Excel is one of the most widely used programs for creating and managing data in spreadsheet form. Excel has many features and functions that can help you analyze, calculate, and visualize your data in many different ways.
However, sometimes you may want to share your Excel data with others over the web or embed it into your website or blog. In this case, you need to convert Excel to HTML, which is the standard format for web documents.
HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language, which is the language used to create and display web pages. HTML uses tags to define the structure and appearance of web content, such as text, images, tables, links, and more. HTML can be read by web browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, which will interpret the HTML tags and display the web page according to the instructions provided.
There are several reasons why you might want to convert Excel to HTML, such as:
- Make your Excel data more accessible and visible to others over the web.
- Store your Excel data in a lighter and more portable format than XLS or XLSX files.
- Insert your Excel data into your website or blog as an interactive table or graph.
- Preserve your Excel formatting and formulas when converting to HTML.
- Edit or modify your Excel data after converting to HTML.
There are several ways to convert Excel to HTML, depending on your goals and preferences. In this article, we will discuss some of the most common and easy-to-use methods, namely:
- Use Excel’s built-in features to save or export a spreadsheet as an HTML file.
- Use third-party add-ins for Excel that can convert spreadsheets to HTML with more options and flexibility.
- Use a free online tool that can convert Excel files to HTML without the need to install anything on your computer.
- Using VBA code for Excel that can automate the conversion process to HTML with specific criteria.
Let’s look at each of these methods in more detail.
Using Excel’s Built-in Features to Convert Spreadsheets to HTML
One of the easiest ways to convert Excel to HTML is to use Excel’s built-in features. Excel has the option to save or export the spreadsheet as an HTML file, which you can do with the following steps:
- Open the Excel spreadsheet that you want to convert to HTML in Excel.
- Click the “File” tab in the top-left corner, then select “Save As” or “Export” (depending on your version of Excel).
- In the “Save As” or “Export” window, select the location where you want to save the converted HTML file, then type the file name in the “File name” box.
- In the “Save as type” or “File Format” box, select “Web Page (*.htm; *.html)” from the drop-down list.
- If you want to convert the entire spreadsheet, make sure the “Entire Workbook” option is selected under the “Save as type” or “File Format” box. If you want to convert only a specific part of the spreadsheet, such as a specific worksheet or a specific range of cells, select the “Selection” or “Selection: Sheet” option, then highlight the part you want to convert in the spreadsheet.
- Click the “Save” or “Publish” button to complete the conversion process.
After that, you will have an HTML file containing your Excel data in the form of tables or graphs (if any). This HTML file can be opened with any web browser, or pasted into your website or blog by using the appropriate HTML code. You can also edit this HTML file with any text editor, such as Notepad or Sublime Text if you want to make changes to the data or its appearance.
However, there are some limitations and disadvantages of this method, namely:
- You can’t control many aspects of the converted HTML file, such as the size, color, font, layout, or style of tables or graphics. You’ll need to edit the HTML code manually if you want to customize the look of your HTML file.
- You cannot preserve your Excel formulas when converting to HTML. All formulas will be converted to static values, which means you can’t change or update your Excel data once it’s converted to HTML.
- You cannot convert multiple Excel spreadsheets at once to HTML. You’ll need to repeat the conversion process for each spreadsheet you want to convert.
If you are looking for an easier and more flexible way to convert Excel to HTML, you may want to try the next method.