Excel to PDF converter — tidy, paginated tables from .xlsx or .csv

How to use Excel to PDF

1. Choose an .xlsx, .xls, .ods or .csv file.
2. Pick the Page size and the Orientation. Auto (fit width) picks portrait or landscape for each sheet.
3. Choose All sheets or First sheet, and set the Text size (9 pt by default).
4. Keep First row is a header (repeat on every page) and Gridlines ticked, or untick them for a plainer look.
5. Press Convert to PDF and download the file.

What it does and when to use it

Spreadsheets are awkward to share with people who just need to read or print them. Sending the .xlsx invites accidental edits, and printing straight from a spreadsheet app often splits columns across pages or shrinks everything to an unreadable size. A PDF table solves both problems.

This tool is aimed at data tables: price lists, attendance registers, inventory sheets, mark lists, contact lists, expense logs and exported reports from accounting or HR software. It reads the cell values and prints them as a tidy table that fits the page width, with the header row repeated at the top of every page so readers never lose track of the columns.

How it works

The conversion runs in a background worker in your browser. SheetJS reads the workbook (or CSV) and takes each cell’s displayed value, so numbers keep their formatting. Blank rows and empty trailing columns are dropped.

pdf-lib then lays out the table:

• It measures how wide each column needs to be. In Auto orientation, a sheet that would not fit across a portrait page is printed in landscape.
• If the columns are still too wide, it scales the text down, never below 6 pt, and wraps long cell contents onto several lines within the cell.
• Numbers, including amounts with currency symbols and percentages, are right-aligned so digits line up.
• The header row is drawn in bold and repeated on each new page, and each page shows the sheet’s name at the top.

Margins are a fixed 12 mm. The result tells you how many sheets and rows were read and how many pages were produced.

Worked examples

A 12-column sales sheet with 300 rows. In Auto mode the sheet is printed in landscape A4, with the header repeated on every page and the amount columns right-aligned. The result panel shows the exact number of pages.

A class attendance register exported as CSV. CSV files have one table, so the sheet options do not matter. Untick Gridlines for a lighter look if you will print it.

A workbook with a summary sheet and a data sheet. Choose First sheet to send only the summary, or All sheets to include both one after another.

A very wide export from accounting software. Choose A3 in landscape to give the columns more room, or delete columns you do not need in your spreadsheet first.

Limits and tips

• Charts, images, merged cells, cell colours and conditional formatting are not reproduced.
• Characters outside the standard PDF fonts, such as Indian scripts or emoji, are replaced with a question mark.
• To look through a CSV before converting, open it in the CSV Viewer. Messy exports can be tidied with the CSV Cleaner first.
• To combine the PDF with a cover letter or other documents, use the PDF Merger, and protect it with Protect PDF if it contains personal data.
• Need it smaller for an upload form? Compress PDF to 300 KB with image conversion off keeps the table text sharp and selectable.