Save Selected Range as PDF Using Macros In Excel

Excel Macros are incredibly flexible and you will be surprised with its bag of tricks! One of them is you can save any selected range as PDF. That’s right, any section in the spreadsheet that you have selected gets saved into a PDF!  Make sure your Excel has the Developer Tab enabled following this tutorial. I explain how you can do this below step by step!

Key Takeaways

• Export Precisely What You Need – Macros let you save only the selected cell range as a PDF, avoiding unnecessary content.

• Automate PDF Creation – You can automate the PDF export process to save time and reduce errors.

• Choose a Specific File Path – Macros allow setting a custom file name and folder for saving the PDF.

• Maintain Formatting – Your selected range retains its formatting and layout in the exported PDF.

• Add to a Workflow Button – Link the macro to a button for one-click PDF saving of reports, invoices, or summaries.

Quick Overview

What does it do?

Save selected range as a PDF file

Copy Source Code:

'Make sure you have something selected
Sub SaveSelectedRangeAsPdf

'The generated PDF will be opened as well
Selection.ExportAsFixedFormat Type:=xlTypePDF, OpenAfterPublish:=True

End Sub

Final Result: 

STEP 1: Go to Developer > Code > Visual Basic

 

STEP 2: Paste in your code and Select Save. Close the window afterwards.

 

STEP 3: Let us test it out!

Let us pick a specific section from our data table:

Go to Developer > Code > Macros

 

Make sure your macro is selected. Click Run.

 

With just one click, you now have your selected range saved into a PDF!

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I save only part of a worksheet as a PDF using a macro?
Yes, you can use a macro to export just a selected range of cells to a PDF file.

Will the macro keep the formatting of the selected range?
Yes, formatting such as fonts, colors, and borders will appear in the PDF as seen in the selected range.

Where will the PDF be saved?
You can set the macro to save the file to a specific folder or prompt you to choose the location.

Can I include the current date in the file name?
Yes, macros can be written to include dynamic elements like the date or time in the PDF file name.

Is it possible to add a button to trigger the macro?
Absolutely, you can insert a form control button on the sheet to run the macro with a single click.