Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. 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: Non-Printing Controls.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 17, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, and 2013
Excel allows you to place some special controls in your worksheet which can make it easier to input information. For instance, you can add a drop-down control that allows your user to select data from a given set that you have defined.
While these controls are handy, they can be distracting when it comes time to print your worksheet. They will print, but they take away from the other data you want people to focus on in the printout.
As a solution, many people simply define print areas that don't include the cells over which the controls appear. For example, if the controls are placed over some cells in column B, you can define a print area that begins with column C. (Remember that the selections in a control can be assigned to any cell in the worksheet through the use of the Linked Cell property of the control. Thus, a change in the control results in a change in some value in a cell in the worksheet. This means that the appearance of the control is independent from the appearance of the data selected in the control.)
Another solution is to simply turn off the printing of the control. For instance, you could have the control appear over the top of cell C3, and the value of C3 is linked to the control. You can then follow these steps to turn off printing of the control:
If you prefer to work directly with the control's properties, you can follow these steps instead:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (5842) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, and 2013. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Non-Printing Controls.
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2013-10-29 21:38:08
Alex
Sorry, I am confused!
"Right-click on the control." What control? Where? Please explain.
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.
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