How to: Open Excel spreadsheets in Numbers
Roman Loyola reveals how to access Excel files in Numbers
If you use Excel on a Mac, you’ll be pleased to hear that you can save the spreadsheets you create and open them in Numbers, Apple’s spreadsheet app. It’s a handy feature to use in case you can’t access Microsoft’s apps.
Import Excel spreadsheets into Numbers
This procedure works with .xlsx and .xls file formats. You can also import .csv and tab-delimited files.
1. Launch Numbers (it’s in the Applications folder of your Mac).
2. In the window that automatically opens when you launch the app, navigate to the location of your Excel file. For example, if it’s in Documents, click on the Documents folder in the left sidebar. (You can also click on the File menu and select Open, then navigate to your spreadsheet.)
3. Once you’ve located your file, select it and click Open. A progress window will appear.
4. A window may appear, explaining any changes that were made during the import process. The
more complicate your Excel spreadsheet (lots of formulas, charts, and so on), the higher the possibility that a change had to be made. The simpler the spreadsheet, the more your file will resemble what you created in Excel.
5. That’s it. The Excel file should open in Numbers.
Before you start working on your spreadsheet, look it over carefully. Formatting may have changed, especially with charts. Check to make sure the formulas you are using are intact. There’s always a chance that so much happened during the import that you can’t use your spreadsheet.
Export Numbers files as Excel spreadsheets
If you’ve been working in Numbers and will eventually return to Excel, you can export your spreadsheet as an Excel file. Here’s how.
1. In Numbers, click on the File menu and move your cursor to ‘Export to’.
2. A pop-up menu will appear. Select Excel.
3. In the Export Your Spreadsheet window that appears next, you can opt to include a summary worksheet and require a password. Click on the Advanced Options, and you can select between .xlsx and .xls file formats. Click Next when you have finished selecting your options.
4. Choose where you want to save the file and name it.
5. When you click Export, this will save the file.