How to Convert Excel to Google Sheets

You can read, edit, and save Excel files in Google Sheets, but in some cases, you may prefer to convert the entire file to Google Sheets. There are several reasons why you could convert a file. For instance, maybe you need to collaborate with a team over Excel, or you simply prefer to use one suite of tools over another. In this article, you will learn how to convert Excel to Google Sheets within Google Drive. You will not need access to Microsoft Office products to accomplish this task. 

After you’ve learned how to convert one file, you will learn how to automatically convert Excel files that you upload to Google Drive. Additionally, you’ll learn the limitations to convert spreadsheets from Excel to Sheets and what you can do to overcome them. 

How to convert Excel to Google Sheets

The steps to converting an Excel file to Google Sheets are to upload the file, open the file with Google Sheets, and save the file as Google Sheets. Let’s take a closer look at each step of this process: 

1. Upload your Excel file to Google Drive.

Open Drive and navigate to the + New button in the top left corner. From there, select File upload. You can also click and drag the folder into Google Drive.

2. Click on your Excel file.

Select the three dots in the top right corner of the file’s icon in Google Drive to display more options. Click Open with > Google Sheets.

When the file opens, you will notice a green square marked .XLSX. This designates the file as an Excel file you edit in Sheets.

3. Click File > Save as Google Sheets.

Once inside the file, click File > Save as Google Sheets. This will create a copy of the file in Google Sheets formatted correctly. You will notice the new copy no longer has the green .XLSX square.

How to automatically convert Excel uploads to Google Sheets

1. Open your settings in Drive.

In the top right corner of your Google Drive, select the Settings icon. 

2. Select 'Convert uploads to Google Docs editor format.'

In the Settings menu, click the box next to Convert uploads to Google Docs editor format. This will not affect the downloads you already have in Google Docs. In the future, when you upload an Excel file, Drive will automatically convert it into a Google Sheets file. Both files will be available to you in your Google Drive.

Limitations and alternatives

It’s important to understand how Excel and Sheets are different. For example, Excel macros won’t function properly after you convert them. If you have any links in your Excel file to other Excel files, Sheets will disregard them in the conversion. Any embedded charts will also not function. You also will not be able to convert a password-protected Excel file into a Google Sheets file.

Another limitation is that if you convert a file from Excel to Sheets, any changes you make to the Sheets file will not update in the Excel file. If you are the only person using the file, this may not be a problem. But you may need to manually add updates if you are collaborating with a team in a format other than the one you prefer to work in.

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