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 an Entire Workbook by Default.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 5, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
When you choose to print in Excel, the Print dialog box (Excel 2007) or the File tab of the ribbon (later versions of Excel) allows you to specify many things about the print job. The Print What drop-down list allows you to indicate whether you want to print the selected worksheets, the selection, or the entire workbook. The Print What setting normally defaults to Active Worksheets, but what if you want it to default so the entire workbook is printed?
Unfortunately, Excel does not remember what you select using the Print What controls from one print job to the next; it always resets the default. The easiest way to always print the entire workbook, however, is to make a simple little macro like this:
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:
Sub PrintItAll()
ActiveWorkbook.PrintOut
End Sub
You can then create a button on the Quick Access Toolbar and assign this macro to that button. When you want to print the entire workbook, just click on the button. Easy and quick.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (10918) 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 an Entire Workbook by Default.
Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!
Excel allows you to specify certain rows or columns that will be repeated on the pages of a printout. Here's how to set ...
Discover MoreIf you want to print just the contents of a number of rows and columns, it can be challenging to get the output you want. ...
Discover MoreIt used to be quite difficult to produce a PDF file from an Excel workbook. Times change, though, and you now have a ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments