To open an XLSX file on Android, tap it in Files, Gmail or Chrome's Downloads list and choose Google Sheets or the Microsoft Excel app when Android asks. Both read formulas, dates and number formats. A plain viewer only shows the cells, and saving from it can change the file, so use it for a quick look.
Which Android apps open an XLSX file?
Three kinds of Android app open an XLSX file: Google Sheets, the Microsoft Excel app, and viewers built into file managers or office suites from the phone's maker. Sheets and Excel both edit the file. A viewer is fine for reading, but treat it as read-only.
Google's guide to using Google Sheets on Android says the app can "open and edit XLS, XLSX, XLSM, CSV, ODS, and TSV files", and export as XLSX, ODS or PDF. Microsoft's Excel app is built around the XLSX format, so a file opened there keeps the shape desktop Excel expects.
| App | View | Edit | Formulas recalculate | Saves back as |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Sheets | Yes | Yes | Yes, using Sheets functions | XLSX when you export, or a Google spreadsheet |
| Microsoft Excel app | Yes | Yes | Yes | XLSX |
| File manager viewer | Yes | Varies | Varies | Varies, check before saving |
Treat the viewer row as a warning. Viewers differ a lot between phone makers, and some show stored results without recalculating anything.
Opening an XLSX attachment on Android from Gmail or Downloads
An XLSX attachment in Gmail opens in a preview first. That preview is not the file on your phone. Tap the download arrow on the attachment to save a copy, or tap the Sheets or Excel icon if Gmail shows one. Files in Chrome's Downloads list open in whatever app Android has set for spreadsheets.
If the wrong app opens every time, Android has a default set for that file type. You can clear it in the phone's settings under Apps, in the entry for the app that keeps opening. The menu names differ between phones, but look for "Open by default" or "Set as default" and clear the defaults there. The next tap on an XLSX file then asks again, and you can choose Just once to keep your options open.
Rename downloaded workbooks before you open them a second time. Downloading the same file twice often produces a second copy with a number in brackets. Editing one copy and sending the other is an easy mistake on a small screen.
Do formulas and number formats survive in an Android XLSX app?
Formulas and number formats survive in Google Sheets and the Excel app for the common cases: sums, simple lookups, dates, currency and percentages. Problems start with functions one app lacks, with macros, and with custom formats. Google Sheets also applies its own locale, so dates can show in a different order.
What to check after opening:
- Totals. Tap a total cell and read the formula in the bar above the grid. If it shows only a number, the formula was lost before the file reached you.
- Dates. A date shown as a five-digit number is a date with no format. A date shown in the wrong day and month order is a locale setting, not a broken file.
- Leading zeros. Account and check numbers stored as numbers drop their zeros. They need to be text in the original workbook.
- Macros. XLSX files cannot hold macros at all. A workbook that needs them is saved as XLSM.
A workbook built from records, such as a check log made from scanned checks in Excel with payee, amount and check number, usually opens fine on a phone because it holds plain values and simple sums.
XLSX or CSV on Android: when the other file opens better
XLSX is the better file on Android when you need formatting, several sheets or formulas. CSV is better when you only need the rows, when the file is very large, or when another app will import it. A CSV is plain text, so it opens anywhere, but it keeps no formats and no formulas.
The trade-off shows up on converted statements. An XLSX keeps a date column as dates and amounts as numbers. A CSV relies on the app to guess, and a guess can turn long numbers into scientific notation or swap day and month. Opening a CSV file on Android in a spreadsheet app shows how to keep columns apart and long numbers intact. On the other platform, opening a CSV file on iPhone without garbled columns covers Files preview, Numbers and Excel.
If you have a choice of download, take XLSX for reading on the phone and CSV for importing into budgeting software.
An XLSX workbook that will not open on Android
An XLSX file that refuses to open on Android is usually too large for the phone, protected with a password, damaged during download, or not really an XLSX file. The extension can be wrong when someone renamed a CSV or an old XLS file by hand. Each cause has a quick test.
Work through these in order:
- Size. Google warns that a file small enough to open in a desktop browser "might not open on mobile", because it depends on the phone's memory. Try it on a computer or ask for a CSV of the one sheet you need.
- Password. A workbook protected with a password to open asks for it before showing anything. Get the password from the sender rather than looking for workarounds.
- Damaged download. A file of a few bytes, or one that stopped downloading early, will not open in any app. Download it again on Wi-Fi.
- Wrong extension. If Sheets shows one column of text full of commas, the file was a CSV renamed to XLSX. Rename it back to
.csvand it opens as rows.
If the XLSX came from a converter, a fresh download usually fixes the problem. FastBankConvert is built to produce XLSX, CSV or JSON from a statement on the phone you upload from, and it is getting ready to open. You can join from Get started.