Scale a worksheet

If your worksheet has a lot of columns, you can use the Scale to Fit options to reduce the size of the worksheet to better fit the printed page.

Follow these steps:

1. Click the Page Layout tab on the ribbon.
2. In the Scale to Fit group, in the Width box, select 1 page, and in the Height box, select Automatic. Columns will now appear on one page, but the rows may extend to more than one page.

For the best experience as you scale a worksheet, it is important to remember the following:

• If your worksheet has many columns, you may need to switch the page orientation from portrait to landscape. To do this, go to Page Layout >Page Setup >Orientation, and click Landscape.
• Consider using a larger paper size to accommodate many columns. To switch the default paper size, go to Page Layout >Page Setup >Size, and then choose the size you want.
• Use the Print Area command (Page Setup group) to exclude any columns or rows that you don't need to print. For example, if you want to print columns A through F, but not columns G through Z, set the print area to include only columns A through F.
• You can shrink or enlarge a worksheet for a better fit on printed pages. To do that, in Page Setup, click the window launcher button. Then, click Scaling >Adjust to, and then enter the percentage of the normal size that you want to use.

Note: To reduce a worksheet to better fit the printed pages, enter a percentage that is smaller than 100%. To enlarge a worksheet to fit the printed pages, enter a percentage greater than 100%.

• Excel ignores manual page breaks when you use the Fit to option.
• Excel does not stretch the data to fill the pages.

When you print an Excel worksheet, you may find that the print font size is not what you expect.

Follow these steps to scale the worksheet for print by increasing or decreasing its font size.

1. In the worksheet, click File >Print.
2. Under Settings, click Custom Scaling >Custom Scaling Options.
3. Click Page and in the Adjust to box, choose a percentage by which you want to increase or decrease the font size.
4. Review your changes in Print Preview and—if you want a different font size—repeat the steps.

Note: Before you click Print, check the paper size setting in the printer properties, and also make sure the printer actually has paper in that size. If the paper size setting is different from the paper size in your printer, Excel adjusts the printout to fit the paper size in the printer and the printed worksheet might not match your Print Preview

In Print Preview, if the worksheet appears to be reduced to a single page, check if a scaling option like Fit Sheet on One Page has been applied. Refer to the section above to learn how to make adjustments.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in Communities.