# Import Excel document into Google Sheets: a tutorial When it comes to complex formulas, lists, or automated dependencies, Excel is often the first choice. However, if you want to **open or edit an Excel file**, you don’t necessarily have to use the Microsoft spreadsheet. The files can also be opened with various [Microsoft Excel alternatives](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/online-marketing/online-sales/free-microsoft-excel-alternatives/ "Free Microsoft Excel alternatives") – including **Google Sheets**, the search engine’s very own spreadsheet program on the **Google Workspace**. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to upload Excel spreadsheets into Google Sheets and transfer your Excel project to Google Sheets step by step. ## Open Excel spreadsheets in Google – a quick guide The Google Workspace programs, such as the Google Docs text editor and Google Sheets, are free to use. One of the greatest advantages of the online suite is its compatibility with files from the Microsoft Office suite, which makes it easy to **open and edit Excel spreadsheets**, among other things. Just follow these **five steps** to import your Excel projects into Sheets or other Google Workspace apps like Google Docs: 1. Go to [Google Drive](https://drive.google.com "Login page of Google Drive") in the browser of your choice or launch the Google Drive app. 2. **Upload** your Excel file. 3. **Right-click** on the Excel file and select “**Open with**”. 4. Select the Google app (recommended: Google Sheets) that you want to use to open the Excel file. 5. Now you can review, edit, save, and send the Excel file in the usual way. Tip With [Google Workspace](https://www.ionos.com/office-solutions/google-workspace "Google Workspace at IONOS") from IONOS, you can enjoy the benefits of the Google suite and benefit from additional services such as prioritized support and your own IONOS domain. ## Upload and edit Excel data in Google Sheets: step-by-step guide The following sections are a **step-by-step guide** to importing Excel files into Google Docs or opening and editing them in Google Sheets. ### Step 1: Open Google Drive To upload Excel or CSV files to Google Sheets or other apps from the [Google Workspace](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/startup/productivity/google-g-suite/ "Google Workspace: tools for location-independent collaboration - IONOS"), you need an active Google account. In case you don’t have one yet, head over to Google to [register](https://www.google.com/intl/en-GB/account/about/ "Google account: registration page"). If you have a Google account, first log in with your credentials. Then open the app menu (top right). Click on the Google Drive icon to launch the online storage in your browser. [![Image: Google account: overview of apps](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/c/b/csm_google-account-overview-of-apps_1820f0ce61.webp "Google account: overview of apps")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/google-account-overview-of-apps.png) Google account: overview of apps Note Smartphone and tablet users can launch Google Drive just as easily by using the corresponding **app** for Android or iOS. ### Step 2: Upload Excel file to Google Drive Once you’ve opened Google Drive, you’ll see a plus sign in the upper left corner, labeled “**New**”. Click on the button and select “**File upload**”. An Explorer window opens that lets you browse the location where the Excel spreadsheet is stored. Select the Excel file and click “**Open**” to finish. Once the Excel file is uploaded to Google Drive, you’ll receive a message to confirm. [![Image: File upload Google Drive](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/e/8/csm_file-upload-google-drive_f85c681de6.webp "File upload Google Drive")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/file-upload-google-drive.png) File upload Google Drive Tip Prefer to access Google Drive without an Internet connection? Activate the [Offline function in Google Drive](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/tools/google-drive-offline/ "Google Drive offline"). ### Step 3: Open Excel spreadsheet in Google Docs and Google Sheets Once you’ve **uploaded t**he Excel file to **Google Drive**, you decide how you want to open the spreadsheet document. Select the file by right-clicking on it. A dialog window will pop up prompting you to “**Open with**”. Depending on the file type, Google will automatically suggest apps that are best suited to opening your file. For example, **Google Docs** is always recommended for Word documents. To **open and edit Excel spreadsheets**, Google Sheets will be the suggested choice by default. [![Image: Google Drive: options for uploaded files](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/e/7/csm_google-drive-options-for-uploaded-files_75bae0f9f5.webp "Google Drive: options for uploaded files")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/google-drive-options-for-uploaded-files.png) Google Drive: options for uploaded files ### Step 4: Edit and save Excel file Now that you’ve opened your Excel spreadsheet or imported a CSV to Google Sheets, you can edit it as usual. For example, you can **add and adjust data** or **optimize the display format** of your Excel spreadsheet. [![Image: Opened Excel spreadsheet in Google Sheets](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/8/8/csm_opened-excel-spreadsheet-in-google-sheets_70b4a0d4e1.webp "Opened Excel spreadsheet in Google Sheets")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/opened-excel-spreadsheet-in-google-sheets.png) Opened Excel spreadsheet in Google Sheets Note When working with Excel spreadsheets in Google Workspace, keep in mind that for all its similarities, there are also crucial [differences between Google Sheets and Excel](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/online-marketing/online-sales/google-sheets-vs-excel/ "Google Sheets vs. Excel"). ### Step 5: Save and share Sheets Once you’ve successfully edited your spreadsheet, you can save the document as a Google Sheet. Click “**File**” and then “**Save as Google Sheet**”. This is especially useful if you plan on sharing the spreadsheet via Gmail. To do this, launch the Google Mail app, select “**Write**” and input the sender from your [Google Contacts](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/e-mail/technical-matters/import-contacts-into-gmail/ "Import contacts into Gmail"). To share your saved Google Drive spreadsheet, simple click the “**Paste file from Google Drive**” icon. If you want to save the file as an Excel document, select the “**Download**” via the “**File**” menu item and choose the XLSX format. This way you can save the Excel table on your PC in a folder of your choice. Tip The best format for storing your spreadsheet depends, among other things, on which [collaboration tool](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/e-mail/technical-matters/collaboration-tools-a-comparison-of-the-best-solutions/ "Collaboration tools: a comparison of the best solutions") you tend to use at work. Do you know the pros and cons of comparing the [“Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365”](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/startup/productivity/google-workspace-vs-microsoft-365/ "Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 compared")? [![Image: Google Sheets: Download of edited Excel spreadsheet](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/9/6/csm_google-sheets-download-of-edited-excel-spreadsheet_8520be0182.webp "Google Sheets: Download of edited Excel spreadsheet")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/google-sheets-download-of-edited-excel-spreadsheet.png) Google Sheets: Download of edited Excel spreadsheet Tip Optimal teamworking is guaranteed with [HiDrive](https://www.ionos.com/office-solutions/hidrive-cloud-storage "HiDrive Cloud Storage from IONOS") cloud storage from IONOS! Together with your personalized [email address](https://www.ionos.com/office-solutions/create-an-email-address "Email address from IONOS"), it makes for the perfect solution to manage data. If you’re switching over from a Gmail account, just set up [Gmail forwarding](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/e-mail/technical-matters/gmails-email-forwarding-function/ "Gmail’s email forwarding function"). It’s as easy as 1-2-3! This is a markdown version of: [https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/online-marketing/online-sales/import-excel-to-google-sheets/](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/online-marketing/online-sales/import-excel-to-google-sheets/) for AI/LLM consumption.