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November 5, 2006

Open Excel Attachments in Google Spreadsheets


When you receive an Excel spreadsheet as an attachment in Gmail, you'll see a new option next to "View as HTML" and "Download": "Open in Google Spreadsheets". If you click on that link, the file will be imported to Google Docs & Spreadsheets and you can start editing it. This is useful if you don't have Microsoft Office, OpenOffice or other office suite. You can also invite the person who sent your document to Google Docs & Spreadsheets, so you don't have to email the new version of the spreadsheet.

You can use the mail that contained the attachment as a bookmark: the next time you click on "Open in Google Spreadsheets", a dialog will offer to open the existing copy.

This is a good way to create an user base for Google Office, and we can expect to see other file types treated the same way in Gmail.

CSV files can also be imported this way, but there's no link in Gmail yet. If you want to try to import CSV files, you have to copy the link for "Download" and replace view=att with view=txatt.

Here's the message you see when you open an attachment:
This file is your Gmail attachment imported to Google Spreadsheets. Save your spreadsheets here, and get to them from any computer. Share with others, and everyone can edit online at the same time. No more emailing attachments back and forth!

Related:
Import Gmail attachments into Google Docs
Gmail has an MP3 player

4 comments:

  1. Yeah, I noticed that yesterday. When I clicked it though, it gave me an error about the cell count being too high.
    When i opened it in office 07 though, there wasn't that many cells...

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just checked, it works in my standard google email account, but not in my domain hosted account, which is the one I use most often. Bummer. Hope it's coming soon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Meeting troubles with Microsoft Excel? You can always hire excel expert to help you! Get your paper of the highest quality ASAP!

    ReplyDelete

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