Convert ODS to XLS OpenDocument Spreadsheet ↔ Excel Free Online Secure
Every sheet, in its order, with its values and number formats. Nothing is redrawn: the spreadsheet is simply written out again in the other format.
Convert your file
Drop an .ods file here, or choose one.
Your file never leaves this device. Everything runs in your browser.
Nothing uploaded
Where these formats come from
Both of these formats are the same thing underneath: a zip archive full of XML files describing the text, the styles and the pictures. OpenDocument came first, from the OpenOffice project, and became ISO 26300 in 2006. Microsoft's Office Open XML followed and became ISO 29500 in 2008, after a standardisation fight so bitter that national bodies changed their votes under public argument. The outcome is that the world now has two open, documented, interchangeable office formats rather than one proprietary one — which is precisely why converting between them is possible at all, and why it mostly works.
Where you meet them
The conversion is needed whenever two people use different software on the same document: a colleague who works in LibreOffice sending a file to one who works in Microsoft Office, a public body that accepts only ODF, a client who insists on .docx. It also matters for the long term — an archive kept in an open format can still be opened in twenty years, whoever is still in business.
Questions people ask
Will my formatting survive the conversion?
Ordinary formatting — headings, bold, lists, tables, images, page breaks — comes through faithfully, because both formats describe the same things in much the same way. What travels badly is everything at the edges: complex nested tables, text boxes anchored to odd positions, uncommon numbering schemes, and anything built on a feature only one of the two has. Open the result and look at the places where you did something clever; that is where the differences will be, if anywhere.
What happens to my macros?
They do not come across. Macros are program code written for one particular office suite, and the other suite does not run that language — a Word VBA macro means nothing to LibreOffice Basic and the other way round. The conversion carries the document and discards the code. If a file's whole purpose is its automation, it has to be rewritten rather than converted, and that is a programming job rather than a file job.
Does the file lose quality?
It depends on what the two formats can hold. Converting between formats that store the same thing — a PNG to a BMP, a WAV to a FLAC — loses nothing. Converting into a format that throws information away to save space, such as JPEG or MP3, loses a little every time, and converting back does not bring it back. Where a choice exists, this page errs towards keeping the original quality rather than making the smallest file.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion happens inside your browser, on your own machine; the file never leaves it and there is no server here that could receive it. That is why a large file is limited by your own memory rather than by an upload, and why nothing you convert can appear in anybody's logs — including ours. The audio and video tools do fetch their conversion engine from this site the first time you use them, some thirty megabytes once; after that the work still happens entirely on your machine.
Why people convert ODS to XLS
ODS is the spreadsheet format of LibreOffice Calc and the other open office suites. XLS is the spreadsheet format that Microsoft Excel made famous, and the one that countless older systems, accountants' templates and import tools still expect. People convert ODS to XLS when a spreadsheet written in open software has to go to someone who works in Excel, or into a system that accepts only the Excel format. A client wants the figures in a file their software can open. A bank, an accountant or a government portal asks for XLS. A colleague on a different setup cannot open your ODS. Whatever the cause, the task is the same: take the sheets you have and write them out in the other format.
The conversion is straightforward in spirit. Every sheet, in its order, with its values and number formats, is written out again in the other format. Nothing is redrawn. But there is one important limit around formulas, which is covered below, and it is worth understanding before you rely on the result.
This page converts ODS to XLS in your browser. Your spreadsheet is not uploaded to a server, which matters for accounts, payroll and customer lists. Below you will find what carries across, what does not, how formulas are treated, and how to check the result.
What carries across
Every sheet, in its order
When you convert ODS to XLS here, every sheet comes across, in the same order, under the same name. A workbook with sheets named January, February and Totals produces an XLS with those three sheets in that order. Nothing is merged, dropped or rearranged.
Values, dates and number formats
Cell values come across exactly, and so do dates and number formats. A date stays a date, a percentage stays a percentage and a currency amount keeps its currency format. The spreadsheet is simply written out again in the other format, so the figures and the way they are displayed stay as they were.
What "nothing is redrawn" means
Some conversions work by making a picture of the sheet and rebuilding it, which can introduce errors. This one reads the cells and writes the same cells in the new format. There is no guesswork in the values: what was in a cell is what is in the cell afterwards.
What does not carry across
Formulas arrive as values
This is the main limit. Formulas arrive as the values they last computed, because the .xls format is written here without them. If a cell contained a sum, the XLS contains the number the sum produced, not the sum itself. The figures are right at the moment of conversion, but the sheet will no longer recalculate if you change an input.
