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How to Make Excel Notes Appear When Printing or Exporting to PDF
Question details
The user needs to make cell notes and comments visible when printing an Excel worksheet or exporting it to a PDF.
- Product
- Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Preparing a worksheet for physical printing or digital sharing via PDF where inline explanations or notes are required.
- Observed behavior
- Cell notes appear normally while viewing the active worksheet but disappear when opening Print Preview or viewing the final printed/exported PDF document.
Ensure that the notes you want to print are actively visible on the worksheet itself; hidden notes will not appear in the printout even if your page settings are configured correctly.
Adjust Page Setup to Print Notes As Displayed
Modify the worksheet's Page Setup settings to instruct Excel to include visible cell notes in the final printout or PDF export.
Excel provides specific options for handling comments and notes during the printing process. By default, notes are excluded to save ink and space. Changing this setting requires adjusting the sheet options within the Page Layout tab.
Navigate to the 'Page Layout' tab on the main ribbon of your Excel workbook.
Click the small launcher arrow in the bottom right corner of the 'Page Setup' group to open the full Page Setup dialog box.
Click on the 'Sheet' tab located at the top of the Page Setup dialog window.
Locate the 'Comments and notes' dropdown menu. Click it and select 'As displayed on sheet' from the list of options, then click 'OK'.
Go to 'File' > 'Print' to review the Print Preview and confirm your notes are visible, then proceed to print or use 'Save As' to export the file to PDF.
Effortlessly Print Spreadsheets with Notes Using WPS Office
WPS Spreadsheet provides intuitive page setup options, allowing you to easily manage how comments and notes appear when printing or exporting to PDF.
- 1. Show Notes on Sheet: Right-click the cells containing notes in WPS Spreadsheet and select 'Show/Hide Note'.
- 2. Modify Page Setup: Go to the 'Page Layout' tab, click 'Settings' to open Page Setup, and under the 'Sheet' tab, set Comments to 'As displayed on sheet'.
- 3. Export to PDF: Click 'Menu' in the top left corner and select 'Export to PDF' to save your document with all visible notes preserved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my notes still missing in Print Preview after changing the setting?
If notes are still missing, they are likely hidden on the worksheet. The 'As displayed on sheet' setting only prints notes that are currently unhidden. You must right-click the cell and select 'Show/Hide Note' to ensure it remains visible before printing.
Can I print all notes on a separate page instead of over the spreadsheet data?
Yes. In the Page Setup dialog box, go to the 'Sheet' tab and select 'At end of sheet' from the 'Comments and notes' dropdown menu. This will compile all notes and print them on the last page of your document.
Does exporting an Excel file to PDF maintain my print settings?
Yes, Excel's PDF export feature relies on the active Print Area and Page Setup rules. If you configure the sheet to print notes, the resulting PDF will also include those notes exactly as they would appear on paper.
