What happens when you convert XLS to DOCX
- Each sheet becomes a table in the Word document, headed by the sheet name when there are several, with thin borders around every cell. Cells show their values as displayed, with their number formats, and formulas become their results.
- Charts, images, cell colours and column widths are not carried over: the table spans the width of the page, with the columns sharing it equally. Tables with more than 8 columns are laid out on landscape pages; a very wide sheet still makes narrow columns, so check the result.
- The sheets are read by SheetJS and the Word document is written by this page, both in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
How to convert XLS to DOCX online
- Press "Choose XLS files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. You can add files of any size your device can hold in memory.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to DOCX". The spreadsheet library, about 900 KB, loads the first time and then workbooks convert in a moment.
- Save each DOCX with its download button. Close the tab and every trace of the files is gone from memory.
Why convert XLS to DOCX?
XLS files usually come from older Excel files and systems that still export the legacy format. People convert them to DOCX because DOCX opens in Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice and keeps the document editable.
In short, XLS is good at what it was made for, and DOCX is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. XLS opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice Calc, while DOCX opens in Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice Writer.
How to convert XLS to DOCX on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your XLS files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each DOCX is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the XLS files from Finder onto the drop zone and the DOCX files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose XLS files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted DOCX appears in Files, in the Downloads folder.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose XLS files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The DOCX is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for XLS to DOCX
There are no settings: each sheet becomes one table in 10 point Calibri with thin borders, on A4 pages with 2 cm margins, turned to landscape when a table has more than 8 columns.
Word, Google Docs and LibreOffice open the tables for editing. For a very large sheet, a PDF of the sheet keeps its layout better than a Word table.
XLS vs DOCX: the differences
| XLS | DOCX | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Excel 97 to 2003 workbook | Word document |
| Type | spreadsheet | document |
| Created by | Microsoft | Microsoft |
| First released | 1997 | 2007 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| What it holds | several sheets with values, formulas and formatting in a binary file | formatted text, images, tables and styles in a ZIP of XML files |
| In a browser | opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice Calc | opens in Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice Writer |
| Common uses | older Excel files and systems that still export the legacy format | letters, reports, CVs and most documents shared at work |
| MIME type | application/vnd.ms-excel | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
About XLS and DOCX files
What is an XLS file?
XLS is the binary Excel format used before 2007. It is limited to 65,536 rows and 256 columns per sheet, far fewer than XLSX allows.
What is a DOCX file?
DOCX has been Word's default format since 2007. Like XLSX it is a ZIP archive of XML files, which is how its text can be read without Word.
XLS to DOCX not working? Common problems
- The table runs off the page. A sheet with many columns gives narrow columns even on landscape pages; hide or delete the columns you do not need first.
- Formulas are missing. A Word table holds the values the formulas showed, not the formulas.
- The file will not open. Password-protected workbooks are encrypted, so they cannot be read without the password; remove the password in Excel first.
Convert XLS to DOCX from the command line
Pandoc turns a CSV into a Word table; a workbook is saved as CSV by LibreOffice first:
soffice --headless --convert-to csv input.xls
pandoc input.csv -o output.docxThe converter on this page does the same job in your browser, without installing anything.
XLS to DOCX converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting XLS to DOCX?
The values are kept as they are displayed. Formulas become their results, so the Word table can no longer calculate, and charts and cell styling are not carried over.
Why is the DOCX a different size from the XLS?
A Word table stores every cell with its own formatting, so the DOCX is often larger than the XLS for big sheets, and small for small ones.
Are my XLS files uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs inside this browser tab using the open-source SheetJS library and a small Word writer on this page, so your files stay on your device. You can disconnect from the internet after the page and converter engine have loaded and it still works.
Can I convert several XLS files to DOCX at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open a DOCX file?
DOCX opens in Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice Writer. DOCX is common for letters, reports, CVs and most documents shared at work.
Is this XLS to DOCX converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many files you convert. The site is paid for by advertising, and because conversions run on your device there is no server cost per file.
Can I convert XLS to DOCX on my phone?
Yes. The converter works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. Converted files are saved to the Downloads folder.