Excel files are amazing for organising information, but they aren’t always ideal for sharing data. When you’re collaborating on a project, colleagues may have different types of spreadsheet software, or even no spreadsheet software at all, making it difficult for them to open the file to access the information inside. And if you want to share Excel data on social media, well… prepare for a headache!
Fortunately, there’s a way to make sharing Excel data much easier: by converting Excel to JPG first. In this guide, we explain exactly how to do that.
Features of Excel files
As a popular spreadsheet format, Excel files do a lot of the heavy lifting for all sorts of tasks, from crunching numbers and organising data to generating charts, graphs, and line art. They’re also fairly easy to send to colleagues via email or Slack, and can be shared with team members through Microsoft 365. There are plenty of personal use cases, too: you can use Excel sheets for budget planning, scheduling trips, and organising recipes (MasterChef era, anyone?).
It’s not hard to see why Excel files are so popular. Their small file size is a bonus, too, with most ranging between 2 and 15 MB, depending on the amount of data and number of sheets you have. This means you can usually upload XLSX files as email attachments, without needing a third-party tool like Dropbox, when sending them to other people.
But that’s not to say there aren’t any drawbacks. For example, you can’t upload Excel files to Instagram or to personal Facebook pages, so if you want to upload an activities schedule for your local sports club, or a price list for your freelance photography business, you’ll need a different file type. Excel’s file formats, XLSX and XLS, aren’t always easy to open without Excel software, either. And even if you can open them with something else like Google Sheets, the formatting might look strange, or you might lose access to certain features and tools. If all you want to do is share information with someone else, slogging through these challenges could be more trouble than it’s worth. At least, without converting to JPG format first.
Why JPG can be a better choice of file format
The JPG file type (from the Joint Photographic Experts Group) is a widely used compressed format for digital images. Like XLSX and XLS, JPG files are fairly small and easy to share. But unlike Excel files, you don’t need to worry about access to specific software to open the file, as JPG files can simply be opened in a web browser or with most computers’ in-built image viewers. They can also be easily imported into presentations, and they’re supported by the majority of social media platforms, so you can easily share data without the headache of having to find a workaround.
So, turning your Excel spreadsheet into a JPG image makes it a whole lot easier to share your data with coworkers, friends and your social media audience.
When it makes sense to convert Excel to JPG format
Here are a few more reasons why you might want to convert an Excel sheet to an image:
- To share data on platforms that don’t support Excel. For example, you could share your info via social media, embed it on a website, or send it through your phone via text, Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.
- To add to a presentation. Need to make a PowerPoint presentation? You can add a JPG of your Excel data to a presentation slide without needing to embed the entire worksheet.
- To include data in a newsletter or report. Maybe this is budget info, or maybe these are stats. Either way, it’s easy to share key details by including an image of the data in your document.
- To make it easier to share data with people who don’t have Excel. It doesn’t matter if the recipient doesn’t have access to spreadsheet software. With a JPG file, you can give them context in a snap!
- To make it easier to print. If you have a schedule, menu, rota, chore list, or pricing chart to display, converting Excel to an image can help keep your formatting intact. It will also let you preview the appearance before printing, so you know exactly how it will show up on paper.
- To share info without risking privacy or compliance. Got sensitive info that should be seen, but not edited? An XLS to JPG converter can help you share snapshots of information without giving recipients access to the original document.
How to convert XLSX to JPG with Zamzar’s Excel to JPG converter
It only takes a few steps to convert Excel to JPG format:
1. Visit zamzar.com/convert/xlsx-to-jpg on your computer.
2. Next, upload the Excel file you wish to convert. There are three easy ways to do this:
– Dragging and dropping. Just find the XLSX file you wish to convert, click and hold the file, and drag it to the webpage. You’ll know you’ve done this right if you see a blue fade on the screen that says, “Drop your files to convert them. We’ll get right on it.”
– Tapping the green Choose Files button on the left of your screen. This will open up your File Explorer or Finder menu so you can choose the right Excel file to convert.
– Tapping the green dropdown arrow to the right of the Choose Files button to select files from other locations. You can still upload from your computer or a URL, of course, but there are also options for Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive.
3. Make sure you’ve selected JPG under step two of the tool. That way, you’ll know for a fact you’re getting the right file format for your needs.
4. When everything looks good, tap the Convert Now button on the right side of your screen to start uploading and converting your file. If you don’t want to wait for everything to finish converting, just check the box next to ‘Email when done?‘ We’ll send you a quick notification as soon as your file is ready.
And don’t worry if you can’t get back to it right away: we store converted files for up to 24 hours so you can retrieve your JPGs whenever you have a moment.
5. Wait for your file to finish converting. Depending on the size, this could be just a few minutes or less.
6. Tap the blue Download button to grab your newly converted file. If your Excel file only had a single worksheet (aka one tab), you’ll receive one image of your Excel sheet. XLSX files with multiple sheets will produce a ZIP file containing multiple JPGs – one for each sheet. That way, you won’t have to click ‘Download’ next to every JPG file, which could take a while if your Excel workbook has lots of worksheets. Once you’ve downloaded the ZIP file, you can open it to access the JPG files inside. Like this:
And voilà! You’re done. And it really was that easy.
Now you can use your converted Excel spreadsheet for almost anything: to add to presentations and reports, upload to social media, print a copy, share with colleagues and friends, and much more.
Bonus: How to open a ZIP file
So, you’ve just converted an Excel file that has lots of worksheets, and received a ZIP file with the converted images. How do you open said ZIP file to get the goodies inside?
Here’s a quick breakdown depending on the device you’re using:
How to extract ZIP files on Windows
- Open File Explorer.
- Double-click on your ZIP file to open it.
- At the top right, tap Extract All.
- Choose a destination for your extracted files (like your desktop or downloads folder).
You can now access your JPGs.
How to extract ZIP files on a Mac
- Open Finder.
- Double-click your ZIP file.
- This will create an unzipped folder of the images in the same directory on your computer.
- Double-click on the folder to open it and see the JPG images inside.
- If you can’t open your ZIP file, make sure your Mac has enough space — around 200 MB should do the trick.
P.S.: If you’re getting an error message such as, ‘Please install a ZIP file extractor,’ make sure you’re opening your ZIP in Finder. If not, Mac might try to open it in your browser, which won’t work unless you download a third-party extractor (which you don’t need in the vast majority of cases).
How to extract ZIP files on an Android phone
- Open Files by Google (or download it if you don’t already have it), then tap the ZIP file you wish to open.
- At the bottom of your screen, tap the pop-up window that says Extract.
- If you want to delete the unnecessary ZIP folder after you’ve extracted the JPGs, just check the box next to Delete ZIP file.
Everything that was in your ZIP file will now be in your phone’s Downloads folder.
How to open ZIP files on an iPhone
- Open your iPhone’s Files application.
- Tap the ZIP file you wish to open.
- Just like on a Mac, the iPhone will immediately create an unzipped file with your JPGs inside.
Zamzar: the easiest way to convert Excel to JPG format
Whether you’re collabbing with coworkers or sharing data online, Zamzar’s Excel to JPG converter is the easiest way to turn XLSX or XLS files into shareable and usable images.
So what are you waiting for? You can try out Zamzar’s Excel to JPG converter here.
Happy converting!
[Cover photo and presentation photo by Vitaly Gariev.]
