Print Preview page in Excel worksheet is much too small. How do I enlarge the print preview box

B. Michael Gould 20

Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 433K Reputation points

2026-02-10T23:00:05.7566667+00:00

As is often the case the Q&A AI bot is quick to spew forth a solution without actually knowing what the problem is.

There is no Print Preview in Mac Excel. Do you mean Page Layout View, Page Break Preview or the Quick Preview in the Print dialog?

Also, please clarify what you mean by much too small. Exactly what is too small? Are you referring to display size, page dimensions, font size? Please provide clear & accurate details supported by screenshots.

Additionally, it's always a good idea to indicate the current Version Number of both macOS & Office... issues & their solutions can vary on the basis of those specs.

Answer accepted by question author

Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 433K Reputation points

2026-02-18T03:58:00.59+00:00

Your screenshot shows a perfectly normal Print dialog which is supplied by the print subsystem of the OS. It's merely intended to provide an indication of how the content will appear in print. It is not a scalable window. Neither can the thumbnails be enlarged.

If you want a larger display of how the content will print go to View> Page Layout in the Excel menu bar. Page Layout view also can be selected using the Page Layout tool on the View tab of the Ribbon as well as by using the View Shortcuts at the right end of the Status Bar:

You may find Page Break Preview to be useful as well.
Please sign in to rate this answer.
B. Michael Gould 20 Reputation points

2026-02-18T05:53:43.39+00:00

I really appreciate your advice Mr. Jones. Thank you for being so patient. I’ll give your suggestions a shot tomorrow. Sincerely

Michael
Sign in to comment

Use comments to ask for clarification, additional information, or improvements to the question.

10 additional answers

B. Michael Gould 20 Reputation points

2026-02-16T20:11:06.02+00:00

Hi Mr. Jones,

Updating both MAC OS & Microsoft Office 365 to 16.106 didn't seem to help.

I'm going to drag the screenshot (showing the issue) from my desktop to the area just below this line
Please sign in to rate this answer.

0 comments No comments
Sign in to comment

Use comments to ask for clarification, additional information, or improvements to the question.
B. Michael Gould 20 Reputation points

2026-02-16T01:43:16.7233333+00:00

Just downloaded Excel 16.106. Don't know where to go from here.
Please sign in to rate this answer.

0 comments No comments
Sign in to comment

Use comments to ask for clarification, additional information, or improvements to the question.
B. Michael Gould 20 Reputation points

2026-02-10T21:26:49.51+00:00

When I click on "print" for my Worksheet, a small box populates the screen. That screen is the "Print Preview screen" and all options at the top of my display are greyed out.
Please sign in to rate this answer.
Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 433K Reputation points

2026-02-10T23:20:45.4766667+00:00

I'm sorry but I can't help if you don't supply the requested information.

B. Michael Gould 20 Reputation points

2026-02-12T20:40:08.93+00:00

Hi Mr. Jones,

Thank you for your response. Sorry it's taken this long, but I just returned home.

I have an iMAC 24" Desktop, "Tahoe 26.2"

I have "Microsoft Excel for MAC, Version 16.105.2"

I also have a screen shot that illustrates the issue, but am not sure if I can insert it into this box

Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 433K Reputation points

2026-02-12T22:05:00.3933333+00:00

Thanks for the info — both of the versions are slightly behind. Tahoe now is at 26.3 & 16.106 is the current build of Office. See if updating them provides the remedy.

One way to insert a screenshot saved as a file is to open it in Preview, copy it, then paste into a Comment here.

To take a new screenshot use one of the macOS keyboard shortcuts, such as Shift+Command+Control+3 to capture the screen/selection then paste into the message.

B. Michael Gould 20 Reputation points

2026-02-15T19:58:01.16+00:00

Hi Mr. Jones

started to download the upgrade in excel yesterday and it seems to be taking an inordinately long time. Must be sn error somewhere. Perhaps the install has already happened. I’ll wait another hour then refresh the x fern and see if the update to 16.106 really happened. Will advise shortly thank you for your patience

B. Michael Gould 20 Reputation points

2026-02-16T01:39:53.23+00:00

Hi Mr. Jones, Just got off the phone with Microsoft and have successfully downloaded Office 365 to 16.106

Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 433K Reputation points

2026-02-16T16:54:12.5466667+00:00

Thanks for the follow-up — Did updating the software address the original complaint?

If not, please provide a screenshot. I have no idea what you mean by print preview box.
Sign in to comment

Use comments to ask for clarification, additional information, or improvements to the question.
Q&A Assist

2026-02-10T21:21:51.87+00:00

AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more
To enlarge the print preview box in Excel, you can adjust the scaling options. Here’s how you can do it:

Go to the File menu and click on Page Setup.

Click on the Page tab.

Choose a scaling option that fits your needs, such as Fit to or Adjust to. You can set a percentage to scale the printout size.

After adjusting the settings, click OK and then check the print preview again to see if the size is satisfactory.

This method allows you to scale the entire project to fit the number of pages you want, which can help in enlarging the print preview box.

References:

Blank pages are unexpectedly printed in Excel

Workbook.PrintPreview(Object) Method

Print Preview Architecture

Change the size of the Toolbox

Gantt Chart view or Usage view print on too many pages in Project
Please sign in to rate this answer.

0 comments No comments
Sign in to comment

Use comments to ask for clarification, additional information, or improvements to the question.

Share via

Print Preview page in Excel worksheet is much too small. How do I enlarge the print preview box

10 additional answers

Your answer