How to Open XLSX File Without Excel? – 10 Alternatives!

Not everyone has a Microsoft Excel program, yet .XLSX files are increasingly common. Whether you’re using alternative software, a mobile device, or a web-based tool, this guide covers how to open xlsx file without Excel. Explore some efficient options to access, view, and even edit XLSX files seamlessly.

Can I Open an XLSX File Without Excel?

Yes, you can open an XLSX file without Excel software. There are so many Alternative Options available to open Excel files without Excel even if you don’t have a proper Excel Applications program on your device.

In the next section of this blog, I have outlined some best and easiest ways to open an Excel workbook without Excel.

How to Open XLSX File Without Excel?

Here are the alternatives to open excel files without Excel:

1. Using Chrome Browser’s Free Extension

You can open XLS/XLSX file easily in your Chrome browser just by using a free extension.

 Steps To Add Extension:

• Go to your chrome browser “setting” and then tap to the “extensions”
• Now in the extension widow search for this “Office Editing For Docs, Sheets And Slides”
• Once you get this extension, click the option “add to chrome”.
• Within a few minutes, the extension will get added to your chrome browser.

Now you can open and edit any of your Online XLS files without even downloading them to your PC.

Besides that, you can also view and operate an Excel file that is already present on your PC. For this, you just need to drag them into your chrome browser.

Or else, you can click on this Office Editing for Docs, Sheets & Slides – Google chrome.

2. Excel Viewer

The second option is to use Microsoft’s own Excel viewer. This can be used to view your older (.xls) or newer (.xlsx) file format Excel spreadsheets.

You have to download this application; its download file size is 74 Megabytes. Excel viewer also uses the same core as the Microsoft Excel application. This ensures good compatibility with any version of Excel spreadsheets.

Here is the link to download Microsoft Excel Viewer.

How To Use Microsoft Excel Viewer

1. After downloading the Microsoft Excel Viewer app, run it on your device.
2. You will see that an “Open” window automatically gets open on your screen.
3. Choose the XLS file which you want to edit through the “browse” option.
4. Tap the “Open” option this will open your selected XLS file in the Microsoft Excel Viewer.

Also Read: How to Import Data from Word to Excel? – [Best Ways]

3. Apache OpenOffice

OpenOffice is considered an alternative to Microsoft Office. With this free Apache OpenOffice suite program, users can open MS Office documents in any format.

In this Apache OpenOffice application, to open an Excel file first you need to open the “calc” module.  This supports all older and newer versions of Excel documents.

To download Apache OpenOffice, Click Here.

 Steps to use OpenOffice:

1. After downloading the OpenOfficeapp, run it on your device.
2. Now press ctrl+ o as this will open the “Open” window on your screen.
3. Make a selection for the XLS file you need to edit from the integrated browser option.
4. At the end tap to “Open” Your selected XLS file will now seem open in the OpenOffice program.

4. Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack

Those who all are having the previous version of MS Office or MS Excel already installed on their PC. They can use the Microsoft Office compatibility pack for adding extra support for xlsx file format. So that spreadsheet of xlsx format (newer version) can easily be optimized in older version Excel application.

To download the Microsoft Office compatibility pack Click Here.

5. XLS Viewer 2.30

Another very tiny option to open Excel file without Excel is using XLS Viewer 2.30.

I have called it “tiny” because XLS Viewer 2.30 is a tiny size app of about 1 MB. Though it’s tiny but works very exciting.

You can use this application for an opening, viewing, or printing of xls/xlsx spreadsheets which are created using Open Office or Microsoft Office program.

Note: this program shows a slight issue to display complex Excel spreadsheets perfectly.

6. Google Docs

Many of you don’t even know that Google Docs has now started supporting the Excel 2007 xlsx format.

Previously, this online service only supports Excel Xls documents. But after the enhancement of the new features, it becomes to easy to work with any Excel file version in Google Docs.

