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Excel to Markdown Converter (XLSX to MD)

Convert Excel spreadsheets to Markdown tables: one table per sheet, ready to paste into an AI chat, a README or your notes. Free, no sign-up.

  • Free to use
  • No file stored beyond 1 hour
  • Encrypted over TLS 1.2/1.3
  • No watermarks

Drag and drop your files here or click to upload.

Maximum file size is 1GB

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How it works

Three steps to your converted file

Everything happens in your browser tab - upload, pick a format, download. The heavy lifting runs on our servers.

  1. 01

    Upload your file

    Drag and drop, click to browse, or paste a URL. Batches take up to 20 files at once - 230+ input formats across video, audio, image, document, and archive types.

  2. 02

    Choose an output format

    Pick from over a hundred output formats. Filter by category or search by name - every option is open to everyone, no account needed.

  3. 03

    Convert & download

    Hit Convert and grab your download link moments later. Originals are erased when the job completes; results are cleared within about an hour.

Converting other files for an AI chat or notes app? File to Markdown takes PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and more in one place.

What you get

One clean table per sheet

AI chats read Markdown tables reliably, and they're much smaller than a spreadsheet file. Each sheet gets its own heading and table.

  • Sheet names as headings

    Every sheet starts with ## and its name, in the workbook's order.

  • Values as shown

    Cells come out as values (the result of each formula), with long decimal noise tidied up.

  • Empty cells stay empty

    Blank cells and headers stay blank instead of showing None or Unnamed.

  • Data only

    Charts, colours and formatting aren't kept. Very large sheets make very long tables; split them if your AI has a size limit.

  • Private: no AI service sees the file

    The conversion runs on our own servers with open-source software. Your file is never sent to an AI provider, and it's deleted after conversion.

XLSX to Markdown

Why convert XLSX to Markdown?

  • Where Markdown works best

    Notes and documentation written as plain text.

XLSX vs Markdown: what's the difference?

PropertyXLSXMarkdown
TypeSpreadsheetDocument
EditableYesYes
Opens inExcel, Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOfficeAny text editor; renders in GitHub, Notion and note apps
Best forSpreadsheets with formulas, charts and formattingNotes and documentation written as plain text

What is an XLSX file?

Excel Open XML Spreadsheet

Developed By
Microsoft
Initial Release
2007
MIME Type
application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet

The XLSX format is the default XML-based spreadsheet file introduced in Microsoft Office 2007, adhering to the Office Open XML (OOXML) standard (ECMA-376 and ISO/IEC 29500). It replaces the binary BIFF structure of legacy XLS files with a ZIP-compressed container holding individual XML files for workbook data, worksheet structure, and metadata. By design, XLSX files strictly exclude Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros to prevent malware propagation, distinguishing them from the macro-enabled XLSM format.

How to open an XLSX file

As an industry-standard open format, XLSX is supported natively by Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers, and Corel Quattro Pro. Cross-platform open-source suites like LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice provide full read/write capabilities. Cloud-based platforms, including Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel for the Web, allow direct editing in a browser without local software installation.

What is an MD file?

Markdown Documentation

Developed By
John Gruber
Initial Release
2004
MIME Type
text/markdown

An MD file is a plain text document containing Markdown, a lightweight markup language created by John Gruber and Aaron Swartz. The format uses non-alphabetic characters (such as hashes for headers and asterisks for emphasis) to define formatting syntax that is human-readable in its raw form and easily convertible to valid XHTML or HTML. It is the de facto standard for documentation in version control systems like Git.

How to open an MD file

As strictly plain text, MD files can be opened and edited in any basic text editor such as Microsoft Notepad or Apple TextEdit. For a rendered preview of the formatting, specialized editors like Obsidian, Typora, or Visual Studio Code are recommended.

More tools

More free spreadsheet tools

All spreadsheet conversions

Why RunConvert

The fastest way to convert any file

Purpose-built for speed, privacy, and breadth of format support.

  • Convert XLSX to MD in seconds

    Every XLSX to MD conversion runs on our servers, so your device stays fast and the output quality stays intact.

  • Fast, cloud-powered

    No queue, no waiting. Files are processed on high-performance servers and returned in seconds, even for large files.

  • Secure & private

    Encrypted in transit and never shared with anyone. Uploads are erased the moment your job completes, and results shortly after.

  • Free - no account needed

    Convert without creating an account - no credit card, no trial clock. Sign in only if you want history and higher daily limits.

Developer API

Convert XLSX to MD via API

Automate XLSX to MD conversions in three steps: create a job, upload your file, then poll for the result.

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your RunConvert API key. Get your free API key at runconvert.com/api.

# 1. Create job
curl -X POST https://api.runconvert.com/v3/jobs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "tag": "xlsx-to-md",
    "tasks": {
      "upload-file": {
        "operation": "import/upload"
      },
      "convert": {
        "operation": "convert",
        "input": "upload-file",
        "output_format": "md"
      },
      "export-result": {
        "operation": "export/url",
        "input": "convert"
      }
    }
  }'

# 2. Upload your file (use upload_url from the response)
curl -X PUT "$UPLOAD_URL" --upload-file input.xlsx

# 3. Poll for result
curl https://api.runconvert.com/v3/jobs/$JOB_ID?include=tasks \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about converting XLSX to MD with RunConvert.

Upload your .xlsx file, choose MD as the output format (it's under "For AI" in the format list) and click Convert. Then copy the Markdown straight into your AI chat with Copy Markdown, or download the .md file.

Yes. Every sheet becomes its own table under a heading with the sheet's name, in the workbook's order.

The result of each formula is kept, as it shows in Excel. The formulas themselves aren't, since a Markdown table only holds values.

Yes: XLS to Markdown, ODS to Markdown and CSV to Markdown work the same way.

No. The conversion runs on RunConvert's own servers with open-source software; no AI service sees your file. Uploads and results are encrypted in transit and deleted automatically after conversion.

Yes. Files up to 1 GB convert free without an account. Credits or a subscription are only needed for heavy use, and RunConvert Pro removes ads.

Ready to convert XLSX to MD?

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