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Convert XLS to HTML - Turn Spreadsheets Into Web Tables

Transform Excel spreadsheets into clean, web-ready HTML tables instantly.

Step 1: Upload your files

You can also Drag and drop files.

Step 2: Choose format
Step 3: Convert files

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Why Convert XLS to HTML?

You have data in an Excel spreadsheet that needs to appear on a website. The problem is that websites don't read XLS files directly-they use HTML. Converting your spreadsheet to HTML creates a table that any web browser can display.

HTML tables are the standard way to show structured data on the web. They work on every device, in every browser, and can be styled with CSS to match your website's design. In our testing, properly converted HTML tables load faster and render more consistently than embedded Excel viewers or screenshot images of spreadsheets.

How to Convert XLS to HTML

  1. Upload your XLS file - Drag and drop your Excel spreadsheet or click to browse
  2. Select HTML as output - HTML is ready for direct web publishing
  3. Download your HTML - Get clean, structured table code ready to use

The entire process takes seconds. No Excel installation required, no software to download. Just upload and convert.

XLS vs HTML: Format Comparison

XLS is Microsoft Excel's binary spreadsheet format introduced in 1997. It stores data, formulas, formatting, and charts in a proprietary format that requires compatible software to open.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the foundation of web content. HTML tables use a simple tag structure-<table>, <tr>, <td>-that every browser understands. Unlike XLS, HTML is plain text that humans can read and edit.

Key differences:

  • Accessibility - HTML works in any browser; XLS requires Excel or compatible software
  • Editability - HTML can be modified with any text editor; XLS needs spreadsheet software
  • Web integration - HTML embeds directly into web pages; XLS requires download or viewer plugins
  • Styling - HTML tables accept CSS styling; XLS formatting doesn't translate to web design systems
  • Size - HTML tables are typically smaller than equivalent XLS files for the same data

Common Use Cases

Publishing Data on Websites

Businesses frequently need to display pricing tables, product specifications, or comparison charts on their websites. Converting from XLS to HTML lets you take existing spreadsheet data and publish it directly. In our testing, this approach is significantly faster than manually recreating tables in a web editor.

Creating Email-Friendly Tables

HTML tables render reliably in most email clients, making them ideal for reports and data summaries sent via email. Converting your Excel data to HTML ensures recipients see properly formatted tables regardless of whether they have Excel installed.

Documentation and Knowledge Bases

Technical documentation often includes data tables. Converting XLS to HTML makes this data searchable, accessible, and easy to update. Many wiki and documentation platforms accept HTML directly.

Web Application Dashboards

Developers building dashboards or admin panels often start with data in spreadsheets. Converting to HTML provides a starting point for interactive tables that can be enhanced with JavaScript for sorting, filtering, and pagination.

Blog Posts and Content Marketing

Bloggers and content marketers use data tables to compare products, present research findings, or display statistics. HTML tables from Excel ensure accurate data transfer without manual retyping errors.

What to Expect from Conversion

Our converter preserves your spreadsheet's data structure including:

  • Cell content and text
  • Table rows and columns
  • Merged cells (converted to colspan/rowspan attributes)
  • Basic alignment

Elements that don't translate directly to HTML tables:

  • Formulas (converted to their calculated values)
  • Charts and graphs (these require separate image export)
  • Complex conditional formatting
  • Excel-specific features like pivot tables

In our testing, data integrity remains 100% accurate-the numbers and text in your HTML match your original XLS exactly. Only the interactive Excel features are flattened to static values.

Styling Your HTML Tables

Raw HTML tables are functional but plain. The power of HTML is that you can apply CSS styling to match your website's design:

  • Add borders and cell padding
  • Apply alternating row colors for readability
  • Make tables responsive for mobile devices
  • Add hover effects for interactivity

Our output provides clean, semantic HTML that's easy to style. There's no bloated code or unnecessary attributes-just the essential table structure you need.