For a sheet that is going to be read, filed or imported, that is usually fine, and often preferable: the recipient sees the final numbers, and nothing can break. For a working model that the recipient will update, it is a serious limit, and you should send the ODS itself, or rebuild the formulas in Excel after conversion.
Make sure the values are current
Because formulas turn into the values they last computed, be sure the sheet is up to date before you convert ODS to XLS. Open the workbook, let it recalculate, save it, and then convert. If a formula depends on a link or on data that has not refreshed, the number you convert may be stale.
Charts, colours and merged cells
Charts, cell colours and merged-cell layout are not carried over. A chart beside your figures will not appear, coloured cells will be plain, and a title merged across several columns will become an ordinary cell. The data is all there; the decoration is not.
What ODS and XLS are
ODS, short for OpenDocument Spreadsheet, is the format in which LibreOffice Calc and OpenOffice save workbooks, built on a public standard. XLS is the older Excel format, from before Excel moved to XLSX, but still widely accepted because so much software was built around it. Both describe a workbook: a set of sheets, each a grid of cells holding values, formulas and formatting. They store those things differently, so a program has to translate between them.
When you convert ODS to XLS, the translation covers the data faithfully: the sheets, their names and order, the values, the dates and the number formats. It does not cover the formulas, which this converter writes out as values, nor the visual extras such as charts and colours. The result is a clean, readable workbook that opens in Excel and in every program that understands the format.
Why XLS rather than XLSX?
XLSX is the newer Excel format and is the default today. But XLS is still what many older systems, templates and import routines require, and it opens in every version of Excel and in other spreadsheet programs. When a recipient or a system asks specifically for XLS, converting ODS to XLS meets the request exactly.
Values instead of formulas: when that is good, and when it is not
Turning formulas into values sounds like a loss, and in some cases it is. But in many everyday cases it is exactly right. If you are sending a finished statement, a report or a list of prices, the recipient needs the numbers, not the machinery. A sheet of values cannot be broken by someone who changes an input, cannot reveal your working, and cannot show errors from a link that no longer resolves. For that kind of handover, the values-only workbook is cleaner and safer than the original.
It is a problem only when the recipient needs to recalculate: a budget model they will adjust, a template they will fill in. For that you should send the ODS itself, or rebuild the key formulas in Excel after you convert ODS to XLS. A third option is to send both: the ODS as the model and the XLS as the clean statement of results.
How to protect your working
If your workbook contains confidential calculations, such as margins or internal rates, a values-only copy hides them. When you convert ODS to XLS, the formulas are not in the output, so the recipient sees results without the logic behind them. Remember to check for any helper sheets you did not mean to share, because every sheet comes across.
Dates, numbers and regional formats
Spreadsheets display numbers and dates according to regional rules, and those rules are part of the number formats that come across. A date shown day-month-year stays that way, and a number with a decimal comma keeps it. This is helpful, because the recipient sees what you saw, but it can surprise when the recipient's Excel uses different regional settings: a number stored the same way may be displayed according to their locale.
If you are sending to another country, consider formatting dates in an unambiguous order and including currency codes in headings before you convert ODS to XLS. A column of dates like 03/04/2024 means March fourth to one reader and the third of April to another; an explicit format avoids the confusion.
Large numbers and precision
Numbers are carried across with their full precision, even where the display is rounded. A cell showing 2.5 but holding 2.4999 will arrive holding 2.4999 and displaying 2.5, exactly as before. That is faithful, but if you want the recipient to see the true value, widen the display before you convert ODS to XLS.
How to convert ODS to XLS here
Add your spreadsheet
Drop the .ods file onto the page or pick it from your device. It is read inside your browser and is not uploaded.
Convert
Press the button. For an ordinary workbook this takes a few seconds.
Download and check
Download the XLS and open it in Excel or another spreadsheet program. Check that every sheet is present, that dates and numbers look right and that the totals match the original.
Preparing the workbook for a clean result
Recalculate first
Make sure all the formulas have computed, so that the values written out are current.
Keep what matters in the cells
Information that exists only as a chart or as cell colour will not travel. If a colour has meaning, such as red for overdue, add a text column that says so before you convert.
Check dates and formats
Look at the date and number formats in the original, since they are what the XLS will display.
Questions people ask before converting
Why are my formulas gone?
The XLS is written without formulas, so each one arrives as the value it last computed. If you need live formulas, send the ODS or rebuild them in Excel.
Where did my chart and colours go?
Charts, cell colours and merged-cell layout are not carried over. The cell values are.
Are all my sheets included?
Yes. Every sheet comes across, in its order, with its name.
Is my spreadsheet uploaded?
