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andrea_cosmosan's avatar
andrea_cosmosan
Copper Contributor
May 09, 2023
Solved

how to convert an excel workbook into pdf in which internal links still work?

hi everyone! i have written in excel a medical handbook for students. (windows 11, office 2019) i want to create internal links that enable students to jump between the linked prescriptions. (see sc...
  • NikolinoDE's avatar
    May 09, 2023

    andrea_cosmosan 

    You can use the "Save As" function in Excel to save the workbook as a PDF, and then select the option "Optimize for: Minimum size (publishing online)".

    This will ensure that the internal links are preserved in the PDF.

    Here are the steps to follow:

    1. Open your Excel workbook.
    2. Click on "File" in the top-left corner of the screen.
    3. Select "Save As".
    4. Choose "PDF (*.pdf)" as the file type.
    5. Click on the "Options" button.
    6. In the "Publish Options" section, select "Minimum size (publishing online)".
    7. Click on "OK".
    8. Choose a location to save the PDF file.
    9. Click on "Save".

    After following these steps, the PDF file will be saved with the internal links intact.

    When you click on a link in the PDF, it will take you to the correct location in the document.

     

    If this method not preserve all internal links in the PDF file.

    I recommend trying one of these methods:

    Using Adobe Acrobat DC

    Install Adobe Acrobat DC and then open the Excel file with it and use the “Save as Adobe PDF” entry from the file menu. This opens another dialog where you can select the sheets to save.

     

    or opening the Excel file in LibreOffice Calc.

    Open Excel file in LibreOffice Calc and then use LibreOffice's “File/Export as PDF” option. This will give you an internally linked PDF. Note, however, that not all formatting and formula options are compatible with .xlsx in LibreOffice.

     

    I hope this helps!

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