Forum Discussion
Disable download but enable printing for excel files
OneDrive and SharePoint do not offer a direct way to disable downloads while allowing printing for shared Excel files…so far I know. When sharing a file, if you disable the ability to download, it typically disables both downloading and printing. This is because printing effectively requires the ability to download the file temporarily to create the print job.
You may be able to share it as a PDF with printing enabled.
To convert the Excel file to PDF before sharing and enable print access:
Convert the Excel file to a PDF and then share that PDF via OneDrive or SharePoint.
You can set the PDF permissions to allow printing but restrict downloading using third-party PDF management tools or Adobe Acrobat Pro.
This will not preserve the file as an Excel file, but will allow users to view and print it while reducing the risk of downloading the Excel data directly.
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
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NikolinoDE Thank you for informing me of this alternative option. Sadly, this workaround isn't possible for my unique situation.
For context, the shared Excel file is an inventory management template I created that can generate invoices, track profitability, and create tax documentation. The reason I don't want my clientele to be able to download the file is because my company is a subscription-based service. If they can download my Excel templates, then they don't need to continue subscribing to my services.
Ideally, my clients should be able to access the Excel inventory template, have data entry permissions, and be able to print invoices or tax documentation from the Excel file.
Is there a way I can program the Excel file to generate a PDF from specific sheets? If there is a way to dynamically create PDFs from specific sheets within a shared OneDrive Excel file, this would be the perfect alternative.