How to Print a Chart / Graph in Excel & Google Sheets

Written by

Mel Jenkins

Reviewed by

Laura Tsitlidze

Last updated on September 7, 2023

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CTRL + P

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This tutorial demonstrates how to print a chart in Excel and Google Sheets.

print chart intro

 

Print Chart Only

Printing a chart from Excel is, in many ways, much simpler than printing a dataset. You can skip steps like setting the print area, adjusting page breaks, column headers, borders, etc. What you see on your screen is what will print.

  1. Click on the chart to select it, and then in the Ribbon, go to File > Print (or use the CTRL + P shortcut).
  2. Under Settings, the default option is to Print Selected Chart. Leave that setting (or change it back if necessary), and then click Print.

print chart print chart

This just prints your chart, not your data.

Print Chart and Data

To print both the chart and the data (if it is on the same sheet as the chart), just print the sheet where they are both situated. In this scenario, you do have to check Page Setup, and you are more likely to run into printing problems. Follow the steps below to print a chart alongside its data.

  1. In the Ribbon, go to File > Print.
  2. Choose Print Active Sheets from the first drop down under Settings, and then click Print.

printactivesheet preview

  1. You can also select just the chart data and the chart to print if there is other information on the sheet as well. For this option, in Settings, choose Print Selection.

print chart print selection

Chart Sheet and Data Sheet

If your chart is in a chart sheet (as opposed to a worksheet), then when you click print, the Settings show Print Active Sheets and just the chart sheet will be shown. If you want to print both the chart sheet and the worksheet where the data is stored, you need to select both sheets.

  1. Click on the Chart2 sheet tab, and then, holding down the SHIFT key (for consecutive sheets), or the CTRL key (for non-consecutive sheets), click on the Data sheet tab. This groups the sheets.

print chart tabs

  1. Now, in the Ribbon, go to File > Print. Note that the Settings say Print Active Sheets while the navigation buttons show that you have two sheets selected to print.

print chart print two sheets

  1. Review each page preview, then click Print.

Combine Chart Sheet and Data

  1. Copy the chart from the chart sheet. Then, paste it next to the data on the other sheet.
  2. Follow Steps 1–3 from “Print Chart and Data.”

Print Chart in Google Sheets

  1. To print a chart and the data (if it is on the same sheet) in Google Sheets, click the printer icon in the Toolbar.

print chart gs select sheet

  1. In the Print Settings screen, Current sheet is shown in the Print drop down. Click Next.

print chart gs preview

  1. Your sheet is shown in Print Preview. Click the Print button in the bottom-left corner of the screen to print your chart and data.

print chart gs print

  1. To only print the chart (and not the associated data), select the cells in and around your chart.

print chart gs select chart

  1. Then click the printer icon in the Toolbar.
  2. In the Print settings screen, in the Print drop down, choose Selected cells, and then click Next to go to Print Preview.

print chart gs selected cells

  1. Click Print.

Chart and Data on Different Sheets

If your chart is in a different sheet to your data, and you want to print both the data and the chart:

  1. Click on the tab for the first sheet you want to print.
  2. Then, while holding down the SHIFT key (for consecutive sheets), or the CTRL key (for non-consecutive sheets), select the chart and data sheets to group.
  3. Click the print icon in the Toolbar to print both sheets as described above.

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