Can I open an XLSX file on my iPhone or Android phone without an app?

Yes. The link opens in Safari or Chrome like any web page, with a tab for each sheet. Wide sheets scroll sideways, and a fullscreen button gives the grid the whole screen.

Does it work on a Chromebook or a Mac without Microsoft Office?

Yes. The recipient only needs a browser. Nothing is imported into Google Sheets or Numbers, so the workbook is not converted on the way and the values stay as you saved them.

Can the reader download or change my workbook?

Nobody can change it. Downloading is your call: leave it on and the menu offers the original XLSX, or make the link view-only and the download option disappears.

What is the difference between XLSX and XLS?

XLSX is the zipped XML format Excel has used since 2007. XLS is the older binary format of Excel 97 to 2003. Both preview here with a tab per sheet; the XLS page covers the quirks of legacy files.

Open XLSX files without Excel

How it works

1
Save the workbook one last time
The preview shows the results stored in the file, so press save in Excel after your final edit to write the latest formula values into it. Then sign in with Google and upload the .xlsx (up to 250 MB on the free plan).
2
Check the sheet tabs
Open your link once. Each worksheet appears as a named tab above the grid, in the same order as in Excel, and the first row stays pinned while you scroll down.
3
Send the link instead of the file
Paste the short link into an email, Slack or WhatsApp. The reader taps it and sees the table. Turn downloads off if you only want them to look.

Every worksheet keeps its own tab

A budget with a summary sheet and twelve monthly sheets stays a budget with thirteen tabs. The reader switches between them above the grid, sheet names included, so you never export each sheet separately or screenshot the one that matters.

Formula results, not formula code

Cells show what Excel displays: the total from =SUM(B2:B40), dates as dates, prices with their currency symbol. The formulas stay inside your file, which is usually what you want when you send pricing or a forecast to a client.

Read-only on purpose

This is a viewer, not an editor. Nobody with the link can type into a cell, re-sort your data or break a formula, and the original file is untouched. Fix a number later by replacing the file, and the same link shows the new version.

Know whether the numbers were read

Each link counts real opens and how far people scrolled through the grid, so you can tell whether a client got past the first screen of your quote. A password or an expiry date can be added on any plan.

What the XLSX preview leaves out

Charts, pictures and cell colors: The preview is a clean data grid. Charts, images, conditional formatting colors and merged-cell layouts stay in the file but are not drawn in the browser. If the chart is the point, export it as a PDF or PNG and share that as well.
Rows past 1,000: Each sheet shows its first 1,000 rows and 60 columns, with a note telling the reader there is more. If you allow downloads, they can open the full workbook from the menu.
Workbooks locked with an open password: An encrypted workbook can't be read in the browser, so the reader sees a download prompt instead of the table. Remove the password in Excel before uploading and protect the link with our password option instead.

Frequently asked questions

Still stuck? Ask us directly and a real person answers.

We display the result that was saved inside the file and never recalculate. If a script or export tool wrote the XLSX without cached results, or calculation was set to manual, those cells can be stale or blank. Open the file in Excel, save it, and upload it again.