Excel to PDF Converter

Why Convert Excel to PDF?

Microsoft Excel spreadsheets have become an integral part of business life. Millions of organizations use Excel daily for financial reporting, accounting, data analysis, planning, and forecasting. However, when distributing spreadsheet documents among colleagues, clients, or partners, a serious problem arises — Excel files are easily editable, and their appearance can differ significantly across different computers.

Converting Excel to PDF solves both of these problems. The PDF format locks the document's appearance and guarantees its consistency on any device — from a Windows desktop computer to an Android smartphone. The recipient sees the spreadsheet exactly as the author prepared it: with correct fonts, aligned columns, accurate colors, and readable charts.

A spreadsheet in PDF loses editing capability but gains an important quality — authenticity. When you send a financial report or commercial proposal in PDF format, the recipient cannot accidentally or intentionally change the numbers. This is especially critical for legally significant documents, official reporting, and approved budgets.

PEREFILE service allows you to convert Excel spreadsheets (XLS and XLSX files) to PDF in seconds without installing software. Upload a file, wait for processing, and download the finished PDF with all data and visual formatting preserved. If needed, protect the result with a password for additional security.

XLS and XLSX Formats: What's the Difference?

Microsoft Excel has used two main file formats throughout its history. Understanding their differences helps choose the right approach to conversion.

XLS Format (Excel 97-2003)

The XLS format appeared in the mid-1990s and was used in Excel versions from 97 to 2003. It's a binary format with a closed specification that Microsoft developed without regard for compatibility with other programs. XLS files have a limitation of 65,536 rows and 256 columns — this was sufficient for most tasks of that time, but modern analytical tasks often require larger data volumes.

Despite the appearance of a more modern format, XLS files are still widespread. Many organizations store document archives in this format, and some legacy systems generate reports specifically in XLS. Converting such files to PDF allows fixing data in a universal format that will remain readable for decades regardless of Microsoft Office evolution.

XLSX Format (Excel 2007 and newer)

The XLSX format was introduced with Microsoft Office 2007 as part of the Office Open XML initiative. Unlike its binary predecessor, XLSX is a ZIP archive containing a set of XML files describing the spreadsheet structure, data, formulas, styles, and other elements. The format is standardized by ISO (ISO/IEC 29500) and supported by most modern office suites.

XLSX removes the limitations of the previous format: the maximum number of rows is increased to 1,048,576, and columns to 16,384. Files compress better and are more resistant to damage due to their modular structure. Both formats are converted to PDF with equal quality.

Comparing Excel and PDF for Spreadsheets

The choice between distributing a spreadsheet in Excel or PDF format depends on the document's intended use.

Excel is optimal for active data work: entering information, calculations, analysis, building models. PDF is for fixing work results and distributing them among those who shouldn't make changes.

What Spreadsheet Elements Are Preserved During Conversion

When converting Excel to PDF, all visual components of the document are transferred. Understanding what exactly is preserved helps prepare the spreadsheet for conversion.

Tabular Data

Cell contents are fully transferred to PDF:

• Numbers — with specified formatting (decimal places, thousand separators, currency symbols)
• Text — strings and characters without changes
• Dates — in the format selected in the cell (DD.MM.YYYY or other)
• Time — hours, minutes, seconds
• Percentages — with the % sign and specified precision
• Monetary values — with currency symbols (₽, $, €)

Formulas are replaced with calculated values during conversion. PDF is a static format where automatic recalculation is impossible. If a cell contains =A1+B1, the PDF will show the result of this calculation, for example, 150.

Visual Formatting

The spreadsheet's styling is reproduced in PDF:

• Fonts — typeface, size, style (bold, italic, underlined)
• Text color — specified character color
• Alignment — left, center, right, justified
• Cell fill — background color, gradients, patterns
• Borders — lines around cells with specified thickness and style
• Conditional formatting — if active at conversion time, the result is displayed
• Merged cells — merge structure is preserved

Charts and Graphs

Data visualizations become static images in PDF:

• Bar charts — vertical and horizontal
• Pie charts — with percentage labels
• Line graphs — for displaying trends
• Scatter plots — for correlation analysis
• Combination charts — combining different visualization types
• Sparklines — miniature graphs in cells

Charts are fixed in the state they displayed in Excel at the time of conversion. Legends, titles, axis labels — everything is preserved.

Structural Elements

Document organization is transferred to PDF:

• Workbook sheets — each sheet becomes separate PDF pages
• Headers and footers — top and bottom page captions
• Print area — if set, only it is converted
• Page breaks — control PDF page division
• Scaling — fit-to-page settings