Excel to PDF
Convert Excel spreadsheets (XLSX, XLS) into professional PDF documents with layout and formatting preserved. Powered by professional conversion infrastructure.
Drop an Excel file here
or click to choose — XLSX, XLS
Choose Excel fileHow to convert Excel to PDF
- Click "Choose Excel file" or drag an XLSX/XLS into the box above.
- Click "Convert to PDF".
- Your PDF downloads automatically in ~10–30 seconds.
What does "Excel to PDF" do?
It takes a spreadsheet — .xlsx or older .xls — and produces a PDF that looks like the spreadsheet would when printed, with formatting, fonts, cell borders, conditional formatting, and embedded charts preserved. The result is a fixed, share-ready file that opens identically on any computer or phone, with no risk of formula recalculation, no possibility of accidental edits, and no requirement that the recipient have Excel installed.
What the conversion preserves:
- Multiple worksheets. Each visible sheet becomes a section of the PDF (or its own page, depending on print-area settings).
- Cell formatting. Fonts, colours, bold/italic, alignment, number formats (currencies, dates, percentages) are kept as they appear in Excel.
- Borders and shading. Cell borders, fill colours, and conditional formatting render correctly.
- Charts and embedded images. Charts become vector graphics in the PDF; embedded photos and logos are rendered at the original resolution.
- Print settings. Print area, page breaks, headers/footers, and orientation defined in Excel's Page Layout are respected.
What it doesn't do: convert formulas back to live calculations (PDF has no concept of formulas), keep filters interactive, or preserve macros — these don't translate to a static document format.
When to use Excel to PDF
- Sharing a finished report or dashboard. Send a Q3 results spreadsheet as a PDF so recipients see the formatting you intended, without accidentally rearranging your sort or filter.
- Invoices and quotes. Many small businesses keep their invoicing in Excel; converting to PDF gives a professional, uneditable copy to email clients.
- Government and bank uploads. Most official portals accept PDF only — tax returns, GST claims, expense submissions, mortgage paperwork.
- Archive snapshots. A spreadsheet you'll need to reference but not edit (a 2025 board pack, a closed project's metrics) is easier to archive and search later as PDF.
- Locking down a model. If you've built a pricing or quoting model and want to share the output without revealing the formulas, convert just the customer-facing sheet to PDF.
- Email attachments. Some email systems garble .xlsx attachments depending on the recipient's Excel version. PDF is universal.
How PDFtez converts Excel to PDF (under the hood)
Like the other Office-format conversions, Excel to PDF needs a real server-side renderer — open-source JavaScript libraries don't reliably render complex Excel spreadsheets with formatting, charts, and embedded objects intact. PDFtez uses a clean, transparent pipeline:
- Your file is uploaded over HTTPS through a Cloudflare Worker (
pdftez-api.paritosyd.workers.dev) which proxies the request. - The Worker passes the file to CloudConvert (Lunaweb Ltd, Germany), which runs a headless LibreOffice Calc engine.
- LibreOffice Calc opens the spreadsheet exactly the way Excel would, applies the print settings, and renders to PDF.
- The PDF is sent back to your browser and offered as a download.
- CloudConvert auto-deletes uploaded files and outputs shortly after the job finishes (typically within 24 hours), per their privacy policy.
- PDFtez itself does not store a copy at any stage.
If the spreadsheet contains highly sensitive, confidential, or regulated information, consider whether brief server-side processing is acceptable. Our Privacy Policy describes this in full.
How is PDFtez Excel→PDF different?
Converters fall into the usual three groups: server-based free converters with ads or daily limits (iLovePDF, SmallPDF, PDF24); professional subscription products (Adobe Acrobat); and built-in features like Excel's own "Save as PDF". PDFtez's conversion engine is comparable to professional products because it uses LibreOffice — but the interface has no sign-up, no upgrade prompts, no daily limits, no watermark on the output, and no email collection.
The honest trade-off vs all-local PDFtez tools is that this one needs a server. The cloud badge on the homepage tool grid and the cloud-note on this page make that clear before you upload.
Frequently asked questions
Will my formatting, formulas, and charts be preserved?
Formatting and charts: yes. Formulas: the formulas themselves don't translate (PDFs are static), but the results of the formulas appear in the PDF exactly as they did on the spreadsheet at the moment you saved it. Pivot tables, conditional formatting, and most charts render correctly. Some advanced features (sparklines, slicers, macro-driven content) may not render — preview the PDF before sending if the spreadsheet is heavy on those.
How does it handle multi-sheet workbooks?
Each visible sheet becomes part of the PDF — the same way that printing a multi-sheet workbook from Excel produces a multi-page PDF. Hidden sheets are not included. If you only want one specific sheet in the PDF, hide the others in Excel first, then convert.
Are my files uploaded? Where do they go?
Yes — unlike most PDFtez tools, this one needs a server. Your file is uploaded over HTTPS via a Cloudflare Worker and processed by CloudConvert (a third-party conversion service in Germany). Files are auto-deleted by the conversion provider shortly after the job finishes — typically within 24 hours. PDFtez itself does not retain a copy. See our Privacy Policy for full detail.
What if my spreadsheet uses an Excel-only feature that LibreOffice doesn't support?
For mainstream features (cell formatting, formulas, charts, conditional formatting, named ranges, basic pivot tables) LibreOffice's Excel compatibility is excellent. For Excel-only features like Power Query, Power Pivot, dynamic arrays introduced in Excel 365, and complex macros, results vary. If your spreadsheet depends on these, open it in Excel and use Excel's own "Save as PDF" for guaranteed fidelity.
Can I control the print area or page orientation?
Yes — set them in Excel (Page Layout → Print Area, Orientation, Scale to Fit) before converting. CloudConvert respects those settings. If you don't set them, the conversion uses Excel's defaults — which usually means each sheet prints in portrait at 100% scale.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes — the conversion runs in the cloud, so any device with a modern browser works. Useful when you receive an Excel attachment on your phone and need to share it as a PDF without opening Excel.