Convert XLS to PDF
To convert an old .xls file to PDF, drop it into the converter above and click Convert to PDF; the finished PDF downloads when it is ready. The .xls is the legacy binary Excel format from Office 97 through 2003, and the LibreOffice engine on our server reads it faithfully. Because rendering a spreadsheet cannot run in a browser, the file is sent over an encrypted connection, converted, and then deleted. One thing to know up front: a wide sheet paginates across pages the same way Excel prints it, so set a print area first if you want it compact.
Encrypted upload on an EU server, deleted within about an hour.
Drop your XLS hereChoose a XLS to convert
It becomes a PDF right in your browser, up to 50 MB
Limits, published exactly
| Where it runs | On our server, over an encrypted connection; deleted within about an hour. |
|---|---|
| Free conversions | 2 per day without an account, 5 per day with a free account. |
| Max file size, free | 50 MB |
Why convert XLS to PDF?
A .xls is the old binary Excel format, and the spreadsheets still in it are usually legacy records: an archived budget, an old price list, data exported years ago from a system that no longer exists. Newer spreadsheet apps can open them unpredictably, and the numbers are exactly the thing you do not want shifting. Rendering the sheet to PDF freezes it: a fixed, universal copy that shows the values and layout as set, prints cleanly, opens on any device, and cannot have a figure or formula changed by accident, with no need for the version of Excel that created it.
What is XLS?
XLS is the binary Excel format used up to Excel 2003: a closed container of sheets, formulas and formatting that XLSX replaced with open XML. Old exports, bank statements and business records still arrive as .xls, and while modern spreadsheet apps usually open them, layouts drift and some tooling refuses the format outright. Converting to PDF pins down exactly what the numbers looked like.
What is PDF?
PDF (Portable Document Format) is the 1993 Adobe format that froze documents into a fixed, device-independent layout, and it has since become the legal and professional standard for anything that must look the same everywhere: contracts, invoices, forms, papers. A PDF can contain vector text, images, fonts and annotations. Editing one is famously awkward, which is exactly the point; it is a final-form format.
Quality and what to expect
The sheet is rendered the way it would print: cell values, text, borders, fills and number formatting come through, and any formulas show their computed results rather than the formula text. LibreOffice has mature support for the legacy .xls format, so old workbooks read reliably; each sheet in the workbook renders in turn. The one thing to plan for is width, the same as any spreadsheet to PDF: a sheet wider than a page splits across pages exactly as Excel would print it, so set the print area or fit-to-page before converting for a compact result. On privacy, this is a server conversion: the upload is encrypted, the input is deleted immediately after conversion and the output PDF within about an hour, and the dropzone marks it a server conversion before you start.
XLS to PDF FAQ
What is the difference between .xls and .xlsx?
.xls is the older binary Excel format from Office 97 to 2003; .xlsx is the newer XML-based format from Office 2007 onward. This converter handles the legacy .xls files. If your file ends in .xlsx, use the XLSX to PDF converter instead.
Why did my wide spreadsheet split across several pages?
Because it is wider than one page, and the conversion paginates it exactly as Excel would print it. For a compact result, set the print area or turn on fit-to-page (Page Layout, Scale to Fit) before converting.
Do the values and formulas come through?
Yes. Cell values and formatting render, and formulas show their computed results at the moment of conversion, which is exactly what you want for a fixed record. A PDF is not a live spreadsheet, so nothing recalculates afterward.
Is my spreadsheet uploaded to a server?
Yes, this one has to be: rendering a spreadsheet cannot run in a browser. The .xls uploads over an encrypted connection, converts, and is deleted: the input immediately after conversion, the PDF within about an hour. The dropzone labels it a server conversion before you start.