How to Embed an Excel Spreadsheet on a Website

You've got a spreadsheet. You want to show it on a website. The obvious move — attaching the .xlsx file — means anyone who clicks it needs Excel installed to view it. That's a dead end for most audiences.

There are three realistic options, each with different tradeoffs. Here's an honest breakdown.

Option 1: Embed via OneDrive (Microsoft's Native Method)

If your spreadsheet is already in OneDrive or SharePoint, Microsoft gives you a built-in embed option. Upload the file, open it in Excel for the Web, go to File > Share > Embed, and you'll get an iframe code to paste into your site.

It works, but it comes with frustrating limitations:

• The viewer sees Excel's full interface — row numbers, column letters, formula bar
• You can't control the styling at all
• It can be slow to load
• Users sometimes get prompted to sign in to a Microsoft account

For internal portals or SharePoint intranets where everyone already has Office 365, this is fine. For anything public-facing, it looks clunky.

Option 2: Use Google Sheets

If you don't need to stay in Excel specifically, Google Sheets handles embedding cleanly. Import your Excel file into Google Sheets, publish it to the web (File > Share > Publish to web), choose "Embed," and paste the iframe on your site.

The result is a clean table in a browser. No Microsoft account required to view it. You can control which sheet and which range is visible.

The downside: it still looks like a Google Sheets grid. It's functional, but not professional. There's no search, no custom branding, and limited control over which columns display on mobile.

Prefer Google Sheets? Check out how to create a leaderboard using Google Sheets for a full walkthrough.

Option 3: Upload to Leaderboarded (Best for Public Tables)

For anything public-facing — a price list, tournament standings, program schedule, sales leaderboard, product catalog — uploading to Leaderboarded gives you a result that looks like it belongs on your site.

Upload your .xlsx file, and it converts to a clean web table. Then you get an embed code.

The same data, now a clean web table

The table is mobile-responsive by default, has built-in search so visitors can filter rows instantly, and you can apply a theme that matches your brand colors. There's also extensive appearance control — fonts, background images, color schemes — and you can upload your logo to brand the board as your own. Full customization options are covered in the customization guide.

With a theme applied — color scheme, fonts, branding

To embed it, copy the iframe code from the Share panel and paste it into your website's HTML. Works in any CMS — WordPress, Squarespace, Webflow, plain HTML. Full instructions in the website embed guide.

Which Option Is Right for You?

It depends on who's viewing it and what it needs to look like:

• Internal team on Office 365 → OneDrive embed is the path of least resistance
• Data you already maintain in Google Sheets → Publish via Google Sheets directly, or connect it to Leaderboarded for a more polished result
• Public website, professional appearance needed → Upload to Leaderboarded

The thing about OneDrive and Google Sheets embeds is that they're fine for convenience but they look like what they are: spreadsheets in an iframe. If the table is something visitors are actually supposed to use — search through, read carefully, check on their phone — the bare spreadsheet interface doesn't hold up well.

Use Cases That Work Well with Embedded Excel Tables

People embed spreadsheets on websites for a lot of different reasons. The most common ones we see:

• Sports league tables — standings that update each week
• Sales leaderboards — shared on team portals or office TVs
• Event schedules — sessions, times, locations, all in one scannable table
• Product price lists — customers can search by name or filter by category
• Research data — published in a readable format without requiring a download

Any of these benefit from a clean embed. The download-the-file approach never does.

What to Do When Your Data Changes

With OneDrive, updating the file in OneDrive refreshes the embed automatically (after a short delay).

With Google Sheets, editing the sheet updates the published embed live.

With Leaderboarded, you upload a new version of the file to refresh the table. It takes about 30 seconds. You can also connect a Google Sheet directly and sync with one click whenever scores or data change.

If you want something that looks right on your website without the spreadsheet chrome — row numbers, formula bars, grid lines — the upload route is the quickest way to get there.