When working in Excel for Office 365, managing your page layout is crucial, especially if you want to fit more data onto a printed page. One of the easiest ways to maximize space is by using narrow margins. Narrow margins reduce the blank space around your worksheet, allowing more content to fit neatly on a single page.
This guide will show you how to apply narrow margins in Excel for Office 365, along with tips to adjust margins for printing.
Why Use Narrow Margins in Excel?
Using narrow margins can help you:
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Fit larger tables on a single page
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Reduce unnecessary blank space when printing
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Improve the professional look of reports
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Save paper when printing multiple sheets
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Ensure headers and footers don’t take up too much space
Narrow margins are especially useful for financial reports, schedules, and data-heavy spreadsheets.
Step 1: Open Your Excel Worksheet
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Launch Excel for Office 365.
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Open the workbook where you want to apply narrow margins.
Make sure your data is ready to be formatted and printed.
Step 2: Access the Page Layout Tab
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Click the Page Layout tab at the top of the Excel window.
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Here you’ll find options for Margins, Orientation, Size, Print Area, and more.
The Margins button is where you can adjust spacing around your worksheet.
Step 3: Apply Narrow Margins
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In the Page Layout tab, click Margins.
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A drop-down menu will appear with several preset options:
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Normal (default)
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Wide
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Narrow
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Click Narrow.
Excel will instantly adjust the top, bottom, left, and right margins to a smaller size, maximizing space on your page.
Step 4: Customize Margins (Optional)
If the default narrow margins don’t meet your needs, you can create custom margins:
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Click Margins → Custom Margins…
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Enter the desired measurements for Top, Bottom, Left, and Right margins.
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Click OK to apply your custom settings.
This is helpful if your spreadsheet requires very precise layout adjustments.
Step 5: Preview Your Worksheet Before Printing
After setting narrow margins:
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Click File → Print or press Ctrl + P.
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Check the Print Preview to ensure your data fits as intended.
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Adjust margins further if necessary.
Previewing helps prevent issues like cutoff columns or overlapping content.
Tips for Using Narrow Margins in Excel
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Combine narrow margins with landscape orientation to fit wider tables.
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Use scaling options under Print settings to shrink or fit all columns on one page.
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Ensure your headers and footers are visible and don’t get cut off.
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Avoid making margins too narrow if your printer can’t handle the reduced spacing.
Final Thoughts
Using narrow margins in Excel for Office 365 is a simple yet effective way to optimize your worksheets for printing. Whether you’re preparing financial reports, schedules, or any data-heavy spreadsheet, narrow margins help save space, improve readability, and make your printed pages look professional.