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 May 1, 2026)
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.
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