses the sheet's page setup, which means almost every complaint about a PDF is fixed on the Page Layout tab rather than in the export dialog. Four settings matter most.
Page fit and orientation
A sheet wider than the page is split across several pages. Landscape and Width: 1 page in Scale to Fit solve most cases. The full method, a settings table and the limits of shrinking are in our guide to fitting an Excel sheet on one page as a PDF.
Which cells are exported
By default Excel exports the used range of the sheet. To export only part of it, set a print area or use the selection option. Our guide to saving only a selected range compares three ways, including a clean-workbook method for sensitive files.
Which sheets are exported
The default is the active sheet. To include every visible sheet, choose the entire workbook, or group the tabs you want. The details, and how to produce one PDF per sheet, are in our guide to saving all sheets as one PDF.
Headers, titles and comments
On long tables, repeat the header row with Page Layout > Print Titles and add page numbers in the footer. If the sheet has comments or notes, the Sheet tab of Page Setup lets you choose whether they print as shown on the sheet or at the end. Gridlines and row and column headings are off by default and can be switched on under Page Layout.
| If this is your problem | Read this |
|---|---|
| The sheet spills over several pages | Fit an Excel sheet on one page when saving as PDF |
| I need only part of the sheet | Save a selected range or print area as a PDF |
| Only one sheet came out | Save all sheets in an Excel workbook as one PDF |
| Cut-off columns, blank pages, tiny text | Excel PDF cut off, blank pages or tiny text |
| I want the keys for each step | Excel to PDF keyboard shortcuts on Mac |
| My file is a CSV | Convert a CSV to PDF on Mac |
| I do not have Excel | Built-in export vs online converters |
When the PDF comes out wrong
The most common faults are cut-off columns, blank pages at the end and text that is far too small. All three come from the print setup. The cause is usually a leftover print area, a used range that extends beyond your data, a forced one-page height or a manual page break. Our troubleshooting guide, Excel PDF cut off, blank pages or tiny text, works through them in order of likelihood.
Other file types and other apps
If your data is a CSV, it has no layout until it is opened in a spreadsheet app, and the extra step is worth knowing. Our guide to converting a CSV to PDF on a Mac covers Excel, Numbers and the encoding problems that corrupt accents and leading zeros.
If you do not have Excel, or you are wondering whether an online converter is worth using, read the comparison of the built-in export and online converters. Short version: the built-in route keeps your file on your Mac and gives you the most control, and a converter only makes sense for a non-sensitive file when no spreadsheet app is available.
What is and is not in the PDF
A PDF holds what was printed. That is helpful to know in three cases.
Formulas are not included. The PDF shows values only. If the recipient needs the logic, send the workbook.
Hidden rows, columns and sheets are left out. This makes hiding a quick way to keep helper data out of a PDF, but do not rely on it for anything confidential.
Cell colours, borders and fonts are kept as they appear on the printed page, including conditional formatting.
If you later need the reverse, turning a PDF back into a spreadsheet, the data does not come back as formulas. It comes back as text and numbers, which usually need cleaning.
Windows to Mac: what changes
On Windows, the route is File > Export > Create PDF/XPS, or Ctrl+P and a PDF printer. On a Mac there is no Create PDF/XPS button. Choose PDF as the file format in Save As, or use the PDF menu in the print dialog. The shortcuts differ too, with ⌘ replacing Ctrl in nearly every case. Our Mac Excel shortcut cheat sheet maps the rest of the common ones.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to save Excel as PDF on a Mac?
Press ⌘P, then choose Save as PDF from the PDF menu at the bottom left. It is the same dialog every Mac app uses.
Why does my PDF only contain one sheet?
Excel exports the active sheet unless you choose the entire workbook. See the guide to saving all sheets in one PDF.
Does Excel keep hyperlinks in the PDF?
That depends on the version and the export route, so test it. Open the PDF in Preview and click a link to check before you send it.
Can I save as PDF without Excel?
Yes. Numbers and LibreOffice both open .xlsx files and export to PDF, and an online converter is an option for non-sensitive files.
How do I make the PDF smaller?
Look for a minimum size option in the Save As dialog when PDF is selected, and compress large images in the workbook. The wording varies by version.
Why does my PDF look different from the spreadsheet?
Because Excel lays the sheet out for a page rather than for a screen. Check Page Break Preview and the scale settings.
Related guides
Excel PDF cut off, blank pages or tiny text on Mac
Excel to PDF keyboard shortcuts on Mac
Convert a CSV file to PDF on Mac
Excel to PDF on Mac: built-in export vs online converters