Excel to PDF Without Losing Formatting
Find out exactly what is kept when you convert Excel to PDF, and when to use a different method.
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How to convert Excel to PDF
Three quick steps. Nothing to install and nothing leaves your device.
Add your Excel files
Click the upload area or drag one or more .xlsx, .xls or .csv files onto it. You can select several at once.
Choose options
Pick the page size (A4, Letter, Legal or A3), the orientation, whether to include all sheets or only the first, and the table style.
Convert and download
Press Convert to PDF, check the page count, then download each PDF or all of them as a ZIP.
What is kept, and what is not
This tool turns your sheet into a clean table of values. It does not copy the visual design of the sheet, so here is the honest list.
- Kept: cell values as Excel displays them, including dates, numbers and currency.
- Kept: sheet names, as headings.
- Added: a blue header row, table lines or stripes, and page numbers.
- Not kept: cell colours, fonts, charts, images, merged-cell layout and formulas, which show as their results.
- Need the exact look? Use the Save as PDF option in Excel itself.
More Excel to PDF options
- Excel to PDF converter (main tool)
- XLSX to PDF Converter
- Convert Excel to PDF Online Free
- XLS to PDF Converter
- CSV to PDF Converter
- Excel to PDF All Sheets
- Excel to PDF for Wide Sheets
- Excel to PDF for Printing
- Excel Invoice to PDF
- Excel Report to PDF
- Batch Excel to PDF Converter
- Excel to PDF Without Excel
- Excel to PDF Converter for Mac
- Excel to PDF Converter for Windows
- Excel to PDF on Android and iPhone
Why convert Excel to PDF?
A spreadsheet can look different on every computer, and anyone who opens it can change the numbers. A PDF looks the same everywhere, which makes it the usual choice for sharing price lists, reports, schedules and statements.
This tool builds the PDF in your browser, so spreadsheets with prices, salaries or customer data are not uploaded.
How this tool converts your file
- Each sheet becomes a table. Every sheet starts on a new page with its name as a heading. You can include all sheets or only the first.
- Values appear as Excel displays them. Dates, numbers and currency come through as formatted in the file. Formulas show their results.
- Wide sheets continue on extra pages. Columns that do not fit across the page carry on to following pages, and the header row is repeated on every page so the data stays readable.
- Orientation can be automatic. In Auto mode, sheets with more than 6 columns are set in landscape and narrower sheets in portrait. You can force either one.
- Four page sizes. A4, Letter, Legal and A3.
- Three table styles. Grid lines, striped rows or plain. The first row is shown as a blue header.
- Text size adjusts. The font is 9 pt for up to 6 columns, 8 pt up to 12 columns and 7 pt beyond that.
- Pages are numbered. Each page has its number and the total at the bottom right.
- CSV files work too. Add a .csv file and it is converted as a one-sheet table.
What is not kept
- Colours, fonts, charts, images and merged-cell layout. The PDF is a clean table of the cell values.
- Non-Latin text. The PDF uses standard Latin fonts. Letters from other scripts, such as Bengali, Arabic, Chinese or Cyrillic, are replaced with a question mark, and the tool tells you how many characters were replaced. For those files, use Excel's own Save as PDF.
- Small symbol clean-up. Curly quotes and long dashes become plain ones, the ellipsis becomes three dots, the euro sign becomes "EUR", and line breaks inside cells become spaces.
Tips for better results
- Want wide sheets on one page width? XLSX to PDF shrinks the text to fit the columns instead of continuing on extra pages.
- Table runs across too many pages? Choose A3 or Landscape, or remove columns you do not need in Excel first.
- Only need one sheet? Set Sheets to include to First sheet only, or delete the other sheets before converting.
- Starting from raw data? CSV to XLSX builds a workbook, and XLSX to CSV goes the other way.
- Need to combine or shrink the PDF? Use Merge PDF or Compress PDF.
- Got a PDF with a table? PDF to Excel brings it back into a spreadsheet.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about the ConvertKit Lite Excel to PDF tool.
Are my spreadsheets uploaded to a server?
No. The PDF is created in your browser, so your Excel files stay on your device.
What is kept from the Excel file?
Cell values as they are displayed (dates, numbers and currency), and the sheet names. Cell colors, fonts, charts, images, merged-cell layout and formulas are not kept. The PDF shows a clean table of the results.
What happens with wide sheets?
Columns that do not fit on one page continue on the following pages, and the header row is repeated so the data stays readable. Auto orientation switches to landscape for sheets with many columns.
Why do some characters show as question marks?
The PDF uses standard Latin fonts. Letters from other scripts, such as Bengali, Arabic, Chinese or Cyrillic, cannot be drawn and are replaced with a question mark. For these files, use Excel's own Save as PDF.
Can I convert password-protected files?
No. Remove the password in Excel first, then add the file again.
Can I convert many files at once?
Yes. Add several files, convert them together, and download each PDF or one ZIP.
Which file types can I add?
XLSX, XLS and CSV files. Select several at once to convert them together.
Can I choose a bigger page size?
Yes. Choose A4, Letter, Legal or A3 under Page size. A3 is handy for wide sheets.
Is the first row treated as a header?
Yes. The first row of each sheet is shown as a blue header and repeated at the top of every page the table continues on.
Can I convert only the first sheet?
Yes. Set Sheets to include to First sheet only. With All sheets, every sheet that has data gets its own pages.
What are the table styles?
Grid lines draw borders around every cell. Striped rows use alternating light shading without borders. Plain has no lines or shading.
Are empty sheets and empty rows included?
No. Rows with no content are dropped, and a sheet with no data is skipped. If the whole file is empty, you get a message instead of a PDF.
What do the page numbers look like?
Each page shows its number and the total, such as 2 / 5, at the bottom right. The PDF's title is set to your file name.
What is in the ZIP download?
One PDF for each file, named after the original. If two files share a name, a number is added to the second. The ZIP is called excel-to-pdf.zip.
Will my cell colours and charts appear in the PDF?
No. The PDF is a clean table of the cell values. Colours, fonts, charts and images are not kept.
How do I keep the exact look of my spreadsheet?
Use the Save as PDF or Export option in Excel itself. This tool makes a clean table, not a copy of how the sheet looks.