Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Printing Rows Conditionally.

Printing Rows Conditionally

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 2, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Rune has three columns, A through C, that contain data. Column C contains either blank (nothing) or the letter X. Rune wonders if there is an easy way for him to print only those rows that have an X in column C.

There is a very easy way to do this. Assuming that you have a header row in row 1, follow these steps:

  1. Select any cell in the columns.
  2. Choose Data | Filter | AutoFilter. Excel displays small drop-down arrows beside the header row cells.
  3. Click the drop-down arrow for column C and select the X. Excel filters the data so that only those rows that have an X in column C are displayed.
  4. Press Ctrl+P. Excel displays the Print dialog box.
  5. Click OK.

That's it; the filtered worksheet is printed and only those rows with an X in column C are on the printout. You can, if desired, remove the AutoFilter after printing. When your data changes and you need to print again, just follow the same steps once more.

Another way to do the printing (if you don't want to use a filter for some reason) is to simply sort your data according to the contents of column C. If you sort in descending order, then all the rows containing an X in column C will be at the top of your worksheet. Select those cells and define them as your print area. When you then print, only those rows with an X in column C are printed.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8932) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Printing Rows Conditionally.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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