How to Send a Financial Model to a Client

Sending a model to a client is the moment your work leaves your control. The file should open cleanly, show only what you intend, and arrive in the format the client expects. This guide covers choosing PDF versus a live workbook, cleaning the file first, and getting it into an email without manual exporting.

Choose PDF or a Live Workbook

The first decision is whether the client needs to interact with the numbers or just read them. A PDF is a fixed snapshot that anyone can open, cannot be edited, and never shows formulas. A live .xlsx lets the client change inputs and see results recalculate.

For a board summary or a one way deliverable, send a PDF. For a model the client will run scenarios on, send the workbook. When in doubt, sending both covers most situations.

• PDF: read only, consistent layout, no formulas or hidden sheets exposed
• XLSX: interactive, client can change inputs, formulas remain visible
• Both: a clean reading copy plus the working file

Clean the File Before It Leaves

A model often carries things a client should never see: links to internal workbooks, comments to yourself, hidden scratch sheets, and your name in the document properties.

Hardcode any external links so the file is self contained, remove comments and notes, and run Excel's Document Inspector under File, Info, Check for Issues to catch metadata and hidden content.

1. Convert external links to values so the file opens without update prompts.
2. Remove comments, notes, and any scratch sheets.
3. Reset each sheet to cell A1 so the client lands at the top.
4. Run Document Inspector and review each flagged category.

Set the Print Area for a Clean PDF

A PDF is only as good as the page setup. Before exporting, set the print area to the range you want, then check Page Layout for orientation and scaling.

Use File, Print to preview. Fit the columns to one page wide where possible, and confirm headers and totals are not cut off across page breaks.

Email the Model Without Manual Exporting

The manual route is to export a PDF or save a copy, open Outlook, start an email, and attach the file. That is several steps and easy to get wrong, like attaching the wrong version.

ModelMint's Send Workbook emails the active workbook or a single sheet as a PDF or XLSX through Outlook. It builds the attachment and the draft for you, so you pick the format, add the client, and send. If Outlook is not running it tells you with a simple prompt rather than failing silently.

Final Checks Before You Hit Send

• Open the attachment yourself first to confirm it is the cleaned version.
• Confirm the file name is professional and dated, not a working title.
• Check that no internal sheet is left unhidden or visible in the PDF.
• If sending XLSX, confirm there are no update link prompts on open.