Excel and Google Sheets: how to move files between them without losing formatting

Someone sends you an Excel file and you want to edit it with your team in Google Sheets. Or the other way round: you built a report in Google Sheets and your client needs it in Excel. The two programs understand each other quite well, but they are not identical. When you move a file from one to the other, fonts and column widths may change, some formulas stop working and macros get left behind.

Here you will see what is kept and what is not, how to convert in each direction and what to check so the file arrives exactly as it left.

What is kept and what is lost

With a normal XLSX file (data, formatting, common formulas and a chart or two) the conversion is usually almost perfect. Problems appear with functions exclusive to each program and with advanced features:

From Excel to Google Sheets, step by step

There are two ways to work with an Excel file in Google Sheets, and they are not the same.

Option 1: edit it in Office compatibility mode

If you upload an XLSX to Google Drive and open it, Google Sheets edits it without converting it: you will see an .XLSX label next to the name. Changes are saved to the same Excel file. This is the safest option if the file has to go back to Excel, although some Google Sheets features are not available in this mode.

Option 2: convert it to Google format

1. Upload the file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets.
2. Go to File › Save as Google Sheets. A new copy is created; the original XLSX stays untouched.
3. Check the sheets with formulas, charts and conditional formatting before sharing the copy.

If you would rather bring the data into an existing spreadsheet, open it and use File › Import. You can create a new spreadsheet, insert new sheets or replace the current sheet.

If the file is in the old .xls format, convert it to .xlsx first. Google Sheets opens both, but the modern format causes fewer problems with formatting, formulas and row limits.

From Google Sheets to Excel, step by step

1. Open the spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
2. Go to File › Download › Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).
3. Open the downloaded file in Excel. If the Protected View bar appears, click Enable Editing so Excel recalculates the formulas.
4. Go through each sheet and look for cells with errors, misplaced charts and columns with a different width.

Keep in mind that downloading as CSV only exports the active sheet, without formatting. If you need every sheet as it looks, always download as XLSX.

Formulas that change between the two programs

Most functions have the same name and are written the same way in both. The differences come down to three points.

Functions that only exist in Google Sheets

Functions such as GOOGLEFINANCE, IMPORTRANGE, QUERY or GOOGLETRANSLATE do not exist in Excel. When you download the file, Excel may show the last calculated value, but as soon as it recalculates you get #NAME?. If the file is going to live in Excel, replace them first. For example, a QUERY that adds up amounts by customer can be replaced with this formula, with the customer in E2:

=SUMIFS(C:C,A:A,E2)

Modern functions and older versions of Excel

Google Sheets has functions such as FILTER and UNIQUE. So does Excel, but only since Excel 2021 and Microsoft 365. If your recipient uses Excel 2019 or earlier, they will see #NAME?. Ask which version they have first.

Arguments that do not mean the same thing

In Excel, the third argument of FILTER is the value shown when there are no results. In Google Sheets, additional arguments are extra conditions. That is why a formula like =FILTER(A2:C100,C2:C100>1000,"No results") works in Excel and fails in Google Sheets. The version that works in both is:

=IFERROR(FILTER(A2:C100,C2:C100>1000),"No results")

Formatting: what changes most and how to avoid it

• Fonts. If you use a font that is not available in the other program, it is replaced by a similar one and the text may take up more or less space. Stick to common fonts such as Arial if the file is going back and forth.
• Column widths and row heights. They may vary by a few pixels. Check columns with long numbers: if you see ####, widen the column.
• Locale. Google Sheets applies each spreadsheet’s locale (File › Settings), which determines the decimal separator, the date format and the argument separator. If it does not match yours, dates and decimals may be misread when importing.
• Conditional formatting that refers to other sheets. Google Sheets only allows references to other sheets in these rules through INDIRECT. Check these rules after converting.
• Protection. Google Sheets cannot open Excel files encrypted with a password: remove it before uploading. And when you download, the file has no password; Google permissions do not travel with the XLSX.

Tips for a round trip without surprises

1. Always work with .xlsx, not .xls or CSV, if you want to keep formatting and multiple sheets.
2. Avoid functions exclusive to one program if the file is going to pass through both.
3. Make sure the Google Sheets locale matches your Excel settings.
4. Keep a copy of the original before converting.
5. After converting, compare the original with the result to spot any values that changed.

For the last step you can use our tool to compare Excel files, which shows you the cells that do not match between two versions. And if you have old .xls files, convert them first with our free XLS to XLSX converter: the modern format is the one both Excel and Google Sheets handle best.

Conclusion

Moving files between Excel and Google Sheets works well if you use XLSX, avoid exclusive functions and check the result. To go from Excel to Google, decide whether you want to edit the original file or create a converted copy. To go back to Excel, download as XLSX and check formulas, charts and dates. With those precautions, the file arrives practically the same as it left.

Frequently asked questions