Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 4, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
When you print a worksheet, you can have Excel include a variety of items in the header or footer of the printout. One of the things you can include is the page number of the page being printed. This page number is pretty mundane—it is the Arabic value of the page being printed, as in 1, 2, 3, etc.
Some people may long for a way to print page letters (A, B, C) instead of page numbers (1, 2, 3). There is no intrinsic way to do this in Excel. You can, however, develop a macro that will figure out the letter that should be associated with a page, and then use that letter in the footer. The following macro does just that:
Sub LetterPageNums() Dim sArr(27 * 26) As String Dim iPages As Integer Dim J As Integer, K As Integer ' Fill page letter array ' "A", "B", "C", ...,"AA", "AB", etc. For J = 0 To 26 For K = 1 To 26 If J > 0 Then sArr((J * 26) + K) = Chr(J + 64) & Chr(K + 64) Else sArr(K) = Chr(K + 64) End If Next K Next J ' Get count of pages in active sheet iPages = ExecuteExcel4Macro("Get.Document(50)") ' Print worksheet, page by page With ActiveSheet For J = 1 To iPages ' Set page letter .PageSetup.CenterFooter = sArr(J) ' Print page(J) .PrintOut From:=J, To:=J Next J End With End Sub
First, the macro figures out the letter equivalent of pages numbers and puts them in an array. In this case, up to 702 page letters are calculated, which should be more than enough for any print job. The letters are A through Z, then AA through AZ, BA through BZ, and all the way up to ZA through ZZ.
Then, iPages is set to the number of pages in the worksheet. Finally, each page is individually printed, with the page letter being placed into the center footer of the worksheet. If you want the page letter in some different place, use .LeftFooter or .RightFooter instead of the .CenterFooter property. (You can also use .LeftHeader, .CenterHeader, and .RightHeader, if desired.)
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12930) 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: Changing Page Number Format.
Program Successfully in Excel! John Walkenbach's name is synonymous with excellence in deciphering complex technical topics. With this comprehensive guide, "Mr. Spreadsheet" shows how to maximize your Excel experience using professional spreadsheet application development tips from his own personal bookshelf. Check out Excel 2013 Power Programming with VBA today!
Page numbers in Excel printouts are typically simple counters, without much chance for embellishment. If you want to add ...
Discover MoreDo you want to change the headers and footers that appear on different pages of your printout? Here's how you can get ...
Discover MoreNeed to copy headers and footers from one worksheet to another? How about from one workbook to another? Here are some ...
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