If a worksheet prints against the left side of the page, Excel can center the entire printed area horizontally without changing the alignment of individual cells. Open the Page Setup margins controls and enable Center on page: Horizontally.
Center the worksheet on the printed page
- Open the worksheet in desktop Excel.
- Select the Page Layout tab.
- Open the Margins menu and choose Custom Margins.
- In the Page Setup dialog, find Center on page.
- Check Horizontally.
- Select OK and inspect File > Print before printing.
This does not center the text inside cells
Page centering controls where the worksheet’s printed area sits on the paper. If you want the contents of cells centered, select those cells and use the alignment controls on the Home tab instead.
Use Print Preview to catch layout problems
A wide worksheet can still spill onto additional pages after it is centered. Adjust orientation, margins, print area, scaling, or page breaks when necessary. Avoid shrinking the sheet so aggressively that the text becomes difficult to read.
Although the original article referred to Excel 2013, the Page Setup concept remains available in current desktop Excel releases.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.