"Save as PDF" missing from side bar in Excel

Question

"Save as PDF" missing from side bar in Excel

Ethan R 0

My coworker normally has this option but ever since they reinstalled Adobe Reader (due to different issue), it has gone missing from the list on the left. We have tried adding Adobe as an Add-in through the shop and it throws a "something went wrong" error. We have tried reinstalling/repairing Adobe again. Not sure what to do from here Screenshot 2026-09-17 151633.png

Ethan R 0 Reputation points

2026-09-17T19:29:30.3066667+00:00

We are aware of a couple workarounds for this, but most of the time she needs to create a pdf with multiple pages from a workbook. These methods require saving each page separately and then combining them in Adobe. This is not very efficient and bogs them down. "Save as PDF" lets them do it all at once.

1 answer

Your answer

Ethan R 0 Reputation points

2026-09-17T19:29:30.3066667+00:00

We are aware of a couple workarounds for this, but most of the time she needs to create a pdf with multiple pages from a workbook. These methods require saving each page separately and then combining them in Adobe. This is not very efficient and bogs them down. "Save as PDF" lets them do it all at once.

Answer 1

Hi Ethan,

Thank you for sharing the details of your situation.

Because the option disappeared after Adobe was reinstalled, the issue may be related to the Adobe PDFMaker integration rather than Excel itself.

First, please go to Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps, search for Adobe, and check whether Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat Standard/Pro is currently installed. If only Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed, it may not include the same PDFMaker integration that was previously available in Excel.

If Adobe Acrobat Standard or Pro is installed, please check whether the PDFMaker add-in is enabled:

Open Excel and go to File > Options > Add-ins.
At the bottom, select COM Add-ins from the Manage drop-down menu, and then select Go.
If Acrobat PDFMaker Office COM Add-in is listed, make sure it is selected.
If it is not listed, return to the Add-ins page, select Disabled Items from the Manage drop-down menu, and then select Go to check whether the add-in has been disabled.

As an additional option, Excel’s built-in PDF feature may allow the entire workbook to be published as one PDF. To check this:

Go to File > Save As, choose PDF (*.pdf) as the file type, select Options, and then select Entire workbook under Publish what.

For reference: Save or convert to PDF or XPS in Office Desktop apps

If Acrobat PDFMaker Office COM Add-in does not appear under either COM Add-ins or Disabled Items, the Adobe installation may no longer include the PDFMaker component. In that case, I recommend contacting Adobe Support to verify whether the installed Adobe product and license include the Microsoft Office integration.

I hope this information is helpful. Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please feel free to share them in the comment below. I'm very happy to help.

If the answer is helpful, please click 'Yes' and kindly upvote it.

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