Easily move page breaks in Excel by dragging the page break to a new location after switching to Page Break Preview mode.
Page breaks determine how your worksheet content is divided across printed pages. Excel automatically adds page breaks, but you can manually adjust them for optimal printing layout. The simplest way to do this is in the dedicated view mode.
Steps to Move Page Breaks
Follow these steps to adjust where your pages break for printing:
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Open Your Worksheet: Click the worksheet that you want to modify in Excel.
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Access Page Break Preview: On the View tab in the ribbon, locate the "Workbook Views" group. Click on Page Break Preview.
- Alternatively, you can often find a Page Break Preview icon on the status bar at the bottom of your Excel window. Click this icon to switch to the preview.
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Identify Page Breaks: In Page Break Preview, you will see dashed lines representing automatic page breaks and solid lines representing manual page breaks you've inserted. The page numbers will be displayed on the grey background areas.
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Drag the Page Break: To move a page break, hover your mouse cursor over the dashed or solid line until the cursor changes to a double-headed arrow (typically up-and-down for horizontal breaks, left-and-right for vertical breaks). Then, drag the page break to a new location on the worksheet.
- Drag horizontal breaks up or down.
- Drag vertical breaks left or right.
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Observe Changes: As you drag the line, you will see the page numbering and the content boundaries for each page adjust dynamically.
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Return to Normal View: Once you have finished adjusting your page breaks, go back to the View tab and click Normal in the "Workbook Views" group, or click the Normal View icon on the status bar.
Understanding Page Breaks
- Automatic Page Breaks: Excel inserts these automatically based on paper size, margin settings, scaling options, and the width/height of your data. They appear as dashed lines in Page Break Preview. You can move them, but Excel might readjust other automatic breaks around them.
- Manual Page Breaks: You can insert these yourself to force a page break at a specific row or column. They appear as solid lines in Page Break Preview. Once inserted, manual breaks remain in place until you remove them or move them. Moving a manual break essentially moves the insertion point to a new location.
Table: Page Break Types & Appearance
| Type of Break | Appearance in Page Break Preview | How to Move |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic | Dashed Line | Drag the dashed line to a new position. |
| Manual | Solid Line | Drag the solid line to a new position. |
Moving page breaks in Page Break Preview is the most visual and intuitive method for controlling how your Excel sheet prints across multiple pages.
