If you’re trying to open a .xlsx file and find that your computer doesn’t have Microsoft Excel installed, you can use some other apps to open the file instead.
The first app is Open Office, which is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems. The second is Google Sheets—a free online spreadsheet program that you can use on any device with a web browser.
Quyasoft is the right stop for you to obtain all the relevant information you need on How to Convert an XLSX File, Top 7 Apps To Open XLSX Files On Your Phones In 2021, How to Open an XLSX File and so much more. Take out time to surf through our catalog for more information on related topics. You don’t want to miss this!
What Is an XLSX File?
A file with the XLSX file extension is a Microsoft Excel Open XML Format Spreadsheet file. It’s a ZIP-compressed, XML-based spreadsheet file created by Microsoft Excel version 2007 and later.
XLSX files organize data in cells that are stored in worksheets, which are in turn stored in workbooks (files that contain multiple worksheets). The cells of a spreadsheet are positioned by rows and columns and can contain styles, formatting, math functions, and more.
Spreadsheet files made in earlier versions of Excel are saved in the XLS format. Excel files that support macros are XLSM files.
How to Open an XLSX File
Unless you’ve purposely installed a program to your computer that can open XLSX files, then double-clicking on one won’t do anything useful. Instead, you need to have a specific program on your computer that can recognize the XLSX file.
Although Microsoft Excel (version 2007 and newer) is the primary software program used to both open XLSX files and edit XLSX files, you can install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack to open, edit, and save XLSX files using an older version of Excel.
If you have no intention to edit the XLSX file, and you just want to view it, you can install the free Microsoft Office Excel Viewer. It supports printing and copying data out of the XLSX file, too, which might be all you need to do.
You can also open and edit XLSX files without Excel, completely free, using WPS Office Spreadsheets, OpenOffice Calc, or LibreOffice Calc. If you’re on a Mac, Apple Numbers supports XLSX files, too (but not all features will work).
Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel Online, and Zoho Docs are a few other ways you can open and edit XLSX files for free. Going this route requires you to upload the XLSX file to the website before you can make any changes.
If you use the Chrome web browser, you can install Office Editing for Docs, Sheets & Slides as an extension, which lets you open and edit XLSX files directly in the browser, either by dragging a local XLSX file into Chrome or opening one from the internet without having to download it first.
Installing Chrome extensions is pretty straightforward, but if you need some step-by-step help, we have a guide on how to add extensions to Chrome.
How to Convert an XLSX File
If you have one of the applications we’ve already mentioned installed on your computer, it’s recommended to use that same program to save whatever XLSX you’re working with to the specific format you’re interested in. This is normally done through the File > Save as menu option.
For example, if you’re using Excel, go through its FILE > Save As > Browse menu and choose CSV, XLS, TXT, XML, etc. The F12 key should also work to get to the Save As window.
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Sometimes the quickest solution to convert an XLSX file isn’t with a tool you have installed, but instead via a free file conversion software program or online service like Zamzar.
Just looking at the capabilities of those two services, you can convert whatever Excel file you have to many different file types, like XLSX to CSV, XML, DOC, PDF, ODS, RTF, XLS, MDB, and even image and web file formats like JPG, PNG, and HTML.
TinyWow can split an Excel file if you want the XLSX file to end up as multiple files. That same site has an Excel to XML converter, and others that can save the file to PDF or CSV.
Still Can’t Open the File?
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The most likely reason for why the file won’t open at this point, if you’ve tried all the suggestions above, is that you’re not really dealing with an XLSX file. This might happen if you’ve only briefly looked at the file extension and are confusing it for an Excel file.
For example, maybe your file really ends in .LSX, in which case it’s a Streaming Media Shortcut file and has nothing to do with Excel. Windows Media Player opens LSX files.
Similarly, it’d be easy to confuse an SLX file for one that has the Excel XLSX suffix, but SLX files are also unrelated to Excel and are instead used by programs like Simulink and SpectraLayers.
XLR is another one that’s easy to mix up for an Excel file.
If you can’t open the file, re-read the extension and research it online. It should be fairly easy to find more information about the format and learn which programs are able to open and convert it. We may even have a description of it here on Lifewire—use the search box at the top of this page to check.
Top 7 Apps To Open XLSX Files On Your Phones In 2021
Docs To Go
I am starting up with one of the oldest office apps. Docs To Go is quite popular with those of us who use mobile phones to type or edit in word processing. It’s a simple app that helps you make quick access and edit to your XLSX files. It isn’t that loaded with a lot of features but can still get the job done for you. However, you might encounter some complications when you try to open XLSX files created from other apps. The paid version helps to unlock more features. For those of you who love simplicity in editing and creating new spreadsheets, this very app is for you.
Google sheet
Google sheet is one of the best apps to access XLSX files on your phone. One good advantage it has is that two or more people can use time simultaneously to edit XLSX files. It opens XLSX files with ease with no form of complications. Just as I said earlier you can edit existing files and even use them to create a new open. Unlike Docs To Go, Google sheet can open any XLSX made from other apps, and it’s free except you to want more space than up to 15 GB then you can subscribe to get more space.
Microsoft Excel
Just like the desktop version, the mobile version comes with amazing features. Microsoft Excel is arguably the best app for opening XLSX files. It helps you access XLSX files with ease. You can also make quick edits on it. It has a lot of customization tools you can use.
You can even start a new XLSX file on it. Just in case you are a bit far from your computer, if Microsoft Excel is installed on your phone, you can run quick spreadsheet work on it before getting to use your computer. The free version is sufficient unless you want to unlock the entire feature. But if you think you are ok with the free version well no problems.
Office Suite
Office Suite was one of the first apps I once used while in college. It is so simple and easy to use. You can open any kind of XLSX file on your mobile with this app installed in it. Though some updates have been added to it, you can now enjoy more office experience using this app. You can also open presentation files using it.
Office Suite is one of the strong competitors to Microsoft Excel, and Google sheet when it comes to mobile spreadsheet apps. It has a paid version too. Some users advise you to go for the paid version because it has lots of features and no form ads are disturbing you when using it.
WPS Office
WPS has over one billion downloads already, the reason for this is its simplicity and the ability it has to open more than one type of file. It gives you the liberty to open/acess XLSX files, make an edit and create new ones. It has a bunch of tools to help you out. You can save your file in the cloud also when you’re through making edits. I still have this very app on my phone. It’s very simple to use I am telling you. The XLSX app is a strong competitor of the top XLSX apps for what it brings to the table.
Its features are not free though if you want to enjoy full features you have to pay for that. WPS Office is also compatible with Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote. It also has amazing templates for those of you who want to create a new XLSX.
Polaris Office
Polaris office is one of the best apps to open XLSX files you can use at any time. Though it’s not as good as Microsoft Excel or Google sheet, it still serves the essential purpose it was made to perform. You can also use it to open other types of office files also.
The user interface is simple even for a beginner. As a beginner, you can easily find your way around the app. You can also edit and create new spreadsheet files in the Polaris office. Like others, it has a paid version if you want to add additional features to what you might be enjoying when you install it.
AndrOpen Office
Andropen office is the first mobile app of open office. It’s one of the best alternatives to Google sheet and Microsoft Excel if you want to try an alternative. The app helps you open XLSX files with little problems. It no only opens XLSX files you can also edit and add new data to an existing one. It allows users to import and export files with ease. AndrOpen Office is a complete office app on your phone. It is free but not free. It has over one million downloads already, so you know it’s a great app.
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