Alternative Formats

HTML isn't the only web-friendly format for spreadsheet data:

  • XLS to CSV - Better for data interchange between systems or database imports
  • XLS to PDF - Ideal when you need a fixed layout document for printing or sharing
  • XLSX to HTML - If you have the newer Excel format, this conversion handles it directly
  • CSV to HTML - When your data is already in CSV format

Choose HTML when your goal is web publishing with styling flexibility. Choose CSV for data processing. Choose PDF for print-ready documents.

Batch Conversion

Have multiple spreadsheets to convert? Upload them all at once. Our converter processes multiple XLS files simultaneously, generating individual HTML files for each. This is particularly useful when migrating large amounts of legacy Excel data to a web-based system.

Browser Compatibility

Convert XLS to HTML directly in your browser on any platform:

  • Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook
  • Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
  • iPhone, iPad, Android tablets and phones

No plugins, no downloads, no Excel installation required. Everything happens in your browser.

Pro Tip

After converting, add a CSS class to your table and use :nth-child(even) selector for alternating row colors. This simple addition dramatically improves readability without changing the HTML structure.

Common Mistake

Assuming Excel formatting carries over to HTML. Cell colors, fonts, and borders don't transfer automatically. Plan to apply CSS styling after conversion for a polished result.

Best For

Publishing existing Excel data on websites, creating embeddable tables for blog posts, migrating spreadsheet content to CMS platforms, or generating HTML email tables from Excel reports.

Not Recommended

If you need to preserve Excel's interactive features (formulas, sorting, filtering), embed a Google Sheet or use a JavaScript table library instead. HTML tables are static data snapshots, not interactive spreadsheets.

Frequently Asked Questions

XLS is Microsoft Excel's binary spreadsheet format used from Excel 97 through Excel 2003. It stores data in rows and columns along with formulas, formatting, and charts. While newer Excel versions use XLSX, many legacy systems still produce XLS files.

No. HTML tables display static data only. Formulas are converted to their calculated values at the time of conversion. If your spreadsheet shows '=SUM(A1:A10)' with a result of 500, the HTML will contain just '500'. Recalculation requires converting the updated XLS again.

Charts don't convert directly to HTML table format. Charts are graphical elements that require separate export as images (PNG, SVG) and then embedding in your HTML. This converter focuses on tabular data-rows and columns of values.

Apply CSS styling to your converted HTML. You can add borders, colors, fonts, and responsive behavior using standard CSS. The HTML we generate is clean and semantic, making it easy to style with classes and selectors.

The base HTML table structure works on mobile devices, but tables wider than the screen require horizontal scrolling. For truly responsive tables, wrap the table in a scrollable container or use CSS techniques like stacking cells on narrow screens.

Absolutely. HTML is plain text that you can open in any text editor. You can modify cell content, add or remove rows, apply inline styles, or integrate the table into a larger HTML document. This flexibility is one of HTML's main advantages.

Merged cells in Excel convert to HTML colspan and rowspan attributes. A cell spanning three columns becomes a td element with colspan='3'. The visual structure of your table is preserved in the HTML output.

Our converter handles typical XLS files without issues. For very large spreadsheets with thousands of rows, conversion may take a few seconds longer. The resulting HTML file will be significantly smaller than the original XLS in most cases.

Conversion happens in your browser. Your spreadsheet data isn't uploaded to external servers for processing. This keeps your data private and makes the conversion process faster since there's no upload/download wait time.

HTML tables load faster, require no plugins, and work in every browser. Embedded Excel viewers often require Microsoft accounts, may have loading delays, and don't integrate with your website's design. HTML gives you full control over presentation and performance.

Password-protected files need to be unlocked before conversion. Remove the password protection in Excel first, save the unprotected file, then convert. This applies to both file-level passwords and sheet protection.

Both convert to the same HTML table format. XLS is the older binary format (Excel 97-2003), while XLSX is the newer XML-based format (Excel 2007+). If you have XLSX files, use our XLSX to HTML converter for optimal results.

XLS Conversions & Related Converters

Quick access to the most commonly used file conversions.