How to Save Only a Selected Range or Print Area as a PDF in Excel for Mac
Your sheet holds a summary table, three scratch calculations and a block of raw data, and the person receiving the PDF only needs the summary. Excel will happily export everything unless you tell it where to stop. This guide shows three ways to limit a PDF to the cells you choose.
Quick answer: Select the cells, open Page Layout > Print Area > Set Print Area, then press ⇧⌘S and choose PDF. Make sure the export option says active sheet, not entire workbook. If your version offers a Selection option in the PDF or print options, you can use that for a one-off export without setting a print area.
Why Excel exports more than you selected
Excel does not export "what you see". It exports what it would print, and unless you say otherwise it prints the used range of the active sheet: every cell that contains data or formatting, from the top left down to the last used cell. A selection on screen is only a highlight. It has no effect on printing until you turn it into a print area or pick the Selection option.
This is also why a PDF sometimes contains pages you did not expect. A cell with a space in it far to the right counts as used, and so does a cell with a border or fill colour. We cover that in more depth in the guide to fitting a sheet on one page, which explains how page size and scale interact with the range.
Method 1: Set a print area
A print area is the most dependable method because it is stored in the workbook and applied every time you print or export that sheet.
Select the range you want, for example B2:H40. Click the first cell and Shift-click the last, or click the first cell and press ⇧⌘→ and ⇧⌘↓ to extend to the edge of the data.
Open the Page Layout tab.
Click Print Area, then Set Print Area.
Switch to View > Page Break Preview to confirm. The print area stays white and everything outside it is greyed.
Save as PDF with ⇧⌘S and the PDF file format.
Behind the scenes Excel creates a defined name called Print_Area for that sheet. You can see it under Formulas > Name Manager if you ever need to edit it by typing a range instead of selecting one.
Add a second area
Select another range, then choose Print Area > Add to Print Area. Each separate area prints on its own page. That is handy for a report that needs a summary on page one and a chart on page two, but it means two blocks that sit side by side will not share a page. If you want them together, hide the columns between them, or move one block next to the other.
Clear it when you are done
Choose Print Area > Clear Print Area to go back to exporting the whole used range. If an export keeps ignoring your latest columns, a forgotten print area is almost always the reason.
Method 2: Export just the selection
For a one-time export you do not need to set anything permanent. Select the cells, then open the PDF export or the print dialog with ⌘P. Look for the choice of what to output. Depending on your Excel for Mac version the choices are labelled active sheets, entire workbook and selection, or similar. Choose the selection option, check the preview, and save.
The advantage is that nothing is left behind in the file. The disadvantage is that you have to remember to select the range again next time. If your version of Excel does not show a selection option in the dialog you are using, fall back on Method 1, which works everywhere.
Method 3: Copy the range to a clean workbook
Sometimes the goal is not just a smaller page but a PDF that is guaranteed to contain only certain figures. Building it from a separate file removes any doubt.
Select the range and press ⌘C.
Press ⌘N to open a new workbook.
Paste with Paste Special > Values and Number Formats, so formulas do not follow you across and break. Our guide to paste values on Mac lists the keys.
Use Paste Special > Column Widths as a second paste so the layout matches the original.
Export that workbook as a PDF.
This is slower, but it is also the safest option when the source workbook contains confidential sheets. A PDF only holds what was printed, so hidden rows and columns are left out, but a clean file avoids relying on that.
| Situation | Best method | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You export the same block every week | Set Print Area | The range is saved with the workbook, so next week is one keystroke |
| A one-off export of a few cells | Export the selection | Nothing to clean up afterwards |
| You want to hand over only the numbers | Copy to a clean workbook | The PDF is built from a separate file, so nothing else can leak through |
| Two blocks that sit far apart | Add to Print Area | Each area prints on its own page |
| The range keeps being ignored | Clear Print Area, then set it again | A stale print area is the usual cause |
Keep the exported range readable
A print area decides which cells go in. Page setup decides how big they are. Once the range is right, check three things:
Orientation. Wide ranges nearly always want landscape.
Scale. Use Width: 1 page so no column spills onto a second page. Our one-page PDF guide has the full method and the settings table.
Header row. If the range runs over several pages, repeat the header with Page Layout > Print Titles.
Charts, shapes and images
Charts and shapes only print if they sit inside the print area. A chart placed beside the table but outside the selection will be cut off or left out. Either extend the print area to include it, or select the chart itself before opening the print dialog, which usually prints just that object. If you only need the chart as a picture, a screenshot or a paste into another app is often quicker.
Common mistakes
Setting the print area on the wrong sheet. It belongs to the sheet that was active. Check the tab before you set it.
Selecting the range but exporting the workbook. The workbook option ignores the selection. Choose the sheet or selection option.
Including blank rows at the bottom. A print area that ends at row 200 when your data ends at row 40 gives you five empty pages.
Forgetting merged cells. A merged title that spans past the print area is clipped at the boundary. Include the whole merged cell.
Leaving the old print area in place. After you add columns, clear and reset it.
Frequently asked questions
Does the print area save with the file?
Yes. It is stored in the workbook as the Print_Area name, so it is there the next time you open the file, and anyone else who exports from the file gets the same range.
Do hidden rows and columns appear in the PDF?
No. Hidden rows and columns are skipped. That makes hiding a quick way to keep helper columns out of a PDF, as long as you remember to unhide them afterwards.
Can I export a range without changing the file at all?
Yes, with the selection option in the export or print dialog, if your version provides it. Otherwise copy the range to a new workbook and export that.
Why does my print area print on two pages?
Because it is wider or taller than one page at the current scale. Set Width to 1 page in Scale to Fit, or switch to landscape.
Is there a shortcut for setting the print area?
Excel for Mac does not assign a default key to it, so use the ribbon. If you prefer Windows-style Alt sequences, the Mac Excel Shortcuts app can run them from the keyboard.