In Google Drive, choose New ▸ File upload, select the .xlsx, then open it with Google Sheets. In the opened workbook, choose File ▸ Save as Google Sheets if you want a native Sheets copy. Alternatively, in a new or existing Google Sheet, choose File ▸ Import ▸ Upload and select the Excel file. To return to Excel, in Google Sheets choose File ▸ Download ▸ Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).
On this page7
In Google Drive, choose New ▸ File upload, select the .xlsx, then open it with Google Sheets.
In the opened workbook, choose File ▸ Save as Google Sheets if you want a native Sheets copy.
Alternatively, in a new or existing Google Sheet, choose File ▸ Import ▸ Upload and select the Excel file.
Check the formulas that matter, especially anything using newer Excel functions, and check every PivotTable.
To return to Excel, in Google Sheets choose File ▸ Download ▸ Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).
Search the downloaded file for #NAME? to find Sheets-only functions that did not survive.
If the workbook depends on VBA or Power Query, do not move it — rebuild the automation in Apps Script, or keep it in Excel.
What this does
Both directions work and both lose things. Google Sheets opens .xlsx directly, either in Office-compatibility mode (the file stays .xlsx) or converted to native Sheets format via File ▸ Save as Google Sheets, which is the mode where Sheets features actually work. What does not survive the round trip is predictable: VBA macros are dropped entirely, Power Query connections do not exist in Sheets, PivotTables are rebuilt as Sheets pivot tables with different options, conditional formatting with complex rules is simplified, and some newer Excel functions have no equivalent. Going the other way, File ▸ Download ▸ Microsoft Excel converts Sheets formulas back where an equivalent exists and leaves #NAME? where one does not — ARRAYFORMULA, QUERY, IMPORTRANGE and GOOGLEFINANCE have no Excel counterpart. Keep the original file untouched and work on the converted copy, so you can compare the two whenever a value or formula looks different. Treat “import an excel file into google sheets” as a small repeatable workflow rather than a one-off click you hope to remember next time. Use a small test block before the live file, so any surprise in the affected sheet shows up while it is still harmless. When this is a ribbon command, the selection matters more than the button: confirm the range, apply the command, then spot-check the output before saving. That turns a data step that keeps your analysis trustworthy into a method you can reuse, explain, and defend when the workbook leaves your screen.
A worked example
Upload budget.xlsx to Drive and double-click it: Sheets opens it in compatibility mode with the .xlsx badge in the title. Its SUMIFS and XLOOKUP formulas keep working; its macro-driven refresh button does nothing. Choose File ▸ Save as Google Sheets to get a native copy where collaboration and version history behave properly. Coming back, File ▸ Download ▸ Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) produces a file Excel opens cleanly — but any cell using =QUERY() lands as #NAME?. Files cross between the two constantly — a client sends .xlsx, a team collaborates in Sheets — and knowing exactly what does not survive is what stops a silently broken formula reaching a report. After converting, compare a few totals and a sample of formulas side by side with the original. That catches most conversion losses before the file is shared.
In Google Sheets
This is a conversion between two products, so "identical" is the wrong expectation: most cell values and common formulas survive, but macros are dropped, Power Query and some PivotTable options do not transfer, links to other workbooks break, and functions that exist in only one product return errors after the move. Check those parts after converting. The aim was to get you unstuck fast and leave you a little more capable than a copy-paste would. The answer is at the top and the detail above shows why it holds — so the next time a colleague asks, you can answer without reaching for search. The short version of “import an excel file into google sheets”: convert a copy, keep the original, and check the parts that do not travel — code, queries, links and product-specific functions — before anyone else relies on the result.
Common mistakes
- Expecting macros to come across; VBA is dropped without warning in either direction.
- Working in compatibility mode long-term and wondering why some Sheets features are greyed out.
- Converting a workbook with linked external files, which breaks every link.
- Downloading from Sheets and shipping the file without searching for
#NAME?. - Round-tripping repeatedly — each pass loses a little more formatting, so pick one system as the source of truth.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert an Excel file to Google Sheets?
Upload the .xlsx to Google Drive and open it, then choose File ▸ Save as Google Sheets for a native copy. Opening it directly keeps it as an .xlsx in compatibility mode.
How do I convert Google Sheets to Excel?
File ▸ Download ▸ Microsoft Excel (.xlsx). Check the result for #NAME? errors, which mark Sheets-only functions such as QUERY, ARRAYFORMULA and IMPORTRANGE.
Do macros transfer?
No. VBA is not supported in Google Sheets and Apps Script is not supported in Excel. The automation has to be rebuilt on whichever side you land.
What else gets lost?
Power Query connections, some conditional-formatting rules, chart formatting details, and PivotTable layout options. Formulas mostly survive; anything version-specific may not.
Other ways people ask this
People reach this page typing “how do you import a file into excel” and “how to import excel file into google sheets”, among other phrasings; whichever wording you used, the fix above is the one you want.
Why do people search for this in so many different ways?
Because the same task has many names. “how do you import a file into excel”, “how to import excel file into google sheets” all point at the one operation explained on this page, which is why they all lead here.