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Convert JSON to Excel (XLSX)

Create an .xlsx workbook from JSON, with numbers kept as numbers.

JSON or JSON Lines file

  • Nothing is uploaded
  • Free
  • No sign-up

Guide

JSON to Excel: the complete guide

Last updated 3 min read

About this tool

PrivateCSV converts a JSON array or JSON Lines file into an Excel workbook (.xlsx) with one row per object and the field names in the first row. Numbers and true/false values keep their type, so you can sum and filter them right away, and nested objects become columns such as address.city. The workbook is built in your browser; the JSON never leaves your device.

How to check that your file is never uploaded

How to convert JSON to Excel

  1. Choose a .json or .jsonl file.
  2. Click Convert to Excel.
  3. Download the .xlsx file and open it in Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice or Numbers.

Example

The same JSON as an Excel sheet named Data.

users.json
[
  { "id": 1, "name": "Ana", "address": { "city": "Lisbon" }, "zip": "01200" },
  { "id": 2, "name": "Ben", "active": true }
]
users.xlsx (sheet Data)
id | name | address.city | zip   | active
 1 | Ana  | Lisbon       | 01200 |
 2 | Ben  |              |       | TRUE

When you need it

Sharing API data with Excel users
Colleagues in finance, sales or operations work in Excel, not JSON. An .xlsx file opens with a double-click and is ready to sort, filter and chart.
Avoiding the usual CSV problems
An .xlsx file has no delimiter or encoding to guess, so accented characters display correctly and text values such as the ZIP code 01200 keep their leading zero.
Quick reports from exports
Turn a JSON export from an app or a script into a sheet you can add totals and pivot tables to.

How values are typed in the workbook

JSON numbers become Excel numbers and true/false become Excel booleans, so formulas, sorting and filters work immediately. Strings stay text, which protects ZIP codes, phone numbers and IDs that start with zero. Nested data is flattened as in the JSON to CSV converter: dot-separated columns, simple arrays joined with “; ”, and arrays of objects kept as JSON text.

Excel's limits, and what happens at them

A worksheet holds at most 1,048,576 rows and a cell at most 32,767 characters. If your JSON has more records than one sheet can hold, the converter stops and suggests converting to CSV instead. Longer text values are cut to 32,767 characters, and the result tells you how many cells were shortened.

Limits to know about

  • All records go into one sheet named Data.
  • Date strings such as "2024-01-15" stay text. Use DATEVALUE or Data > Text to Columns in Excel if you need date arithmetic.
  • The whole JSON file is loaded into memory, so very large files may be too much for a phone.

Frequently asked questions

How do I open a JSON file in Excel?

Convert it to .xlsx here and open the result. Excel's own route, Data > Get Data > From File > From JSON, opens Power Query, where nested records must be expanded by hand before you can load them into a sheet.

How do I convert a JSON file to Excel?

Choose the file and click Convert to Excel. Each object becomes a row and the keys become column headers in the first row.

What if my JSON has more than a million records?

An Excel sheet holds 1,048,576 rows, so the converter stops and tells you how many records the file has. Convert it with the JSON to CSV converter instead, then split the CSV if you need parts that fit in Excel.

Will long numbers keep all their digits?

Excel keeps 15 significant digits, so a JSON number such as 12345678901234567 loses its last digits in any Excel file. Store long IDs as strings in the JSON: strings are written as text and keep every digit.

Does it accept JSON Lines?

Yes. A file with one JSON object per line is read the same way as a JSON array.

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Your files never leave your device

PrivateCSV runs every tool inside your browser. No upload, no account, nothing to install.

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