XLSX to TXT Converter

Extract XLSX data to plain TXT — free online tool

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Raw Data Extraction

Strip away Excel formatting and get the pure data from your XLSX — ready for scripts, databases, or plain-text workflows.

Server-Side Processing

Conversion runs on Convertio servers, keeping your local machine free. Even large spreadsheets process without taxing your device.

No Installation Needed

Access the converter from any modern browser on any platform — no plugins, desktop apps, or sign-ups required to begin.

How to convert XLSX to TXT

1

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

2

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

3

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

About formats

XLSX is the default spreadsheet format for Microsoft Excel since Office 2007, based on the Office Open XML (OOXML) standard published as ECMA-376 and adopted as ISO/IEC 29500. An XLSX file is a ZIP archive containing XML documents that describe workbook structure, sheet data, styles, shared strings, formulas, charts, pivot tables, and relationships between components. Each worksheet is stored as a separate XML part where cells are organized by row and column references with typed values and style indices. The XML foundation enables programmatic spreadsheet creation and manipulation using libraries like openpyxl (Python), Apache POI (Java), and ClosedXML (.NET) without requiring Excel. XLSX dramatically expanded capacity compared to XLS: over 1 million rows and 16,384 columns per sheet, enabling use cases previously impossible in the binary format. One advantage is openness and cross-platform support — the documented OOXML specification enables implementation by LibreOffice Calc, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, and numerous specialized tools. Built-in ZIP compression is another practical strength: XLSX files are typically 50-75% smaller than equivalent XLS files, and the modular XML structure improves data recovery when files are partially corrupted. The format supports modern Excel features including structured tables, slicers, sparklines, Power Query connections, and real-time co-authoring. XLSX has become the standard format for spreadsheet data interchange across business, scientific, and government domains.
Developer: Microsoft
Initial release: January 30, 2007
TXT (Plain Text) is the most fundamental digital document format, storing unformatted text as a sequence of character codes with no embedded styling, layout instructions, or metadata beyond the characters themselves. The foundation of plain text computing traces to the ASCII standard published in 1963 by the American Standards Association (now ANSI), which defined 128 character codes including uppercase and lowercase Latin letters, digits, punctuation, and control characters. Modern plain text files typically use UTF-8 encoding, a variable-width Unicode scheme that encompasses virtually every writing system worldwide while maintaining backward compatibility with ASCII. Line endings vary by platform convention — LF on Unix/macOS, CR+LF on Windows — though most contemporary tools handle both transparently. One advantage is absolute universality — TXT files can be created, read, and edited on every computing device ever manufactured, from 1960s mainframes to modern smartphones, without any specialized software. The minimal overhead is another core strength: plain text carries zero formatting baggage, making TXT files ideal for configuration files, log output, data interchange, source code, scripts, and any context where content must be processed programmatically. Plain text serves as the substrate for structured formats like CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, and Markdown, and remains the input/output medium for virtually all command-line tools and programming environments. Despite decades of richer alternatives, TXT endures as the one truly universal document format.
Developer: ANSI
Initial release: 1963

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert XLSX to TXT?

Plain text is the simplest data format — it integrates with any text editor, command-line tool, or custom script without dependencies.

What programs open TXT?

Notepad, TextEdit, VS Code, Sublime Text, nano, vim, and literally any text editor or terminal application can open TXT files.

Is formatting preserved?

TXT is unformatted by design. Cell values are exported as plain text — styling, formulas, and charts are not carried over.

Can I convert large XLSX files?

Yes — Convertio handles sizable spreadsheets. Premium plans further extend the maximum file size for heavy data exports.

Is this conversion free?

Basic XLSX to TXT conversions are free. Premium tiers provide additional throughput for frequent or large-scale conversions.

Will multi-sheet XLSX work?

Each sheet in your workbook is processed. The data is extracted and delivered as plain text content ready for download.

XLSX to TXT Quality Rating

4.5 (9,832 votes)
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