Excel to App · Your App Cloud
Build an app from your Excel spreadsheet
Upload the workbook and plan what each part becomes: list sheets as collections, rows as records, lookups as relations and formulas as rules you check. Then decide who signs in and what each person can change.
From workbook to working app.
Upload the file, explain what its cells mean, then compare the app with rows you already know.
01
Upload and name the lists
Attach the .xlsx with the upload button above. In the prompt, say which sheets hold records and what one row describes on each, such as one order or one customer. Name the tabs to leave out, like a pivot or a chart.
02
Explain formulas and colors
The app needs the meaning behind the cells. Say what each formula column works out and what each fill color signals, so they become rules and statuses rather than copied values.
03
Compare, then choose who signs in
Open a few records beside their rows in Excel and check one total. Then say who can read, add and change each collection before you publish and share the address.
What each part of the workbook becomes.
Read across each row: the part you know from Excel, what it can become in the app, and how to confirm it came through.
| In your workbook | In your app | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| A sheet that holds one list, such as Customers or Orders | A collection of records, with a list view and a detail view | Summary, pivot and chart tabs show results rather than records. Leave them out of the collections, or ask for a view that shows the same figures. |
| The header row | Field names, each with a type such as text, number, date, amount or a choice | Where the workbook has two-row headers or merged header cells, check that each field got one clear name. |
| Each row | One record that people open, correct and update | Blank rows, subtotal rows and notes typed under the table did not become records, and the record count matches the row count. |
| A lookup column (VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP or INDEX and MATCH) | A relation between two collections through a shared ID | Every ID in the lookup column exists on the other sheet. A trailing space or a second spelling of the same ID breaks the link. |
| A formula column, such as a line total or days overdue | A calculated value, or a rule you describe in words | Pick three rows and compare the app's result with the workbook's, including one awkward case such as an empty date. |
| A dropdown list (data validation) | A choice field with the same options | Look for values typed outside the list, like 'done' next to 'Done', and say which option each one belongs to. |
| Conditional formatting, such as red for overdue | A status field, plus a view for each status | Write down the rule behind each color, for example overdue when the due date has passed and the job is still open. |
| Several people editing one shared file, or copies sent by email | One published address where people sign in, with the access you describe for each collection | Sign in with a second test account and confirm it can see and change only what it should. |
What the workbook can't tell the app.
A spreadsheet stores values and formatting, not the reasons behind them. The habits around it, such as which tab is current or who fixes a wrong total, live with the people who use it. Write those habits into the prompt with the upload.
Bring the file and one paragraph
The .xlsx itself, plus a few sentences on who uses it, what they do with it, and which sheet wins when two tabs disagree.
Show everything before you upload
On a copy of the file, unhide rows and columns, clear filters and expand grouped rows. Then point out subtotal and grand-total rows so they don't end up as records.
Values that only look alike
Dates typed as text, amounts with a typed currency sign, and IDs or ZIP codes missing a leading zero all look fine in a cell. Name them in the prompt and check them in the first records.
Pick one place for edits
An upload is a snapshot, not a sync. Decide whether people change the app or the workbook from now on. If rows still arrive in Excel, plan a deliberate re-import and try it on a copy first.
An illustrative starting point
One app where the workbook was.
Each list sheet becomes a collection, each row a record, and each formula a rule you check against the workbook.
A collection for each list
Customers, Orders or Jobs each get a list to scan. A detail view keeps one row's values together instead of spreading them across forty columns.
Forms built from your columns
New records can go in through a form built from the header row. Ask for a date picker on date columns, the same options your dropdowns offer, and required fields that refuse a blank.
Rules where the formulas were
A line total, a days-overdue count or a status that depends on two columns can become a rule for every record. Then you check it against the results in the workbook.
Sign-in instead of a shared file
People sign in at one address rather than passing copies around, and you decide who sees and changes each collection. Sign-in and saved records need a backend.
Together in your app cloud
The pieces behind the possibility.
Choose the models and services that support the experience you want to create.
Database
Keep data and context for apps and agents
Authentication
Give the right people access
Email
Keep conversations moving
A little more context
Good questions.
Can Excel formulas carry over into the app?
Treat each formula as a result to re-create, not a cell to copy. Describe what each formula column produces, such as a line total from quantity and unit price. Then ask for a rule or calculated value that does the same. Compare a few results with the workbook before anyone relies on them.
What happens to sheets that look each other up?
A lookup between sheets, such as an Orders sheet that pulls a customer's name by ID, can become a relation between two collections. Name the column that joins them, then check that every order points to a customer that exists.
Can I keep editing the spreadsheet once the app exists?
You can, but the app won't see those edits. An upload supplies a snapshot of the workbook. Choose one place where changes happen from now on. If new rows still start in Excel, plan a deliberate re-import and test it on a copy.
Can I turn a spreadsheet into a phone app?
Your app is published at a web address and opens in a browser, including on phones. A sheet with twenty columns won't fit a small screen. Choose the few fields a phone list should show, and try the main task there before sharing.
Which plan does an app built from a spreadsheet need?
An app that takes over from a shared workbook has to save the records people add and change, and know who signed in. Saved records, sign-in and email need a backend, so it is an app with data, and putting it live needs a paid plan. Model and service usage is metered separately.
Can the app send the reminders I now send by hand?
Apps can send email, such as a note to a customer when an order ships. They can also run tasks on a schedule you set, such as a Monday list of overdue jobs. Test each message, and review scheduled results before acting on them.
Can a colleague help look after the app?
Not in Studio: each Exepad account has one builder. Give the colleague an editor's sign-in in the published app instead, for example the person who keeps the workbook up to date today, with access to the records they look after. Check what an editor can change from a second test account.
Can I get the data out again later?
Yes, you can export your app's data and code. Check what an export contains before you archive the workbook. Keep the original file until the app has handled a full cycle of your work, such as a month-end.
Explore Pricing for plans, included capabilities, and usage details.
Keep exploring.
Replace a spreadsheet-run process ↗
See the outcome and the capabilities behind it.
How to turn an Excel spreadsheet into an app ↗
The step-by-step walkthrough, from looking over the workbook to testing the first version.
Understand data and context ↗
Give information the right place in your app.
Prepare to publish ↗
Check the experience you will share.
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