If you are a Google Drive user and use Google Sheets for spreadsheets, you will inevitably have a situation where someone sends to an Excel file. In some cases you will want to just keep it as an XLS document and view/work with it that way. In other cases, you may want to convert Excel to Google Sheets. Here’s how.
If You Already Have The Excel File In Google Drive
If your Excel XLS is already in Google Drive, it is easy to convert it to Google Sheets.
First, right-click on the file in Google Drive.
Next, choose Open with and then choose Google Sheets.
Your spreadsheet will now be converted to Google Sheets.
Convert Excel To Google Sheets While Uploading
You can upload an Excel file and convert it to Google Sheets when you upload it.
To do that, go to the Google Sheets Home.
Then hit the Open file picker icon in the top-right corner.
Next, hit the Upload tab and drag your XLS file into the Upload section or hit Select a file from your computer and choose the Excel file you want to upload.
Your file will then be uploaded and converted to Google Sheets.
Automatically Convert Excel To Google Sheets When Uploading
You can make it so that Google Drive automatically converts your uploaded files to the appropriate Google Sheets or Docs format.
To do that, follow the instructions in my Convert Microsoft Office To Google Docs Using Google Drive (Or Don’t) article.
What You Can And Can Not Convert
Here is what Google Sheets will convert:
Spreadsheets: .xls (if newer than Microsoft® Office 95), .xlsx, .xlsm, .xlt, .xltx, .xltm .ods, .csv, .tsv, .txt, .tab
Here are the features that are not supported:
- Password protected files
- Macros (you can implement your macro in Apps Script)
- Embedded charts in Word and PowerPoint files
- Linked spreadsheets in Excel files
Have you ever run into any situations where Sheets wouldn’t convert an Excel spreadsheet properly? Let us know your experience in the comments.
