My printer cannot print Excel files [GUARANTEED FIX]

Matthew Adams
by Matthew Adams
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Some users have stated in forum posts that they can’t print spreadsheets with Excel. Those users can print documents with from other software, but their Excel spreadsheets don’t print. Users usually need to adjust printer settings or spreadsheet formatting to fix Excel files that don’t print.

Solve this once and for all with the steps we provided below.

Why can’t I print Excel spreadsheets?

1. Check the Printer Selection

  1. Make sure you’re selecting to print the Excel spreadsheets with the default printer. To do so, click the printer button on Excel’s Print tab shown in the snapshot directly below.
    Printer drop-down menu my printer cannot print excel files
  2. Then select the default printer from there before printing.
  3. Users who aren’t sure what their default printers are can check by pressing the Windows key + S hotkey and entering ‘printer’ in the search box.
  4. Click Change default printer to open Settings’ Printers & scanners tab, which shows users what the default printer is as below.Printers & scanners tab my printer cannot print excel files

2. Check if the Printer is Paused

  1. Some users might need to unpause their printers to get their Excel documents printed. Users can do that by clicking the Settings button on Windows 10’s Start menu.
  2. Select Devices in Settings, and then click Devices and printers to open the window in the shot directly below.Device and Printers my printer cannot print excel files
  3. Right-click the default printer and select See what’s printing.Printer queue window my printer cannot print excel files
  4. Then click Printer and deselect the Pause Printing option.Pause Printing option my printer cannot print excel files
  5. In addition, deselect the Use Printer Offline option if that’s selected.

If you were wondering why does only part of your Excel spreadsheet prints, that’s a common issue. Here’s the fix.

3. Select a New Print Area

  1. Selecting a new print area can often resolve Excel printing issues. First, reset the print area by selecting the Page Layout tab and clicking the Print Area.Print Area option my printer cannot print excel files
  2. Then select the Clear Print Area option.
  3. Thereafter, select a new print area. Select the cells to include in the printed output with the cursor.
  4. Click the Print Area button.
  5. Select the Set Print Area option.

4. Copy the Excel Spreadsheet into a Blank Sheet and Save it

  1. Some users have said they’ve fixed Excel spreadsheets that don’t print by copying them into new, blank Excel sheets and saving them. To do that, click File > New and select Blank workbook.
  2. Then select all the cells within the spreadsheet that doesn’t print and press Ctrl + C to copy it.
  3. Select a cell in the blank Excel sheet, and press Ctrl + V to paste the spreadsheet into the sheet.
  4. Click File > Save As to open the window shown below.Save As window my printer cannot print excel files
  5. Enter a new title for the spreadsheet, and click the Save button.
  6. Then try printing the newly saved spreadsheet document.

5. Save the Spreadsheet as an XPS File

  1. Users have also stated that saving spreadsheets as XPS files can fix Excel printing.Save as type drop-down menu my printer cannot print excel files
  2. Users can do that by selecting XPS from the Save as type drop-down menu on the Save As window. Then click the Save button.

 

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