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.

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:

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:

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 (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.

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

Linking to Slides in PowerPoint

If you are preparing a document that references a presentation you created in PowerPoint, you may want to reference in ...

Discover More

Sorting Decimal Values

Government and industrial organizations often use a numbering system that relies upon a number both before and after a ...

Discover More

Offering Options in a Macro

When creating macros, you often need to offer a series of choices to a user. This tip demonstrates how easy it is to ...

Discover More

Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2019 For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Preventing Changes to Multiple Selected Worksheets

It is common to select a group of worksheets and then print them. When done, any edits you make may affect the entire ...

Discover More

Controlling the Printer in a Macro

Need to access the advanced capabilities of a printer from within an Excel macro? You may be out of luck, unless you ...

Discover More

Collating Copies

When you print multiple copies of worksheets that require more than one page each, you'll probably want those copies ...

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 3 + 1?

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.