In Excel: select the row or column where the next printed page should start, then choose Page Layout ▸ Breaks ▸ Insert Page Break.
On this page7
Select the row below or column right of the desired split.
Choose Page Layout ▸ Breaks ▸ Insert Page Break.
Use Page Break Preview to inspect placement.
Reset breaks from the same menu if layout gets messy.
What this does
Page breaks control where Excel splits a sheet when printing or exporting to PDF. Horizontal breaks start a new page above the selected row; vertical breaks start a new page left of the selected column. Page Break Preview makes the breaks visible and draggable. Most people learn this as a sequence of clicks and forget it by next week; learning it as a pattern instead is what lets you apply it to the next, slightly different version of the problem without starting from scratch. That is the difference this page is trying to make. For “change page breaks in excel”, the reliable version is a short checking loop, not just the first command that appears to work. Run it on a deliberately small range first, watch how the affected page change, and only then apply the same setup to the full sheet. When this is a ribbon command, the selection matters more than the button: confirm the range, apply the command, then spot-check the output before saving. That is what makes a workspace setting that makes a big sheet comfortable to navigate useful in real work: repeatable, auditable, and not dependent on memory or luck.
A worked example
A report should start a new page before row 41. Select row 41, choose Page Layout ▸ Breaks ▸ Insert Page Break, then check View ▸ Page Break Preview to confirm the split. Page breaks are essential for readable PDF exports and printed reports where section boundaries matter. If this is something you do often, add the command to the Quick Access Toolbar (right-click it on the ribbon and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar) or learn its shortcut, so next time it is one click instead of a hunt through the menus.
In Google Sheets
This is a command rather than a formula, so there is no syntax to carry over. Google Sheets arranges its commands in menus across the top instead of a ribbon, names some of them differently and does not have every Excel command — look for the equivalent in the Sheets menus or its help before assuming the steps match. The aim was to get you unstuck fast and leave you a little more capable than a copy-paste would. The answer is at the top and the detail above shows why it holds — so the next time a colleague asks, you can answer without reaching for search. If you take one thing from this page on “change page breaks in excel”, make it the order of checks rather than the individual clicks: confirm what is selected, apply the step, and look at the result before moving on. That small routine is what keeps Excel work predictable when the same task comes back in a slightly different workbook.
Common mistakes
- Selecting a single cell and misunderstanding where the break lands.
- Ignoring print area and scaling, which can override expectations.
- Leaving old manual breaks after data changes.
- Using page breaks when repeating headers needs Print Titles instead.
Frequently asked questions
How do I see page breaks?
Use View ▸ Page Break Preview.
How do I remove page breaks?
Use Page Layout ▸ Breaks ▸ Remove Page Break or Reset All Page Breaks.
Do page breaks affect data?
No. They affect printing and PDF layout only.
Other ways people ask this
People reach this page typing “how to change page orientation in excel” and “change page breaks in excel”, among other phrasings; whichever wording you used, the fix above is the one you want.
Why do people search for this in so many different ways?
Because the same task has many names. “how to change page orientation in excel”, “change page breaks in excel” all point at the one operation explained on this page, which is why they all lead here.