Open an Excel file right in your browser, without Excel and without uploading it anywhere. This viewer reads both the older .xls format (Excel 97 to 2003) and modern .xlsx files, plus .xlsm, OpenDocument .ods, CSV, and the HTML and XML files many banking and reporting systems save with an .xls name. Dates, currency, and percentages display the way they do in Excel. You can switch between sheets, search, sort by any column, and edit cells, then download the workbook as .xlsx or a sheet as CSV or JSON. Large sheets with hundreds of thousands of rows scroll smoothly.
How to open an XLS or XLSX file online
- Drag the file onto the viewer, or click Open spreadsheet and choose it.
- Click a tab to switch sheets. Hidden sheets from the original file are shown in italics.
- Click a cell to see its exact value, formula, and number format in the bar above the grid. Use the arrow keys to move around.
- Type in the search box to show only rows that contain your text, or click a column heading to sort. Turn on First row is header to keep column names at the top while you scroll.
- To change a cell, double-click it or start typing, then press Enter. Edited cells are highlighted.
- Click Download XLSX to save the whole workbook with your changes, or CSV or JSON to save the rows you're viewing on the current sheet.
Supported files
| File | What it is | Supported |
|---|---|---|
.xlsx | Excel workbook, Excel 2007 and later | Yes |
.xlsm | Excel workbook with macros. Macros are never run | Yes |
.xls | Excel 97 to 2003 workbook | Yes |
.xls (web page or XML) | Reports exported by banks, payroll, and ERP systems that are really HTML tables or Excel 2003 XML | Yes |
.ods | LibreOffice and OpenOffice spreadsheet | Yes |
.csv, .tsv | Comma, semicolon, tab, or pipe-separated text | Yes |
.xls from Excel 5.0 or 95 | Very old binary format | No. Save it as .xlsx first |
.xlsb | Excel binary workbook | No. Save it as .xlsx first |
What the viewer shows
Values as Excel formats them. Excel stores a date like January 29, 2024 as the number 45320 and a time as a fraction of a day. Many viewers show those raw numbers. This one applies each cell's number format, including dates and times, currency, percentages, thousands separators, scientific notation, fractions, and custom formats, and it handles workbooks that use the 1904 date system from older Mac versions of Excel.
Formulas and their results. Cells show the result Excel saved the last time the file was calculated. Select a cell to see its formula in the bar above the grid. The viewer doesn't recalculate formulas, so if you edit a cell, other cells that depend on it keep their old results until you open the file in Excel.
Merged cells, hidden rows, and column widths from the original file are kept, so the layout looks close to what you'd see in Excel. Charts, images, cell colors, and comments aren't displayed.
Convert XLS to XLSX
Open an .xls file and click Download XLSX to save it in the modern format. All sheets, values, number formats, merged cells, column widths, and hidden sheets are carried over. Formulas are saved as their results, and formatting such as colors and fonts isn't included, so keep the original if you need those.
Frequently asked questions
How can I open an XLS file without Excel?
Drop it on this viewer. It reads .xls and .xlsx files directly in your browser, with no software to install and no account. You can also use free programs like LibreOffice or upload the file to Google Sheets, but this viewer keeps the file on your device.
Is my spreadsheet uploaded to a server?
No. The file is read by JavaScript running in your browser and never leaves your computer. You can disconnect from the internet after the page loads and it still works.
Why do dates show correctly here but as numbers elsewhere?
Excel stores dates as serial numbers and relies on the cell's number format to display them. This viewer reads each cell's format and applies it, so 45320 with a date format appears as 1/29/2024, just as it would in Excel.
Can I edit an Excel file online?
Yes, for simple changes. Double-click a cell or start typing, then press Enter. Numbers, dates, TRUE and FALSE, and text are recognized. Click Download XLSX to save the workbook with your edits. Formulas aren't recalculated.
How do I convert a sheet to CSV?
Open the file, choose the sheet, and click CSV. The download contains the rows you're viewing, including any search filter or sorting, with values formatted as they appear on screen. The file includes a UTF-8 marker so Excel shows accented letters correctly.
How large a file can it open?
Files up to about 200 MB, depending on your browser's memory. Sheets with hundreds of thousands of rows open in a few seconds and scroll smoothly because only the visible rows are drawn.
Can it open password-protected workbooks?
No. Encrypted files need the password to be read, and the viewer will tell you if a file is protected. Remove the password in Excel first, under File > Info > Protect Workbook.