Can You Convert Excel to Google Sheets: Everything You Need to Know

May 26, 2022

If you find yourself working in Google Sheets quite frequently, you will notice there comes a time when you need to convert Excel to Google Sheets. This conversion will let you collaborate with colleagues and gain some of the many benefits and features on Google Sheets.

Unfortunately, there is no straightforward method of saving an Excel file as a Google Sheets document, but there are a few ways to convert Excel to Google Sheets. This article will examine the three main ways to convert Excel to Google Sheets, so you never get stuck when it becomes time to collaborate online.

Compatible Excel Spreadsheet to Google Sheets File Formats

Only specific file formats are compatible with Google Sheets:

.xls /.xlsx / .xlsm / .xlt / .ods / .csv / .tsv / .tab

How to Convert Excel To Google Sheets: Importing an Excel File to Google Sheets

Here's how you can convert Excel to Google Sheets by importing an Excel file:

Head to the Google Drive Homepage and log into your Google account.
From there, select the New button, and choose Google Sheets.
Within your new Google Sheets spreadsheet, head to File and select Import.
Within the Import File section, choose the Upload tab.
Drag your chosen Excel file into the dialog box or tap "Select a File From Your Computer."
After your file has successfully been uploaded, a dialog box appears. You can build a new Google Sheets spreadsheet, add new sheets to your open Google Sheet, or replace your open Google Sheet spreadsheet with your imported File.

Convert Excel to Google Sheets Alongside Uploading to Google Drive

This option is excellent if you are trying to convert multiple Excel files to Google Sheets documents. Here's how you can convert Excel to Google Sheets alongside uploading to Google Drive:

Head to the Google Drive Homepage and log into your Google account.
Select the gear icon from the top right corner of your screen.
Choose settings.
Choose "Convert Uploaded Files to Google Docs Editor Format from the Settings dialog box."
Select Done.

After this, once you upload an Excel file to your Google Drive, it will immediately be converted to Google Sheets format.

How to Upload An Excel File to Google Drive Before Converting it to Google Sheets

You might want to try this method if you've already got a few Excel files within Google Drive or are not a fan of Google Drive automatically converting your Excel files to Google Sheets format. Here's how you can convert Excel to Google Sheets in Google Drive.

Right-click on the chosen File you would like to open in Google Sheets.
Click on Open with and select Google Sheets.

This action will cause your File to be open in Google Sheets, but your File will remain in Excel format in Google Drive.

How to export a Google Sheets File as an Excel Spreadsheet

Once you have worked on an Excel file within Google Sheets, you might be required to download the amends and save them as an Excel spreadsheet. To do this is straightforward. Head to the File tab, press Download, and select Microsoft Excel.

Certain Google Sheets Formulas Don't Work in Microsoft Excel.

It is worth noting that the following Google Sheets functions are not possible within Microsoft Excel, so be cautious. You don't include these formulas in your spreadsheet if you want an Excel user to open it. Here are the formulas to avoid:

UPLUS / UNIQUE / UNARY_PERCENT / MINUS / TO_TEXT / TO_PERCENT / TO_DOLLARS / TO_DATE / SPLIT / SPARKLINE / SORT / QUERY / POW / MULTIPLY / MINUS / LTE / LT / JOIN / IMPORT XML / IMPORTANCE / IMPORTHTML / IMPORTED / IMPORT DATA / IMAGE / GTE / GT / GOOGLE TRANSLATE / GOOGLETOURNAMENT / GOOGLE FINANCE / FILTER / EQ / DIVIDE / DETECTLANGUAGE / COUNTUNIQUE / CONTINUE / CONCAT / ARRAY FORMULA / ADD

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can you convert XLSX to Google Sheets?

Yes, you can! Select the More button from the top of your Google Drive homepage, and choose Export to Google Docs or Export to Google Sheets from the drop-down menu. From there, your XLS file will get converted.

Is it easy to convert Excel to Google Sheets?

It is straightforward once you know how to convert Excel to Google Sheets! You can upload Excel files straight to Google Sheets. Open a blank Google Sheet, head to File, then Open. Select the file upload tab and drag your Excel file into the space before pressing Open.

How do I automatically import Excel to Google Sheets?

Open up your Google Sheets file.
Head to File, then Import data.
Pick your Excel file and hit Select.
Pick whether you want to create a new spreadsheet, insert a new sheet, or replace a spreadsheet.
Select import data.

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