To share something you track in a spreadsheet, like company finances, club information, or a team roster, you can use a PDF instead of a spreadsheet. We will show you a couple of ways to convert Google Sheets to PDF.
Depending on how you plan to share the file, you can simply download, save, and send it however you like. Alternatively, you can post a link to the file on your site for others to view the PDF sheet. This is especially useful if you plan to make updates to the PDF in the future.
Download Google Sheets in PDF
If you plan to send the PDF file via email, text or chat app, you can easily download it as a PDF.
RELATED: How to create a PDF from a Google Docs document
Visit Google Sheets, open the workbook, and do one of the following:
- To convert specific cells, select them.
- To convert a certain spreadsheet, activate it by opening that spreadsheet.
- To convert the entire workbook, you don’t have to select anything, just go to the next step.
Go to File > Download and select “PDF” from the pop-up menu.
At the top right, use the Export dropdown menu to choose from the current sheet, the entire workbook, or selected cells. Then adjust the paper size and page orientation to your preference.
You can then scale to fit the width, height, or page and make the margins narrow or wide as needed.
You can then use the Formatting and Headers & Footers sections at the bottom of the sidebar. For formatting, you can check options to show or hide gridlines and notes and adjust alignment.
For headers and footers, you can check options to include page numbers, the name of the sheet or workbook, and the current date and time. You can also click “Edit Custom Fields” to view or add these options. Finally, check the boxes if you want to repeat the frozen rows or columns on your sheet.
When you’re done, click “Export” on the top right. The file will download and appear in your default download location.
Post a link to the PDF
If you have a website where you want to share your spreadsheet or workbook as a PDF for others to view, this is another option.
RELATED: How to share a Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides file as a web page
Select File > Share and choose “Publish to the web” from the pop-up menu.
When the post box opens, confirm that you’re on the Link tab. Click the Entire Document dropdown menu if you want to convert a specific sheet instead of the entire workbook and select it.
Then click the Web Page drop-down menu and choose “PDF Document (.pdf)”.
Optionally, you can expand the Settings and published content section and check the option to automatically republish when you make changes to the sheet or workbook.
Select “Publish” or “Start Publishing” and confirm by clicking “OK”.
You can then select and copy the URL, add it to a Gmail message, or share it on Facebook or Twitter.
If you decide to unpublish the file later, go back to File > Share > Publish to Web. Expand the Settings and published content section and choose “Stop publishing.” Then confirm with “OK” in the pop-up box.
Creating a PDF from your spreadsheet or workbook is a great way to share Google Sheets data with others. If you use Microsoft Excel in addition to Google Sheets, check out how to save an Excel sheet as a PDF too.
