How to edit an Excel spreadsheet on your phone

To edit an Excel file on Android, open the .xlsx in a spreadsheet editor, tap a cell to change its value, add or delete rows where needed, and save it as an Excel file again. Quick fixes like correcting a price, adding a name to a list or deleting a duplicate row are easy on a phone. Big restructuring jobs are still more comfortable on a larger screen.

What you can comfortably edit on a phone

A phone screen shows only a small part of a spreadsheet at a time, so the best jobs are small and targeted:

• correcting a typo or a wrong number in one cell;
• updating a stock count, a price or a status column;
• adding a new row to a sign-up sheet, a guest list or a rota;
• deleting duplicate or empty rows;
• filling in a template someone sent you, such as an expenses sheet.

Jobs such as building complex formulas, pivot tables, charts or macros are better saved for a computer, where you can see the whole sheet.

How to edit Excel on Android, step by step

1. Open the .xlsx file in a spreadsheet editor. If you received it by email or chat, save it to your phone first.
2. If the file has several sheets, pick the right one. Sheet tabs are usually along the bottom.
3. Zoom or scroll to the cell you need. Turning the phone sideways shows more columns.
4. Tap the cell and type the new value. Confirm the change.
5. To add a row, select the row where it should go and use the insert option. To remove a row, select it and delete.
6. Check any totals that depend on the cells you changed.
7. Save the file as .xlsx. Keep the original if the sheet is important.
8. Share or upload the saved copy.

Tips for editing spreadsheets on a small screen

• Find the row first. Locate it by its first column, then swipe across to the cell you need.
• Use landscape. More columns fit, and column headers are easier to keep in view.
• Edit one column at a time. Going down a column is much easier on a phone than jumping around.
• Watch the keyboard. Phones may offer a text keyboard for a number cell. Switch to the number pad to avoid typing letters by mistake.
• Mind leading zeros. Codes like 007 may turn into 7 when you edit them. If that matters, check after saving.
• Check dates. Depending on your phone's language, 03/04 might mean the 3rd of April or the 4th of March.

Will editing on a phone break formulas?

Changing a value in a cell that a formula reads is normally fine: the formula's result should update. Problems tend to come from:

• deleting a row that a formula points to, which can leave an error such as #REF!;
• typing over a formula cell, which replaces the formula with a fixed value;
• inserting rows outside a range, so new rows are not included in a total.

After editing, look at the totals and any cells that show an error. If a total looks wrong, the safest fix is to correct it on a computer, or ask the person who built the sheet.

Excel, CSV or PDF: which should you send?

• Send .xlsx when the other person needs to keep editing.
• Send .csv when the data is going into another system that asks for CSV. It keeps only the values, not formatting or formulas.
• Send a PDF when they only need to read or print it, and you want the layout fixed.

To learn about opening the different formats, see how to open Word, Excel and CSV files on Android. To print the finished sheet, see how to print a PDF from your Android phone.

Turning a PDF table into a spreadsheet

People often receive a table as a PDF when they need it as a spreadsheet. There is no perfect one-step fix, because a PDF stores positions on a page, not cells. Extracting the text can get the values out, and you can then tidy them into a sheet. See how to extract all the text from a PDF.

Keeping spreadsheets private

Spreadsheets often hold salaries, phone numbers or customer lists. Avoid uploading them to unfamiliar websites just to make a quick edit. An editor that works on the phone keeps the file on your device. If you need to share it, send it only to the people who need it.

Editing spreadsheets with PDF Burrow

PDF Burrow has an Excel Editor that opens a spreadsheet, lets you edit cells and add or delete rows, and saves it as .xlsx. The File Viewer can also open Excel and CSV files and export them to PDF. Both work on your phone, so the file stays on your device.

Frequently asked questions

Can I create a new Excel file on my phone?

Some editors let you start a blank sheet. Others are designed to edit existing files, in which case you can start from a simple template made on another device.

Will my formatting survive editing on a phone?

Basic formatting usually does. Complex features such as conditional formatting, charts or macros may not display or save the same way in a mobile editor, so check important files after saving.

How do I edit a CSV on Android?

Open it in a spreadsheet editor, change the cells, and save it as CSV if the receiving system needs CSV. Saving as .xlsx instead adds formatting but changes the file type.

Why did my number change after I typed it?

The editor may have treated it as a date or removed leading zeros. Check the cell's format, or type a code as text if your editor allows it.