XLS to XPS Converter

Save XLS spreadsheets as fixed-layout XPS online

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Pixel-Perfect Layout

XPS locks your XLS spreadsheet into a fixed layout — what you see is exactly what recipients and printers will reproduce.

Secure File Handling

Your uploaded XLS is deleted right after conversion. The resulting XPS is removed within 24 hours — complete data privacy.

Convert From Any Device

Access the XLS to XPS converter from any browser — no software to install on your desktop, phone, or tablet.

How to convert XLS to XPS

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose xps or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your xps file right afterwards

About formats

XLS is the binary spreadsheet format of Microsoft Excel, first introduced with Excel 1.0 for Macintosh in September 1985 and becoming the dominant spreadsheet format worldwide. The format stores workbooks as OLE2 compound document files using the Binary Interchange File Format (BIFF), organizing sheets, cells, formulas, formatting, charts, pivot tables, macros, and metadata across multiple internal streams. Each cell record encodes the cell's value (number, string, boolean, error, or formula), position, and formatting index, while shared string tables and style records reduce redundancy. The format evolved through BIFF versions (BIFF2 through BIFF8), with BIFF8 (Excel 97) establishing the structure used through Excel 2003. XLS supports up to 65,536 rows and 256 columns per sheet, a limit that drove the creation of XLSX. One advantage is universal spreadsheet compatibility — XLS files are recognized by every major spreadsheet application including LibreOffice Calc, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, and dozens of programming libraries across all platforms. The format's mature feature set is another strength: XLS handles complex formulas, conditional formatting, data validation, named ranges, array formulas, external references, and VBA macros. Although XLSX replaced XLS as the default in Office 2007, the binary format persists in financial institutions, legacy reporting systems, and any environment where Excel 97-2003 compatibility is required.
Developer: Microsoft
Initial release: September 1985
XPS (XML Paper Specification) is a fixed-layout document format developed by Microsoft, first released with Windows Vista and .NET Framework 3.0 in November 2006. Conceived as Microsoft's alternative to Adobe's PDF, XPS uses XML-based page description markup within a ZIP-based Open Packaging Conventions container. Each page is described as a FixedPage element containing paths (vector shapes with fill and stroke), glyphs (text positioned at precise coordinates), images, and canvas groupings — all specified with exact coordinates for pixel-precise rendering. The format embeds all required resources: fonts are subset and included, images are stored within the package, and the complete rendering specification travels with the document. Windows includes the XPS Document Writer as a virtual printer, allowing any application to generate XPS output through the standard print dialog. One advantage is exact visual fidelity — XPS documents render identically on any compliant viewer because every element is positioned absolutely, with no interpretation variance. Native Windows integration is another strength: XPS viewing, creation, and printing are built into Windows without additional software, and the .NET Framework provides APIs for programmatic XPS generation. While XPS did not achieve the ubiquity of PDF as a universal document format, it remains used in Windows printing infrastructure, enterprise document workflows, and scenarios where the Windows platform provides native end-to-end support.
Developer: Microsoft
Initial release: November 2006

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert XLS to XPS?

XPS preserves your spreadsheet layout pixel-perfectly — ideal for sharing read-only copies that look exactly as intended on any Windows device.

What programs open XPS files?

The built-in XPS Viewer on Windows, Microsoft Edge, and Pagemark XpsViewer all open XPS documents natively without extra software.

Is XPS similar to PDF?

Yes — both are fixed-layout formats. XPS was Microsoft's answer to PDF and is natively supported on Windows without third-party readers.

Is the conversion free?

Convertio.tools offers free XLS to XPS conversion. Premium plans add higher limits and priority processing for heavy use.

Does the XPS keep my formatting?

Cell borders, fonts, colors, and column widths from XLS are faithfully rendered in the fixed-layout XPS output on convertio.tools.

XLS to XPS Quality Rating

4.6 (139 votes)
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