Preview spreadsheets

Spreadsheet files open in the side panel next to your chat as a read-only spreadsheet, so you can check a workbook's values, formats and formulas without changing the file.

This page covers the spreadsheet viewer. For the preview pane itself see Preview files in Oda; the other viewers have their own pages: Preview PDFs and Office files and Preview images and HTML.

Read a spreadsheet

Open the file in the preview, from a file card in the chat or by clicking the file in the side panel. .xlsx, .xls, .csv and .tsv files open in the spreadsheet viewer, and files built from your company's data arrive the same way (Company data, documents and reports).

• Switch worksheets from the sheet tabs. A .csv or .tsv file opens as a single sheet.
• Select cells and copy them as usual; the copied range arrives as a plain table you can paste elsewhere, and copying is the only action the cell menu offers.
• The formula bar is read-only: use it to read the selected cell's content.
• Nothing in the preview edits the file. To change the workbook, open it in its usual application (Open files and folders in other apps).
• Spreadsheets are not converted for preview; the viewer reads the file directly, so it works without the document preview service that Word and PowerPoint previews use.

Formulas show saved results

The preview does not calculate formulas. Each formula cell shows the result saved in the file, and a formula with no saved result stays blank, so displayed results can be missing or out of date.

When a workbook contains formulas, a warning appears beside the formula bar: This workbook contains formulas. Displayed results may be missing or inaccurate.

To work with the formulas themselves, open the workbook in a system application.

What each format keeps

• .xlsx keeps the workbook's look: fonts, solid fills, borders, number formats, rich text, merged cells, row and column sizes, hidden rows, columns and sheets, and frozen headings.
• .xls, the older Excel format, keeps saved values, formulas, number formats and merged cells. Fonts, borders and frozen panes are not shown.
• .csv and .tsv show literal text. The preview does not guess types, so leading zeros, dates and text that looks like a formula stay exactly as written; quoted separators, escaped quotes, multiline fields and uneven rows are read as written.

What is not shown

The viewer draws cells and formats, not everything a workbook can carry. When the file holds things it does not draw, a notice appears above the table:

• It names only the kinds it found: charts, images, shapes or conditional formatting.
• It reads This preview does not support {features} in this workbook. Open it in a system application for the full experience.

Open the workbook in a system application to see those extras.

Limits and errors

• The preview opens a workbook up to 16 MiB, with up to 250,000 cells across its worksheets; parsing stops if it takes longer than 15 seconds.
• Over a limit, or for a file the viewer cannot read, the error panel shows the reason and a Retry button:

Retry reads the file again; if the file itself is the problem, fix or re-export it first.

Questions, answered

Which spreadsheet formats can I preview?

.xlsx, .xls, .csv and .tsv files. The macro-enabled .xlsm workbook is not supported. All of these open in the same read-only viewer.

Is the spreadsheet preview read-only?

Yes. You can switch worksheets, select and copy cells, and read the formula bar, but nothing in the preview edits the file. Open the workbook in its usual application to change it.

Do formulas recalculate in the preview?

No. Formula cells show the results saved in the file; a formula with no saved result stays blank. When the workbook contains formulas, a warning beside the formula bar says This workbook contains formulas. Displayed results may be missing or inaccurate.

Which formatting does the preview keep?

.xlsx keeps fonts, solid fills, borders, number formats, rich text, merged cells, row and column sizes, hidden rows, columns and sheets, and frozen headings. .xls keeps saved values, formulas, number formats and merged cells; fonts, borders and frozen panes are not shown.

Are CSV and TSV values shown exactly as written?

Yes. The preview does not guess types, so leading zeros, dates and text that looks like a formula stay as typed. Quoted separators, escaped quotes, multiline fields and uneven rows are read as written.

What does the notice above the table mean?

The workbook holds content the viewer does not draw: charts, images, shapes or conditional formatting. The notice names what it found and suggests opening the workbook in a system application for the full experience.

Can I copy cells out of the preview?

Yes. Select the cells and copy; the copied range arrives as a plain table you can paste into other applications. Copying is the only action the cell menu offers.

Can I read a CSV or TSV file as plain text?

Yes. The Open with control in the preview header offers Plain text for .csv and .tsv files. .xlsx and .xls files open only in the spreadsheet viewer.

What are the preview's limits?

The preview opens workbooks up to 16 MiB with up to 250,000 cells across their worksheets, and stops a parse that runs longer than 15 seconds. Over a limit, the viewer names it and offers Retry; a smaller or simpler workbook is the fix.

Why won't my workbook open?

The error panel names the reason: the file is damaged, password protected or not a readable workbook; it goes over one of the limits above; or, for .csv and .tsv, its text encoding could not be read. Use Retry to read the file again, and fix or re-export the file if the problem is in the file itself.

Are hidden sheets, rows and columns kept?

Yes. In .xlsx and .xls workbooks, hidden rows, columns and sheets stay in the preview. A workbook that hides all of its sheets cannot be opened.