How to Open Excel Files

In-depth guide for opening Excel files on your PC or phone

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: June 28, 2024

This wikiHow teaches you how to open an Excel file, and view the spreadsheet file's contents. You can use a desktop spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel, a web-based spreadsheet viewer like Google Sheets, or the mobile Excel app to open, view, and edit Excel spreadsheets on any computer, phone or tablet.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Using a Desktop App

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Find the spreadsheet file on your computer, and right-click on its name or icon to see your options on a drop-down menu.
A list of available apps will pop up on a sub-menu.

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Select Microsoft Excel on the "Open with" menu. This will launch Excel on your computer, and open the selected file.
- If you don't see the Excel app here, click Other or Choose another app to see all your apps.
- If you don't have Excel installed, check out the available subscription plans and get a free trial at https://www.microsoft.com/en/microsoft-365/excel?market=af .
- As an alternative, you can download and use a free, open-source office suite like Apache OpenOffice ( https://www.openoffice.org ) or LibreOffice ( https://www.libreoffice.org ).

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Using Excel Online

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1
Open Microsoft Excel Online in your internet browser. Type or paste https://office.live.com/start/Excel.aspx into the address bar, and press ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return on your keyboard.
- If you're prompted, sign in with your Microsoft ID or Outlook account.
- You can use Excel online in any desktop or mobile internet browser.
This button looks like a blue, upwards arrow icon in the upper-right corner of the page. It will open your file navigator, and allow you to select a file from your computer.
Find your spreadsheet file in the file navigator window, and click on its name or icon to select it.
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Click Open . This button is in the bottom-right corner of the file navigator pop-up. It will upload your spreadsheet file, and open it in Excel Online.
- You can view and edit your file in your internet browser.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Using Google Sheets

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1
Open Google Sheets in your internet browser. Type or paste https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets into the address bar, and press ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return on your keyboard.
- Alternatively, go to https://sheets.google.com . It will open the same page.
- If you're not automatically signed in, log in with your Google account.
- You can use Google Sheets in any desktop or mobile internet browser.
You can find this button in the upper-right corner of your spreadsheet list, next to the AZ button. It will open the "Open a file" window in a pop-up.
3
Click the Upload tab. You can find it on a tab bar below the "Upload a file" heading in the pop-up. This will allow you to open any Excel file from your computer.
- Alternatively, you can click the My Drive tab, and open a file from your Google Drive library.
4
Drag and drop your Excel file on the "Open a file" window. When you're in the Upload tab, you can just drag and drop any spreadsheet file from your computer here.
- This will upload your Excel file to Google Sheets, and open it in your internet browser.
- Alternatively, click the blue Select a file from your device button, and select your file manually.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Using the Mobile App

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1
Open the Excel app on your phone or tablet. The Excel icon looks like a green-and-white "X" and a spreadsheet icon. If you don't have it installed, you can find it:
- On the iTunes App Store for iPhone/iPad at https://itunes.apple.com/tr/app/microsoft-excel/id586683407
- On the Google Play Store for Android at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.excel
2
Tap Sign in later at the bottom. This option will allow you to use the mobile Excel app on your phone or tablet without signing in to your Microsoft account.
- Alternatively, enter your registered email, phone or Skype ID, and tap the green-and-white arrow to sign in to your account.
3
Tap the Open button. This button looks like a folder icon on a navigation bar. It will open your available file sources.
- On iPhone, it's in the lower-right corner of your screen.
- On Android, it's in the upper-left corner of your screen.
4
Select where your spreadsheet file is saved. Selecting a source here will open all the files saved to this location.
- If you're opening a file saved to your phone or tablet's local storage, select This Device or On My iPhone / iPad here.
Tapping a file will open it in the Excel mobile app.