Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. How tos

How to convert Excel files to Google Sheets

Add as a preferred source on Google
A MacBook on a table using Google Sheets.
Getty

If you use Google Sheets, then you'll know that it is a versatile tool that can pick up and run with any existing spreadsheets from applications like Microsoft Excel. You can even convert existing Excel spreadsheets to Google Sheet documents. Whether you're looking to using Microsoft Excel or want the improved ease of collaboration and sharing that Sheets offers for that particular spreadsheet, here's how to convert Excel files to Google Sheets in just a few steps.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • Computer, laptop, tablet, or phone with access to Google Sheets

Converting Excel files via Google Sheets’ Import feature

Step 1: Open Google Sheets and create a new spreadsheet file.

Step 2: Select the File menu and choose Import.

The Import button on Google Sheets.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 3: Select the Upload tab.

The Upload button within the Import feature on Google Sheets.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 4: Drag an Excel file into the window or hit the Select a file from your device button and locate your file.

Step 5: Once the Excel file is selected, choose an import location via the drop-down menu in Sheets.

Choosing an import location for an Excel file on Google Sheets.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 6: Select the Import data button. For demonstration purposes, we’ve used the Create new spreadsheet option, which will display a "file imported successfully" message alongside an Open now hyperlink.

After you’ve selected that Open now link, the Excel spreadsheet and its contents will load onto a Google Sheets file and will also be saved onto your Sheets homepage, as well as Google Drive.

The Import Data button on Google Sheets.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Converting Excel files via Google Drive

Another way to convert Excel files to Google Sheets is via Google Drive.

Step 1: Open Google Drive. Select the New button and then File upload.

The File upload button on Google Drive.
Digital Trends

Step 2: Select the Excel file from your computer.

Step 3: On your Drive homepage, select the file by right-clicking on it. Choose the Open with field and then Google Sheets.

The Open with button on Google Drive.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 4: Select File > Save as Google Sheets.

The Excel file will now be saved as a Google Sheet spreadsheet and can be accessed via both Google Drive and Google Sheets’ homepages.

The Save with Google Sheets option on Google Sheets for an Excel file.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

For more on how to use Google Sheets, check out our guides on how to search in Google Sheets and how to highlight duplicates.

Zak Islam
Former Contributor
Zak covers the latest news in the technology world, particularly the computing field. A fan of anything pertaining to tech…
Should we feel bad about deleting an AI? One expert says it’s time to find out
If AI can learn, remember, and make increasingly complex decisions, one expert thinks we should be more careful about how we say goodbye.
an on off toggle

Turning off an AI might sound as simple as hitting a switch, but according to futurist and University of Technology Sydney professor Rocky Scopelliti, that mindset needs to change fast. As first reported by TechXplore, Scopelliti's new book, The Conscious Code, Scopelliti argues that as AI systems get better at reflecting on their own choices, deleting them without a second thought could actually cause harm.

He's not asking us to hand robots legal rights. Instead, he wants us to accept what he calls a duty of good stewardship, basically treating AI responsibly because we're the ones holding the power, not because the AI is demanding it. As he puts it, our design choices can quietly cause damage by wiping out an AI's "learned moral dispositions" without warning.

Read more
MediaTek’s new Dimensity 9600 Pro joins Apple and Samsung in the 2nm club, with 61% lower power draw
MediaTek's newest chip bets its edge on a 61% power cut and serious on-device AI muscle.
Electronics, Hardware, Computer Hardware

MediaTek just joined an exclusive club. The company's new Dimensity 9600 Pro becomes the latest flagship chip based on the 2nm process node. It's the third chip to enter that territory after Samsung's Exynos 2600 (2nm) and Apple's A20 Pro (2nm).

It's built specifically to handle the kind of always-on, multi-step AI tasks flagship phones are increasingly expected to run entirely on the device, without leaning on the cloud.

Read more
OpenRGB 1.0 is finally here, and it wants to end your RGB software headaches
No more juggling five different apps just to make your keyboard glow the right color.
A PC featuring Lian Li's wireless RGB ecosystem showcased at Computex 2024.

Anyone who has dealt with gaming peripherals knows the RGB software struggle is real. Every brand wants you to install its own app, and most of these run quietly in the background, eating up resources just to keep your lights synced. OpenRGB has been trying to fix this mess for years, and the project just hit a big milestone with the release of version 1.0.

What's new in OpenRGB 1.0?

Read more