How to Convert Excel Spreadsheet to a Google Sheets Document

Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets are popular spreadsheet programs. If you prefer Google Sheets, you’ll need to convert Excel files to Google Sheets format. Luckily, it’s easy to do so. In this post, we’ll show you a few ways to convert your Excel spreadsheets to Google Sheets format. Let’s get started.

Convert an Excel Spreadsheet to Google Sheets With the Import Feature

You can use Google Sheets’ import feature to quickly convert your Excel file to Google Sheets. This method is useful if you only want to convert one file at a time. Here are the steps you need to follow.

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

Step 2: Click on the File menu and select Import.

Step 3: In the Import file window, switch to the Upload tab. You can either drag and drop your excel file or click the ‘Select a file from your computer’ button to upload it.

Step 4: Upload the file and choose the import option from the drop-down menu: Create a new spreadsheet, Insert new sheet(s), or Replace the spreadsheet. Then, click ‘Import data’.

Step 5: Finally, click the ‘Open now’ link.

Your spreadsheet will open in Google Sheets and be saved to your account.

Convert an Excel Spreadsheet to Google Sheets Using Google Drive

Another way to convert an Excel file to Google Sheets is by using Google Drive. You need to upload the Excel file to Google Drive and save it as Google Sheets. Here’s how:

Step 1: Open Google Drive website and log in to your Google account.

Step 2: Click the New button in the top-left corner.

Step 3: Select File upload from the menu.

Step 4: Locate and select the Excel file you want to convert and click Open.

Step 5: Right-click on the file, select Open with, and choose Google Sheets.

Step 6: Your Excel file will open in Google Sheets for editing.

Step 7: Edit the spreadsheet, then click File and select ‘Save as Google Sheets’.

Your Excel file will be converted to Google Sheets and saved in the same folder.

Automatically Convert Excel Files to Google Sheets in Google Drive

Although the above two methods make converting Excel files into Google Sheets easy, repeating the same is time-consuming. Fortunately, you can configure Google Drive to automatically convert all of your Excel files. This method is useful if you need to convert multiple Excel files at once. Here’s how you can enable the feature. Step 1: Open Google Drive website in a web browser and sign in. Step 2: Click the gear-shaped icon in the top right corner and select Settings.

Step 3: In the General tab, tick ‘Convert uploaded files to Google Docs’ and click Done to save changes.

After enabling the ‘Convert uploads’ option, Google Drive will convert uploaded Excel files into Google Sheets format. You can differentiate between an Excel file and a Google Sheets file by looking at the icon. Excel files have an ‘X’ icon, while Google Sheets files have two crossed lines.

Enabling the ‘Convert uploads’ option does not affect existing files. However, it will convert all Office files to Google counterparts. For example, if you upload a Word document, it will be converted to Google Docs. To prevent this conversion, disable the option after converting Excel files.

Start Collaborating

Google Sheets is popular for its collaborative features. Although it does not have as many features as Microsoft Excel, its simplicity makes it an excellent spreadsheet manager. If you prefer using Google Sheets, you can choose any method to convert your Excel files.