The ability to export Excel documents to PDF, or any other format, can come in handy in a variety of situations. In this tutorial, we will learn how to export Excel files to the most popular formats.
By default, Excel 2013 documents are saved in the .xlsx format. However, it is often necessary to use files in other formats such as PDF or an Excel 97-2003 workbook. With Microsoft Excel, you can easily export a workbook to various file types.
How to export an Excel workbook to a PDF file
Exporting to the Adobe Acrobat format, commonly known as PDF, can come in handy if you want to send a book to a user who doesn’t have Microsoft Excel. A PDF file allows the recipient to view, but not edit, the contents of the document.
- Click the File tab to switch to Backstage view.
- Click Export, then choose Create PDF/XPS Document.
- In the Publish as PDF or XPS dialog box that appears, select the location where you would like to export the book, enter a file name, and then click Publish.
By default, Excel only exports the active sheet. If you have multiple sheets in your workbook and you want to export all the sheets to a single PDF file, then in the Publish as PDF or XPS dialog box, click Options and select Entire Book in the resulting dialog box. Then click OK.
When exporting an Excel document to a PDF file, you need to consider how the data will look on the pages of the PDF file. Everything is exactly the same as when printing a book. For more information on what to consider when exporting books to PDF, check out the Page Layout lesson series.
Export to other file types
When you need to send a user a document from older versions of Microsoft Excel, such as Excel 97-2003, or a .csv file, you can export the document to other Excel formats
- Go to Backstage view.
- Click Export, then Change File Type.
- Select the desired file type, then click Save As.
- In the Save Document dialog box that appears, select the location where you want to export the Excel workbook, enter a file name, then click Save.
You can also export documents by selecting the desired format from the drop-down list in the Save Document dialog box.