To start using your Excel Spreadsheet with Google Docs Click Here.

7. Zoho Sheets

Another very smart option to open Excel file without Excel is using the free zoho sheet tool. Zoho doesn’t ask you to make any user account to work with Excel spreadsheet if you use it’s “online Excel viewer option”. But if you need to create a new Excel file then you need to Sign up first.

Only you need to upload your Excel file to this website and then you can start doing changes in it.

Either you can save your modified Excel sheet in your online account or in your computer. As it allows both the option of saving.

1. Search for ”zoho sheets” in your browser and then hit the “online Excel viewer option”.
2. In the opened window of the online Excel viewer, you will get two option

• Choose a file
• Import from URL

3. After making the selection for the Excel sheet, you will see that your Excel sheet starts uploading.
4. When the uploading gets over, you will get to see an option of View.
5. Tap to this View option, you can easily view your selected Excel worksheet on your screen.

8. WPS Office

WPS Office is such a useful Office suite designed to run on various OS Platforms like macOS, Linux, Microsoft Windows, Android, iOS. This software program is made up of mainly three primary components: WPS Spreadsheet, WPS Presentation, and WPS Writer. Android users can get this application from Google Play store and easily access their XLS/XLSX file without an Excel application, on your Android phones.

Personally, I also use this WPS Office on my phone.  I found this tool works very smoothly for opening and editing any of my  XLS or XLXS files.

To download WPS Office for PC, Click Here.

9. Thinkfree Office

Thinkfree Office is a  proprietary office suite that helps you to create, modify and view all your Office documents (.doc, .xls, and .ppt) anytime and anywhere. This app offers all its users with 1 GB of online storage space to save their documents.

Thinkfree Office product contains one category of Thinkfree Online. Using this feature user can create, edit, and handle their documents using any web-connected browser. This also keeps the complete history of all the documents in which you have made changes.

It is the best option to quickly view Excel spreadsheets online. It supports all versions of Excel spreadsheets and various other document formats.

The tool gives a free trial offer only for 2 months after that you have to purchase it.

To use this Thinkfree Office tool, Click Here.

10. DocsPal

It is another very useful XLS viewer tool for free. But keep in mind that it is only a viewing tool, not an editor. If you urgently need to view your Excel file without any Excel application then it’s the best option to use.

Since this tool runs without any installation so it works superbly with all your browsers and OS.

To use this DocsPal tool, click here.

Related FAQs:

How Do I Open an XLSX File in Word?

To open an XLSX file in MS Word, follow these steps:

• Open Word >> Go to Insert > Text > Object.
• Navigate to Create from a file > Browse & locate a file (.xlsx) you need to insert in the Word.
• Select OK.

Why Is the XLSX File Not Opening in Mobile?

XLSX file might not open due to a corrupted Excel app cache or data. Clearing the cache and data can help you to access the file effectively.

How to Convert XLSX File to Google Sheet?

If you want to convert .xlsx file to Google Sheets, follow the below instructions carefully:

• Open Drive >> Double-click an Excel file.
• Then, a preview of your Excel file opens.
• In the top of your screen, click Open with Google Sheets.
• Now, click File >> Save as Google Sheets.

Can You Open XLSX On Android?

You can upload, download, and open XLSX files with the help of the Excel app for Android or the Google Sheets app for Android.

Is There a Free Way to Open Excel Files?

Yes, there are various options to open Excel files, including:

• Google Sheets.
• LibreOffice Calc.
• Excel Viewer
• Aspose Excel Viewer. ...
• Zoho Sheet.

Time to Verdict

Opening Excel workbooks without Excel is easy with the right applications. Whether using Google Sheets, Chrome browser’s free extension, LibreOffice, or a mobile app, numerous free apps provide access to XLSX files. All the possible applications for opening Excel files are listed above in this post, some of them are online whereas some are offline.

Choose the method that fits your needs, and enjoy seamless access to your spreadsheets.