Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Changing Paper Size for a Complete Workbook.

Changing Paper Size for a Complete Workbook

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 7, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021


Bob has a workbook that has about fifteen worksheets in it, and he needs to change the page format for all the worksheet from Letter to A4. There is a quick way to make the change by following these steps:

  1. Right-click any worksheet tab. You'll see a Context menu appear.
  2. Choose Select All Sheets. All the worksheet tabs should now be selected.
  3. Display the Page Layout tab of the ribbon.
  4. Click the Size tool in the Page Setup group. Excel displays some common paper sizes.
  5. From the paper sizes offered, click the A4 option.
  6. Right-click any worksheet tab. You'll again see a Context menu.
  7. Choose Ungroup Sheets.

That's it; the paper size is now set for all the worksheets. There is a drawback to this approach, however: If individual worksheets have differing page setup settings (different orientations, margins, headers, footers, etc.), then following these steps will set them all the same. If you only want to change the paper size and don't want to change any other settings, your only recourse is to use a macro to do the change.

Sub AllSheetsA4()
    Dim sht As Variant

    For Each sht In ActiveWorkbook.Sheets
        sht.PageSetup.PaperSize = xlPaperA4
    Next
End Sub

The macro steps through each sheet in the workbook, changing only the PaperSize property so that the sheet will print on A4 paper.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12219) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Changing Paper Size for a Complete Workbook.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Using TC Fields for Notes

The TC field is normally used in constructing manual Tables of Contents. The way the field works, however, makes it a ...

Discover More

An Exact Number of Lines Per Page

For some purposes, you may need to fit an exact number of lines on a printed page. This may be easier said than done, as ...

Discover More

Comments in Endnotes

Able to add comments everywhere, except in endnotes? This seems to be a limitation in Word, but here are some ways to ...

Discover More

Save Time and Supercharge Excel! Automate virtually any routine task and save yourself hours, days, maybe even weeks. Then, learn how to make Excel do things you thought were simply impossible! Mastering advanced Excel macros has never been easier. Check out Excel 2010 VBA and Macros today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Printing More than One Copy

Need to print more than a single copy of a worksheet? You can do it easily by using the printing controls provided by Excel.

Discover More

Printing a Chart

It is inevitable that if you spend time creating a chart you will want to print that chart on your printer. Here's how ...

Discover More

Specifying a Paper Tray in a Macro

If you are using a macro to create your printed Excel output, you may need a way to specify that paper should come from a ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 6 - 6?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.