An XLSX file is an Excel spreadsheet. If you have Microsoft Excel, just double-click the file. If you don’t, you can open it for free in Excel for the web (microsoft365.com), Google Sheets, or Numbers on a Mac, iPhone or iPad.
Open it in Excel
- Double-click the .xlsx file, or right-click it and choose Open with › Excel.
- If it opens in Protected View with a yellow bar, select Enable Editing once you trust where the file came from.
Open it free with Excel for the web
Microsoft notes that Microsoft 365 for the web is free with a Microsoft account.
- Go to microsoft365.com and sign in (or create a free Microsoft account).
- Select Upload and choose your .xlsx file.
- Open it from the list to view and edit it in Excel for the web.
Open it in Google Sheets
Google’s Work with Office files help says .xlsx files open in Sheets when you double-click them in Google Drive.
- Go to drive.google.com and select New › File upload.
- Choose the .xlsx file.
- Double-click it in Drive. It opens in Google Sheets.
Need to send it back as a PDF? See how to convert a Google Sheets file to PDF.
Open it on a Mac, iPhone or iPad
Apple’s free Numbers app can import Excel files. See Apple’s guides for Mac and iPhone. On a Mac, drag the file onto the Numbers icon or choose File › Open in Numbers. On an iPhone, tap the file in the Files app or an email attachment to preview or open it.
If the file won’t open
- Check the extension. A file ending in .xls is an older Excel format, and .csv is plain text; all three open in the apps above.
- If Windows asks which app to use, choose Excel, or pick a browser and use Excel for the web.
- If Excel says the file is damaged, try File › Open, select the file, then use the arrow next to Open and choose Open and Repair.
Not sure which version of Office to get? See what the Microsoft Office suite is.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.