Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 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: Printing without Opening.

Printing without Opening

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 20, 2019)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

If you need to quickly print the contents of a workbook without individually opening the workbook yourself (manually), you can do so by using one of the helpful features of Windows. Simply follow these steps:

  1. Use the Explorer, My Computer, or any Open dialog box to display the worksheet that you want to print.
  2. Right-click on the file. Windows displays a Context menu.
  3. Choose the Print option from the Context menu.
  4. Windows loads Excel (if it is not already open), opens the workbook, and prints it. The workbook is then closed.

The only thing printed in the workbook is the single worksheet that was selected when the workbook was last closed. It is also printed to whatever you are using as the current printer. If you want to print using different specifications (i.e., a different printer or area of the workbook) then you must first open the workbook in order to print.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9839) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Printing without Opening.

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. ...

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