You can open and save files in the OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods) file format that some spreadsheet applications use, such as OpenOffice.org Calc and Google Docs.
Open an OpenDocument Spreadsheet in Excel
- Select File > Open > Browse.
- To see only files saved in the OpenDocument format, in the file type list (next to the File name box), select OpenDocument Spreadsheet (*.ods).
- Find the file you want to open, and then select Open.
Note
When you open an OpenDocument Spreadsheet file in Excel, it might not have the same formatting as it did in the original application you created it in. This difference comes from the differences between applications that use the OpenDocument Format.
Save an Excel worksheet in OpenDocument Spreadsheet format
Important
If you want to keep an Excel version of your file, save the file as an Excel worksheet, such as in the .xlsx file format, before saving it again in the OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods) format.
- Select File > Save As > Browse.
- In the Save as type list, select OpenDocument Spreadsheet (*.ods).
- Name and save your file.
Learn more about the OpenDocument Format
When you open or save worksheets in the OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods) format, you might lose some formatting. This loss happens because OpenDocument Spreadsheet applications and Excel support different features and options, such as formatting and tables. For more information about the differences between the OpenDocument Spreadsheet format and the Excel format, see Differences between the OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods) format and the Excel for Windows (.xlsx) format.
Tip
Before sending a file to someone else, consider closing the file and opening it again to see what it looks like in the OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods) format. To compare the Excel format of the file with the OpenDocument Spreadsheet format of the file, first save the file in the Excel format. Then open both the Excel version and the OpenDocument Spreadsheet version and visually inspect the files for differences.