Answers
Short answer: A macro-enabled workbook converts to PDF exactly like a normal one — the macros simply do not come along, because a PDF has no way to run code. Use File → Save as PDF in Excel, or drop the .xlsm into a converter that accepts the format. CrazySmartPDF takes .xlsm in both the free web tool and the Windows desktop batch, laying out each sheet as it goes. The one thing to watch is a workbook whose macros build or refresh the sheet on open: what gets rendered is whatever the sheet holds at that moment.
In Excel. File → Save As → PDF, or File → Export → Create PDF/XPS. Nothing about the .xlsm format changes the dialog. Choose Entire Workbook under Options if you want every sheet rather than the active one.
In the browser. The free web converter accepts .xlsx, .xls, .xlsm and .csv, one file at a time. It uploads the file, converts it on the server and deletes it afterwards. Reasonable for a one-off; not the route for anything under a confidentiality clause.
A folder at a time. The Windows desktop app renders every .xlsx and .xlsm in a folder in one pass and writes a run log, free for runs of up to five files. It needs Windows with Excel 2016+.
A macro rebuilds the sheet on open. If Workbook_Open refreshes a query, clears a staging area or hides sheets, the converter renders the result of that, not the state you last saved. Save a copy with macros disabled if you want the sheet exactly as you left it.
Macro security blocks the open. In a locked-down environment, a workbook from an untrusted location opens in Protected View and nothing renders until it is trusted. That is a Windows and Excel policy issue, not a converter one.
A converter rejects the extension. Some tools accept .xlsx only. That is worth checking before you rename anything — renaming .xlsm to .xlsx does not remove the macro project and can produce a file Excel refuses to open.
Save a copy as .xlsx. Excel warns that the VBA project will be removed, which is exactly what you asked for, and the resulting file converts anywhere. Keep the .xlsm as the master; the .xlsx copy is a rendering artefact, not the source of truth.
Do macros run when an .xlsm is converted to PDF? Not inside the PDF — a PDF has no scripting layer for VBA. Macros can still run at open time in Excel, which changes what gets rendered.
Can I convert .xlsm without Excel installed? Yes, in a browser converter that accepts the format. The free web tool on this site takes .xlsm directly, converts on the server and deletes the file afterwards.
Why does my converted .xlsm look different from the workbook? Usually because an auto-run macro changed the sheet on open, or because the export is rendering a print area or page setup you have not looked at recently.
Is .xlsm to PDF any different from .xlsx to PDF? Only in what happens before the render. The layout, the pagination and the page setup behave identically.
