It happens a lot of times with me that I get data in Excel, and I have to convert it into Google Sheets. In this case, I can only add it to the Google Sheets myself instead of asking the sender to convert it.
But the best part is that it is easy to do this, and you can do it too if you have this problem. This tutorial will guide you in quickly converting your Excel files to Google Sheets.
Convert Excel File into Google Sheets (Steps)
Let’s say you have an Excel file on your computer and want to open it in Google Sheets. In that case, you can use the following steps.
- The first thing that you need to do is to open a new or blank Google Sheets file. After that, you need to go to the file menu from the top left corner and click on the open option.
- Now, when you click on the “Open” option, you will have a few options to get an Excel file to open in Google Sheets. As I said, my file is on my computer, so I will click “Upload” and “Browse” to get that file from my computer and open it in Google Sheets.
- After clicking on the browse button, you need to go to the location where that file is saved and click on the open button to open the file.
- When you click open, it uploads that file to Google Sheets. It will take a few seconds to process and open that file in the current Google Sheets file.
You need to follow these simple steps to open an Excel file into Google Sheets. It converts that file from an Excel Extension File to a Google Sheets file.
Upload Excel File to Google Drive to Convert it into Google Sheets
As you know, Google Sheets and Google Drive are both Google products. When you upload an Excel file to Google Drive and then open it, you can open it in Google Sheets.
This is also a quick method to convert an Excel file to Google Sheets, especially if that Excel file is already stored on Google Drive.
First, you need to go to Google Drive and click the add button to get the file upload option. You can also drag and drop your Excel file into Google Drive and upload it there directly.
It will take a few seconds to upload the file to the drive. Once it is uploaded, you can click on it to open it in Google Sheets.
After that, click on the file to open it in the new tab. As you can see with the name, it shows you the .xlsx, which means it’s an Excel file, and you need to save it as a Google Sheets.
The last thing you need to do here is go to the file tab, click on the option, and click Save as Google Sheets.
When you click on the option, it will reopen the file in a new tab and convert it into a Google Sheets file. When you do this, Google Sheets will not change the Excel file you uploaded but will create a new exact file in the Google Sheets format.
You can also delete the uploaded file and make all the changes to your new Google Sheets file.
Important Points
Functions Compatibility
When converting an Excel file into Google Sheets, you must ensure that functions and formulas are compatible with both spreadsheet applications. Although most of the functions are available in both applications, a few are not available in Google Sheets, and when you convert an Excel file, you need to find an equivalent function in Google Sheets.
Macros Don’t Work in Google Sheets
If you have macros in your Excel workbook, you need to understand that macros are not available in Google Sheets, as Google Sheets uses Google App Scripts for automation and coding. In that case, you need to rewrite codes in Google Sheets or find an alternate method.
Pivot Table Compatibility
A few pivot table features are different in Google Sheets than in Excel. If your file has a pivot table, check that it works correctly and refresh the data once you convert it into a Google Sheets file.