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Convert Excel to PDF online, step by step

Converting an Excel file to PDF lets you send a table that no one can change by mistake and that everyone can open, with or without a spreadsheet program. With Certyneo Reader, the workbook is read and laid out in your browser, on your device: it is never sent to a server. Here is the full process, from the workbook to a PDF ready to go.

1. Open the workbook in Excel and save it. This step matters more than it seems: the conversion prints the values Excel saved for each formula; it does not recalculate them.
2. Check what should appear: hide working sheets, rows or columns, and set a print area if you only want to share part of a sheet.
3. Drop the .xlsx or .xlsm file into the reader at the top of this page, by drag and drop or from your folders, up to 150 MB.
4. The PDF opens in the reader. Scroll through it: each sheet starts with its name, the page header shows the sheet and the footer shows the page number.
5. Save the PDF, or touch it up first: remove an unnecessary page, add a watermark, protect the file with a password.

If you are not happy with the result, fix the workbook in Excel, save it and convert it again: it only takes a few moments, and there is no limit on the number of conversions.

Why turn an Excel spreadsheet into a PDF

An Excel workbook is a working tool: its formulas, tabs and helper calculation columns are often your business alone. The PDF is its publishable version.

• Lock the figures: a budget, a priced quote or an expense report sent as a PDF can no longer be changed by an unfortunate keystroke.
• Show only the result: hidden sheets and columns are not printed, so your intermediate calculations stay with you.
• Be readable everywhere: the recipient needs neither Excel nor a spreadsheet program; a phone is enough to open the file.
• Attach a table to an application: many portals, tenders and funding applications accept only PDFs.
• Archive a snapshot at a given date: an inventory, a monthly dashboard or an attendance list, exactly as they were when sent.

For the reverse, that is, getting the figures of a statement or an invoice received as a PDF back into a spreadsheet, our guide explains how to convert a PDF to Excel with usable amounts.

What the Excel to PDF conversion carries over

The tool does not take a screenshot of the sheet: it reads each cell, its content and its formatting, then composes readable pages. Here is what you will find in the PDF, and what is not included.

The text in the PDF is real text: it can be searched, selected and copied. A recipient can therefore find a name or an amount in a long table with their PDF reader's search.

How a large Excel table is split into pages

The main difficulty when converting an Excel table to PDF is width. On screen, a sheet has no edge; on an A4 page, it does. The tool applies rules designed to keep every figure legible.

• A4 size, in portrait for a narrow table, automatically in landscape as soon as the table is wide.
• Text size adapted to the table's width, to fit the columns without sacrificing readability.
• Beyond 25 columns, the sheet is split into successive blocks of columns, printed one after another, rather than shrunk to an unreadable size.
• Header row repeated at the top of every page: it is the first row if it is bold, or the row of labels sitting above figures.
• A row is never cut between two pages: a row with several lines of text moves whole to the next page.
• Each sheet starts with its name; the page header shows the sheet and the footer gives the page number as page / pages.

What to do if your table has more than 25 columns

Splitting into blocks keeps everything, but forces the reader to flip between pages to follow a row. If you want to avoid that, reduce the number of columns you share: hide the helper calculation columns, or set a print area limited to the useful columns. For a very large table meant to be reworked, also consider sending the workbook itself along with the PDF.

For the header row to be recognized and repeated, put your column labels in bold on the first row. It is a simple habit that makes the PDF much easier to read from the second page on.

Dates, numbers and formulas: what to know before converting an xlsx to PDF

Formulas are not recalculated

An Excel file stores, for each formula, the last value calculated when it was saved. The conversion prints that value, exactly as a printout would. If you changed a piece of data without saving afterwards, the PDF shows the previous result, the one from the last save. The fix is always the same: open the workbook in Excel, let it calculate, save, then convert.

Formats follow the reader's language

Dates, percentages, decimals and thousands separators are written in the language of the reader's interface, as Excel installed in that language would do: in French, for instance, a decimal comma and a space between thousands, day, month, year order, and VRAI rather than TRUE for a logical value. If you are converting a table for readers of another language, switch the reader to that language before converting.

What about a CSV file?

A .csv file has no formatting and no sheets: it is text separated by commas or semicolons. It is converted as monospaced text, whose columns stay aligned. For real table output, with a repeated header and number formats, open it in Excel and save it as .xlsx before converting.

Limits of the Excel to PDF conversion, and how to work around them

The tool prints cells. Anything that is not a cell, or that depends on a display calculation specific to Excel, is not carried over. Better to know before sending the document.

• Charts and images placed on the sheet: missing from the PDF. In Excel, save the chart as an image, then add that image to the PDF after the conversion, as explained below.
• Conditional formatting: colors computed from the value, such as a negative amount in red, do not appear. If the information matters, add an explicit column or a fixed font color.
• Thin borders: not carried over. A solid fill on every other row is a good alternative to guide the eye.
• Cell comments and notes: not carried over. Copy useful remarks into a dedicated column.
• Old .xls format: rejected. Open it in Excel or another spreadsheet program and save it as .xlsx.

To put a chart back in, convert the workbook, then use the tool to insert a page into a PDF: it accepts a PNG or JPG image directly, placed before the first page, after the page of your choice or at the end. If you would rather prepare the image separately, you can also turn a JPG or PNG image into a PDF, then combine it with the rest.

If the document must reproduce Excel's display exactly, charts and conditional formatting included, export it from Excel itself, via File, Save As, then PDF as the file type.

Which method to choose to convert an Excel file to PDF

Several paths lead to the same result. They differ in where the workbook is processed, what is carried over and what software you need.

The most noticeable difference lies in the layout. From Excel, a wide table often ends up cut across several pages if you have not set the orientation and print titles. Here, landscape and header repetition are automatic.

The second lies in confidentiality: a salary list, a balance sheet or a customer file converted in your browser never passes through a server, which removes the risk of a leak at a service provider.

After the conversion: slim down, mark, protect, sign

The PDF opens in the free online PDF reader, where the tools can be chained on the same document. A typical sequence for a financial table goes like this.

1. Remove the pages that should not go out, for example an assumptions sheet: delete the unnecessary pages from the PDF by typing their numbers.
2. Mark the document: add a “CONFIDENTIAL” watermark to every page for an internal table or a projected budget.
3. Attach it to a larger file: combine several PDFs into a single file, for example the figures table, the report and the appendices.
4. Protect it: lock the PDF with a password before emailing it.
5. Get it approved: for a quote or an approved statement, send the PDF for electronic signature.

As long as you have not saved, every step can be reversed with the Undo button.

More questions about converting Excel to PDF

How do I convert a single sheet of a workbook to PDF?

Hide the other sheets in Excel, save, then convert: hidden sheets are left out. You can also convert the whole workbook and then remove the pages of the sheets you do not need.

Can I convert an Excel file to PDF from a phone?

Yes. The tool works in recent browsers on Android, iPhone and iPad. Pick the .xlsx file from your files or a saved attachment, then save the resulting PDF. To fix a formula, however, you need to go back to a spreadsheet program.

Does a large workbook with several thousand rows work?

Yes. Large sheets are processed efficiently, within the limit of 150 MB per file. The PDF will simply have as many pages as needed, with the header repeated on each one.

How do I attach an Excel table to a Word report in the same PDF?

Start by converting the Word document to PDF, then insert the workbook at the right place with the page insertion tool, which also accepts an .xlsx file. You get a single PDF, ready to be numbered and sent.