Excel and PDF are two completely different file formats in so many aspects. People use Excel to create and edit spreadsheets, and they use PDF to create documents. But one thing that makes these two formats similar is their usefulness. For this reason, you can see both Excel and PDF everywhere. You can see them in schools, offices, and other areas where spreadsheets and documents play essential roles. They are two of the most popular file formats to exist today.
However, there are instances when it becomes necessary to convert an Excel spreadsheet to a PDF file. Because spreadsheets could also be treated as documents, there are situations when they need to be printed. There are many ways to convert Excel spreadsheets to PDF files, each with its advantages and disadvantages. This article will further explain the two most common methods of converting Excel to PDF.
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Method One: Websites Like PDFBear
While there are many ways you can try to perform this task, converting Excel to PDF can seem tricky. However, one of the many ways you can convert your Excel spreadsheets to PDF documents is by using websites like PDFBear. For those who don’t know, PDFBear is a website that allows users to perform a wide variety of tasks related to PDFs and other essential document formats, such as Word and Excel.
Thanks to its simple user interface, using PDFBear is straightforward. If you are using it for the first time, you will face little to no difficulties using this website. To use this website in converting your Excel spreadsheets to PDF files, you can follow these simple steps:
- First, open the PDFBear website on your computer or mobile device and choose the Excel spreadsheet you want to be converted. You can do this by either clicking the “Select Files” button or dragging and dropping the file into the web page.
- After uploading the Excel file to the website, PDFBear will start converting it. Know that this process could take a few minutes to finish.
- Finally, you can download the converted file on your mobile device or computer once the process is done.
Advantages of Using PDFBear
When you compare other tools out there, you will immediately notice that PDFBear is quick and easy to use. To start, you don’t need to log in or sign up for an account before using this website. This feature enables users to finish the process faster since the website removed an essential but time-consuming step from the process. It also makes this website more accessible since not everyone can create an account before converting their Excel files to PDF documents. Furthermore, PDFBear uses cloud-based technologies, making it compatible with various web browsers on almost every mobile device or computer, regardless of the software version. It only means you can use PDFBear anytime and anywhere, which is excellent, mainly if you perform these tasks on the go.
Method Two: Microsoft Excel
Many of us are already familiar with this website and what it can do. But for those who don’t know, Microsoft Excel is one of the most ubiquitous office tools out there. Almost every professional uses it, from managers, accountants, teachers, and even ordinary office employees. Despite the increasing popularity of other tools for making spreadsheets such as Google Sheets, offices and schools still use this software for creating and editing spreadsheets. For this procedure, you can save your Excel spreadsheet as a PDF file using Microsoft Excel. Note as well that these steps would mainly apply to Microsoft Excel for Windows computers. The measures provided below would also vary, depending on the version of your Microsoft Excel. But you can follow this general procedure to save your Excel file to a PDF document.
- First, open Microsoft Excel on your Windows computer. You can either create a new spreadsheet or open an existing one.
- Once you’ve created a new spreadsheet, input any data you need to put and format it accordingly. As for existing spreadsheets, you can edit them if necessary.
- Next, click the File tab and click the Save A Copy tab after making the necessary changes to your file.
- Then, a pop-up window could appear on your computer. If necessary, you can rename your file and select “PDF” as the file type in the drop-down located on the same pop-up window mentioned earlier.
- Finally, click Save to save your spreadsheet in your preferred format. You can also find the file and open it using Adobe Acrobat Reader to check the changes you made.
Advantages of Using Microsoft Excel
The most significant advantage of using Microsoft Excel in converting Excel files to PDF files is creating a spreadsheet from scratch and saving it in a different format. In contrast to online file converters like PDFBear, you could only upload spreadsheets that either you or someone else would have already created. This feature gives the user a bit more freedom in creating, editing, and saving their spreadsheets. Furthermore, this method is most applicable to Windows users since most Windows computers already have Microsoft Excel installed. Since this is the case, they wouldn’t have to open a different website on their web browser and proceed with converting their Excel spreadsheet to a PDF file using Microsoft Excel. You can also try doing this task on the Microsoft Excel app for Android devices. But keep in mind that the steps to do this using the Microsoft Excel app for Android devices would be completely different from the steps outlined earlier.
Conclusion
Excel is a great file format when it comes to making and editing spreadsheets. It’s also a great file format to use if you want to perform specific calculations, especially with software like Microsoft Excel. But when it comes to printing and sharing spreadsheets, it may not be the ideal file format to use. Therefore, the Excel file needs to be converted to a PDF document before the spreadsheet can be printed either as part of a document or as the document itself.
When it comes to converting Excel spreadsheets to PDF documents, there are many tools you can use. Each tool or app has its benefits and demerits, depending on how you use them. But if you prefer using something that will allow you to convert your Excel spreadsheets to PDF documents in a fast, convenient, and efficient way, then consider giving PDFBear a try!