Native SheetsFree · macOS · .xlsx
Open a spreadsheet without opening a spreadsheet suite
Native Sheets reads and edits .xlsx workbooks on macOS. It keeps the parts of a file it does not model instead of throwing them away. Download it, or read a workbook in your browser right now.
- Free. macOS 14 or later, Apple Silicon or Intel. No account and no runtime to install.
- The browser viewer parses your file in the page. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Three steps to read a workbook here
Choose your file
Pick an .xlsx file or drag it onto the page. The browser reads it from disk.
Move between sheets
Every worksheet in the workbook appears as a tab, in the workbook's own order.
Read cells and formulas
Click any cell for its address, its stored value and the formula behind it. Export the sheet as CSV.
What the macOS app does
Everything below is behaviour that exists in the app’s code and its test suite.
Saves back what it does not understand
The reader keeps the raw bytes of every part of the original file. Saving regenerates only the parts the editor models.
A dependency-ordered formula engine
About 90 functions across maths, statistics, logic, text, lookup and dates, recalculated in dependency order.
Multi-sheet workbooks
Sheets appear as tabs along the bottom: add, rename, duplicate, reorder by dragging, and delete.
Keyboard editing with uniform undo
Arrow keys move, Shift-arrow extends, Command-arrow jumps to the edge of the data, Tab and Return move on after committing.
Formatting and number formats
Bold, italic, underline, alignment, wrapped text, merged cells, frozen panes, and number formats including dates, percentages and currency.
No runtime and no third-party dependencies
The ZIP container, the XML, the number formats, the formula engine and the grid are all implemented in the app's own repository.
Measured, not asserted
The numbers below come from the project’s own sample workbook: 1.6 MB, four sheets, 20,739 cells, 4,530 formulas, in a release build. They are reproducible from the repository rather than collected from users.
| Operation | Result |
|---|---|
| Open | 0.09 s |
| Save | 0.11 s |
| Recalculate everything | 0.41 s |
| Cells identical after a save | 20,739 of 20,739 |
| Formulas matching the file's own cached values | 4,530 of 4,530 |
What it does not do
Knowing this before you install something is more useful than finding out afterwards.
- Charts, images, pivot tables and conditional formatting are preserved through a save but are neither displayed nor editable.
- There is no find and replace, no sorting or filtering, and no cell comments.
- Printing is only what NSDocument provides for free.
- Formula support is a wide subset rather than the whole of Excel's function list. Array formulas, INDIRECT, OFFSET and defined names are not evaluated, though defined names survive a save.
- The app runs on macOS 14 or later. It is a universal binary, so Apple Silicon and Intel Macs both run it, but there is no Windows, Linux, iOS or web build of the editor itself.
- The app is distributed outside the App Store, so it updates by downloading a new build rather than through the App Store.
Getting the app
The app is a free download. It is not on the App Store, but it is signed with a Developer ID and notarised by Apple, so it opens straight away. It needs macOS 14 or later, and the download is a universal binary that runs on Apple Silicon or Intel.
Installing
- Download the zip. Safari unpacks it on its own; in other browsers, double-click it.
- Drag Native Sheets to your Applications folder.
- Open it. macOS confirms once that the app came from the internet, and remembers the answer.
Alternatively, build it yourself from source with Xcode 26 or newer. Archive the app, export it, then package the export:
./Scripts/make_zip.sh "path/to/Native Sheets.app"The source is on GitHub. If you would rather install nothing, the browser viewer reads workbooks in this tab.
Questions people actually ask
What does it cost?
Nothing. There is no paid tier, no trial, no subscription and no account. Nothing on this site asks for payment.
Does my file get uploaded when I use the viewer?
No. This site is a set of static files with no server to receive an upload. The workbook is decompressed and parsed inside the browser tab and discarded when you close it.
Will my formulas recalculate?
In the macOS app, if they use one of the 91 functions the engine evaluates. The full list, and what is missing from it, is worth a minute before you decide. The browser viewer never recalculates; it shows the values stored in the file.
Which macOS versions?
macOS 14 or later, on Apple Silicon or Intel: one universal download covers both. There is no Windows, Linux or iOS build of the editor. The browser viewer works in any current browser that supports decompression streams.
Is it on the App Store?
No. You download it from this site. The app is signed with a Developer ID and notarised by Apple, so macOS opens it without sending you to Privacy & Security. The install steps above cover it.
Guides
How to open and edit an .xlsx file on a Mac without Excel
Four ways to open a .xlsx workbook on macOS without a Microsoft 365 subscription, what each one changes about the file, and how to check a workbook in the browser first.
Why charts and pivot tables disappear when you edit someone else's workbook
What is actually inside an .xlsx file, why a save in the wrong app strips charts, pivot caches and conditional formatting, and how to check whether your own workflow does it.
Will my formulas work? The functions Native Sheets evaluates, and the ones it does not
The complete list of the 91 spreadsheet functions Native Sheets evaluates, what happens to a formula it cannot evaluate, and how to test your own workbook before you rely on it.