Using the Keyboard to Control Page Display in Print Preview

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 23, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


6

Kathy uses Print Preview all the time. There are small controls in Print Preview that allow you to control what page is displayed. Kathy wonders if there is a way to go forward or backward through the pages using the keyboard, rather than using the mouse.

Yes, there is a way. In fact, there are lots of ways. The trick, though, is to make sure that the Print Preview image is selected. (After you first press Ctrl+P, it is the Print button that is selected, not the image.) The easiest way to do this—after, of course, pressing Ctrl+P—is to press Alt+P, V. If you prefer, you could also press the Tab key repeated times (13 times on my system) until the image is selected. You can tell when the image is selected because it will have thin dashed line around it.

At this point you can use either Page Up, Left Arrow, or Up Arrow to move backward a page. Conversely, you can use Page Down, Right Arrow, or Down Arrow to move forward a page. You can also use Home to go to the first page and End to go to the last page.

Another way to move forward and backward through the pages is to press Ctrl+P to display Print Preview and then press Alt+P to activate the Print Preview shortcut keys. At this point you can repeatedly press F to move forward and B to move backward.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (13763) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.

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

Using Manual Line Breaks with Justified Paragraphs

If you use justified paragraphs, you know that if you press Shift+Enter, it can lead to some odd spacing between words ...

Discover More

Viewing Comments

Adding comments to a document is a normal activity when writing and editing. Once comments have been added, you may ...

Discover More

Viewing the Contents of a Very Wide Cell on Demand

Each cell in a worksheet can hold quite a bit of information. If you want to see the information in the cell without the ...

Discover More

Dive Deep into Macros! Make Excel do things you thought were impossible, discover techniques you won't find anywhere else, and create powerful automated reports. Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad help you instantly visualize information to make it actionable. You’ll find step-by-step instructions, real-world case studies, and 50 workbooks packed with examples and solutions. Check out Microsoft Excel 2019 VBA and Macros today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Printing a Week of Planner Sheets

If you want to print multiple copies of a worksheet using a different footer for each copy, the easiest way is to rely on ...

Discover More

Printing a Number of Different Pages

If you don't need to print an entire workbook, it can be confusing to figure out how to print just certain pages. This ...

Discover More

Changing Paper Size for a Complete Workbook

If you need to change the size of paper on which your worksheets will be printed, it can be bothersome to make the change ...

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 five minus 1?

2022-07-02 19:17:40

John Mann

I can't see the difference between Ctrl+p and Ctrl+F2 on my Excel 2010 running in Windows 10


2020-05-30 13:00:04

Henry

isn't CTRL + F2 = print preview the most direct way of launching the print preview image?


2020-05-24 14:29:26

Allen

Allan,

He is referring to this ExcelTip -- the one at the top of this very page.

When you press Ctrl+P in Excel, what you see depends, to a degree, on which version of Excel you are using. In the most recent versions, it brings up what is called the Back Office; it is the same as clicking the File tab of the ribbon and then choosing Print. On the resulting screen, you can see an "image" of what Excel is getting ready to print. This image is known as the Print Preview because it "previews" what you are getting ready to print.

I hope that helps.

-Allen


2020-05-24 14:22:36

Allan

J. Woolley,
What Excel tip are you referring to? When I do a CTL+p in either Word or Excel it brings up the Print menu which has nothing to do with Print Preview.


2020-05-24 10:16:39

J. Woolley

@Allan
Perhaps you didn't notice this comment is in the Excel Tips section of Tips.Net.


2020-05-23 14:39:28

Allan

Sorry, but none of the Ctl+P, etc worked with my Word 2007. Ctrl+P brought up the printer preferences.
I also use Print Preview often. The simplest way I have found to implement it is to add the Print Preview to the Menu Bar. Once Print Preview is opened can the scroll or Page up/Page down to view various pages.

I also found a way to make changes (Edit) to a document in Print Preview. In the Preview section, uncheck Magnifier. There is no way to do a Save here, but when Print Preview is closed the changes are saved.


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.