Skip to content

spreadsheet → document

Convert XLS to TXT

Convert XLS to TXT in seconds. Free, no signup, no watermark, no file-size limit. Your file is processed in your browser and never uploaded.

At a glance

Source
XLS
Target
TXT
Where it runs
Your browser
Cost
Free, unlimited
Account
Not needed
XLS

Converter

XLS to TXT

On device

Drop one or more legacy excel workbook files.

or select legacy excel workbook

Your file never leaves this browser

    The details

    What happens when you convert a spreadsheet to text

    The original binary Excel workbook, from before 2007. The active sheet is flattened into a delimited text file — one line per row, one value per column, with the first line as a header. The result is a nothing but characters. the simplest file format and the most compatible, produced entirely inside your browser.

    What survives

    • Every value in the sheet
    • The column order and the row order

    What changes

    • All formatting and number formatting — dates and currency come out raw
    • Only the sheet you choose; the others are not included

    Where it goes wrong

    • A cell containing a comma has to be quoted, and badly generated CSVs sometimes are not
    • The file is written in UTF-8, which older software may read as something else

    Why anyone would do this

    Delimited text is the one thing every import button on the internet understands.

    About the format

    The original binary Excel workbook, from before 2007.

    A binary compound file with a stream per worksheet and a shared formatting table.

    Where it is good
    • Opens in absolutely every version of Excel ever shipped
    • The reference format for very old reporting systems
    • Sometimes opens files that the modern format refuses
    Where it falls short
    • Row limit of 65,536 — a real constraint on data
    • Larger than XLSX for the same content
    • No modern features like dynamic arrays or rich charts
    You will find it on
    Legacy ERPs, old Excel installs, some government portals

    The thing people miss

    If a spreadsheet will not open in modern Excel, converting it to .xlsx and back is often enough to fix it.

    About the target

    Nothing but characters.

    A sequence of bytes, usually UTF-8, with a line ending convention. There is no header and no metadata.

    • Any device on earth can open it
    • Searchable, greppable and scriptable
    • Zero conversion risk, because there is nothing to lose

    Real jobs

    What people are actually doing with XLS

    Opening a spreadsheet from an old system

    A bank or supplier that still sends .xls

    Recovering a workbook that Excel refuses to open as .xlsx

    Specification

    The details, in one table

    Source formatXLS — Legacy Excel workbook
    Target formatTXT — Plain text
    Typical source size20 KB – 20 MB
    RunsIn your browser
    Account neededNo
    WatermarkNone
    File extension.xls → .txt

    How to

    XLS to TXT, step by step

    1. 01

      Add your legacy excel workbook

      Drag the file onto the drop zone, or tap to browse. Only one file is needed.

    2. 02

      Choose the TXT settings

      Set the TXT-specific options — everything happens locally, so the speed is your device, not a queue.

    3. 03

      Download the result

      The finished TXT downloads to your device. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is retained.

    Also available

    XLS converts into

    PDFPDF documentCSVComma separated valuesHTMLHTML document

    Questions

    XLS conversion questions

    What actually happens to my XLS file when I convert it to TXT?

    The active sheet is flattened into a delimited text file — one line per row, one value per column, with the first line as a header. So the XLS file is unpacked, the content is laid out, and the result is written out as TXT. Every value in the sheet survives unchanged.

    Will converting XLS to TXT reduce the quality?

    For this particular conversion, not in the way you would expect. Every value in the sheet — the XLS content is not re-encoded in a lossy way. The only thing that changes is the format it is stored in.

    Is my XLS file uploaded to a server?

    No. This XLS to TXT conversion runs as JavaScript inside your browser tab. The file is read from your device and the result is written back to your device, so there is no upload step, no file-size limit and no copy of your XLS file on any server.

    Do I need an account or will there be a watermark?

    Neither. There is no sign-up step, no email capture and no watermark on the output. The only limits are the ones your own device imposes.

    What is the most common mistake people make when converting XLS to TXT?

    A cell containing a comma has to be quoted, and badly generated CSVs sometimes are not

    Why would somebody convert XLS to TXT at all?

    Delimited text is the one thing every import button on the internet understands. In short: opening a spreadsheet from an old system

    Something most people do not know about XLS?

    If a spreadsheet will not open in modern Excel, converting it to .xlsx and back is often enough to fix it.