No. Everything runs in your browser and the file never leaves your device.
Who converts ODS to XLS
Users of free office software
People who work in LibreOffice but deliver to Excel users need this conversion constantly.
Accountants and administrators
Import tools, portals and templates often expect XLS. Converting lets you supply figures in the form they want.
Anyone sharing results
When the recipient needs the numbers, not the model behind them, an XLS of values is a clean handover.
Common mistakes
Expecting formulas to survive
They arrive as values. Send the ODS if the recipient needs to recalculate.
Converting a stale sheet
Recalculate before converting, or old numbers are written out.
Relying on colour
Cell colours are not carried over. Put the meaning in the cells themselves.
Related tools
To go the other way, convert XLS to ODS. For a fixed, shareable copy, convert ODS to PDF or convert XLS to PDF. If your data lives in a PDF table, convert PDF to XLS or PDF to ODS rebuild it. For data in other forms, JSON to XLSX and XLSX to JSON help, and for text documents, ODT to DOCX.
When to convert ODS to XLS, and when not to
Converting is right when someone or something needs the Excel format: a colleague, a client, an accountant, an import routine. It is the wrong move when the recipient also uses open software, in which case the ODS is the better file, or when the recipient needs live formulas, in which case you should send the ODS or rebuild the formulas afterwards. And if all they need is to read the figures, a PDF may be the simplest handover.
For the common cases, such as statements, lists, price sheets, timetables and results, it is quick, private and dependable to convert ODS to XLS in the browser. Your original is never changed, so you can come back and convert ODS to XLS again whenever you like.
Converting several workbooks
If you have many workbooks to send, convert them one at a time and keep the originals in a separate folder. Try one first and check it against the original, so that you know what to expect from the rest. When you convert ODS to XLS in bulk, consistency matters more than speed.
Workbooks with many sheets
Every sheet comes across, so a workbook with twenty sheets gives an XLS with twenty sheets. If the recipient needs only some of them, delete the others in a copy of the original before you convert. That keeps the file small and avoids sharing a sheet you did not mean to show.
Large workbooks and slow devices
Everything runs on your own device, so very large workbooks depend on its memory. A few thousand rows is no trouble. A workbook with hundreds of thousands of rows may be slow on an older phone. If it struggles, give the browser a moment and avoid switching to other apps while it works.
Checking the result properly
After you convert ODS to XLS, open the XLS and compare it with the original. Check one total, one date and one formatted number. If those three match, the rest will. Pay attention to the cells that were formulas: they should show the same numbers as before, only without the underlying calculation.
Your spreadsheet stays on your device
The conversion happens locally. Your spreadsheet is read by your own browser, written as an XLS there and handed back. Nothing is uploaded, so there is no copy on a server and no one else who could see the figures. For accounts, payroll and customer data, that is the safe way to convert ODS to XLS.
A worked example
Say you keep a household budget in LibreOffice Calc with three sheets, Income, Spending and Summary, and your accountant wants the figures in Excel format. You drop the ODS here and press the button. You open the XLS: all three sheets are present, the figures and dates look right, and the totals match. The Summary formulas are now plain numbers, which suits your accountant. You send the file.
A simple routine for handing over a workbook
Open the workbook and let everything recalculate. Delete any helper sheets and notes you do not want to share, working on a copy. Check that dates and number formats show what you want the reader to see. Then convert, open the result, and compare one total, one date and one formatted number with the original. If they match, send the file and keep the original safe.
This routine takes a few minutes and avoids the two most common problems: stale numbers and accidentally shared sheets. It is worth following whether you convert one workbook a year or one a day, because the cost of a mistake in a financial spreadsheet is always higher than the cost of two extra minutes of checking.
Naming and versions
Give the converted file a name that says what it is and when it was made, for example "budget-2024-03-values". A name with a date and a hint about its contents tells the recipient at once that it is a snapshot, not a live model, and it keeps your own folder tidy when several versions pile up.
Before you close the page
Check that you downloaded the XLS, that every sheet is present and the totals match, and that you kept the original ODS.
A closing word
The best results come from thinking of the conversion as handing over the substance of a workbook: the sheets, the values, the dates and the formats arrive intact, while formulas, charts and colours are left behind. Done in that spirit, the process is quick, and it leaves the recipient with a clean, readable file in the format they asked for, while the original stays safely with you.
Summary
To convert ODS to XLS here, drop the file and press the button. Every sheet comes across in its order, with its values, dates and number formats. Formulas arrive as the values they last computed, because the .xls format is written here without them, and charts, cell colours and merged-cell layout are not carried over. Nothing leaves your device.