How Do You Convert Excel to PDF?
You convert Excel to PDF by adding your workbook to QuickCatPDF's Excel to PDF converter, choosing how the sheets should fit on the page, and clicking Convert to PDF. You get a PDF that keeps the cell formatting, number formats, charts and print settings of the spreadsheet, ready to send or print.
The converter works with XLSX, XLSM, XLS, XLSB and XLTX files, as well as ODS and Numbers spreadsheets. It's free, needs no sign-up and adds no watermark.
How to Convert an Excel Sheet to PDF With QuickCatPDF
Turning a workbook into a PDF takes four steps.
- Click Select Excel files or drop your workbooks on the page. You can add up to 10 files.
- Choose the Page fit, Orientation and which Sheets to include.
- For several files, choose Separate PDFs or One combined PDF.
- Click Convert to PDF, then download each PDF, the ZIP or the combined PDF.
Each file in the list shows its progress, from uploading to converting, and a preview of the first page appears when it's done.
Why Use QuickCatPDF to Convert Excel Spreadsheets?
QuickCatPDF gives you control over how sheets land on pages, which is where most spreadsheet PDFs go wrong. You can keep the page setup saved in the file, fit every column on the page width, or fit each sheet onto a single page, and switch between portrait and landscape without opening Excel.
The conversion runs on our own server with LibreOffice, a full office suite, so charts, merged cells, borders and number formats come through as they look in the spreadsheet. In our tests, a three-sheet workbook with 19 columns and a chart converted in about 2 seconds and produced a 27 KB PDF with selectable text.
Your workbook is sent over HTTPS and deleted when the conversion ends; the PDF is deleted as soon as your browser has downloaded it, and nothing is kept more than 1 hour.
What Do the Page Fit Options Do?
The Page fit setting decides how the columns and rows of each sheet are split across PDF pages.
| Option | What happens | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| As set in the file | Uses the print scaling saved in the workbook | Sheets already set up for printing |
| Fit all columns on the page width | Shrinks the sheet so no column is cut off; rows continue on more pages | Wide tables and reports |
| Fit each sheet on one page | Shrinks each whole sheet onto a single page | Small summaries and dashboards |
In our test workbook, the file's own setup split 19 columns across two pages, while Fit all columns on the page width put every column on page one. For a sheet that needs this every time, the Excel to PDF Fit to Page tool starts with that option and landscape already chosen.
Can You Choose Which Sheets Go Into the PDF?
Yes. Set Sheets to Choose sheets and a tick list of sheet names appears under each workbook, so you can leave out working sheets, notes or raw data. The sheets stay in their workbook order.
Sheet names are read in your browser for XLSX, XLSM and ODS files. For older XLS and XLSB files the list isn't available before conversion, so every visible sheet is converted. To combine chosen sheets from several workbooks into one document, see Multiple Sheets Excel to PDF.
What Happens to Formulas, Charts and Print Areas?
Formulas are converted to their calculated results, because a PDF shows values and can't run calculations. The values are the ones saved in the workbook; external links are not refreshed and macros never run, so check that the file was saved after its last update.
Charts and images are kept in place. Print areas set in the workbook are respected by default, so only the chosen range appears; choose Whole sheet under Print area to ignore them. Hidden sheets and hidden rows stay hidden, just as when you print from Excel.
Will the PDF Look Exactly Like My Spreadsheet?
The PDF matches the spreadsheet closely when it uses common fonts. Our server has metric-compatible versions of Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri and Cambria, so text takes the same space and columns don't shift.
A font that is neither on the server nor embedded in the file is replaced by a similar one, which can change line breaks inside cells. Text in a cell that is wider than its column is cut off at the next filled cell, the same way Excel prints it. If you need different page breaks, try Fit all columns on the page width before editing the workbook.
Frequently asked questions
Is this Excel to PDF converter free?
Yes, it's free with no sign-up and no watermark. There is a fair-use limit of 60 files an hour per visitor so the server stays fast for everyone.
Are my Excel files uploaded?
Yes, Excel files are converted on our own server, because spreadsheets need full office software to lay out correctly. Files travel over HTTPS, are never opened by people, and are deleted automatically: the workbook when conversion ends and the PDF right after download.
Can I convert XLS, XLSM and XLSB files?
Yes, all three convert, along with XLSX, XLTX, ODS and Numbers files. Macros in XLSM files are not run; their last saved values appear in the PDF.
How do I get landscape pages?
Set Orientation to Landscape before converting. You can also choose the Paper size: A4, Letter, A3 or Legal.
Can I print gridlines?
Yes, set Gridlines to Print gridlines to show cell lines in the PDF, or to No gridlines to hide them. The default follows the workbook's own print setting.
What's the file size limit?
Each workbook can be up to 50 MB, and you can convert up to 10 files at once. Password-protected workbooks need the password removed in Excel first. Documents and slides convert with Word to PDF and PowerPoint to PDF.
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