To convert Excel to Markdown on Windows, add the XLSX file to MD Factory. Each sheet becomes a Markdown table under a heading with the sheet's name, and the MD file is saved next to the workbook.
The tables hold the values Excel saved with the file, not formulas or cell styling. Dates, hidden sheets, merged cells and charts need a closer look, and for some tasks a CSV export or the workbook itself works better.
Convert the workbook
- Open MD Factory and click Add files, or drag the workbook onto the window.
- Conversion starts at once. When it finishes, the row shows Completed, Needs review or Failed.
- Double-click the result path under the file name to open the Markdown file.
The result takes the workbook's name: Budget.xlsx becomes Budget.md in the same folder. Pictures from the sheets go into a Budget_images folder beside it. MD Factory does not change the workbook itself. If MD Factory cannot write to that folder, it asks where to save the result.
To convert every workbook in a folder, including its subfolders, click Add folder instead.
MD Factory reads XLSX files. Older XLS workbooks and macro-enabled XLSM files are listed as skipped. Open such a file in Excel, save a copy as Excel Workbook (.xlsx) and convert the copy. Microsoft lists the file types and the Convert command here: Save a workbook in another file format.
A workbook that asks for a password when it opens is marked Failed. Convert a copy saved without the password, and keep that copy and its Markdown as private as the original.
What the Markdown file contains
Each sheet becomes a second-level heading with the sheet's name, followed by one table. Sheets appear in the order of their tabs. A sheet with no data gets only its heading.
The table covers the range from cell A1 to the last used row and column. MD Factory does not guess which row holds your column names: the header row reads Column 1, Column 2 and so on, and your first row follows as an ordinary row.
## Sales Q1
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Date | Region | Units |
| 2026-03-15 00:00:00 | North | 12 |To use your own column names in the header, edit the first rows by hand. The CSV guide shows how and covers the basics of Markdown tables: How to convert CSV to Markdown on Windows.
A line break inside a cell is written as the HTML tag <br>.
Underscores, asterisks, vertical bars, backslashes and backticks in cells are written as HTML character codes, so they cannot break the table. Markdown previews show the original characters. When you search the raw text for a name with an underscore, replace the underscore with its code: order_id.
Formulas, dates and number formats
Formulas are not recalculated. A formula cell shows the result Excel saved with the file, and the formula itself is left out.
If a formula has no saved result, the cell shows the formula text instead, such as =SUM(B2:B9).
Such a file is marked Needs review. Open the workbook in Excel, check that the formulas show results, save it and convert it again.
Values from links to other workbooks are not refreshed. The table shows the values saved last time, and the file is marked Needs review.
| In the workbook | In the Markdown file |
|---|---|
| A date shown as 15.03.2026 | 2026-03-15 00:00:00 |
| A date calculated by a formula, such as =TODAY() | A serial number, such as 46312 |
| A time on its own, 09:30 | 1899-12-30 09:30:00 or 0.3958333333333333, depending on the cell format |
| 25% | 0.25 |
| €9.50 | 9.5 |
| A code formatted as 00000, shown as 01234 | 01234 |
Excel stores dates and times as numbers and only displays them as dates. MD Factory turns the number back into a date when the cell has a date format. A date calculated by a formula keeps the bare number, so check those columns. Microsoft explains the numbers in Change the date system, format, or two-digit year interpretation.
Percentages, currency, thousands separators and other display formats are not reproduced. The table holds the stored number, and the file is marked Needs review with the note "Some number formatting is not reproduced". Text cells keep every character, including codes typed as text.
Hidden sheets, merged cells and empty rows
MD Factory converts hidden sheets like any other sheet, marks the file Needs review and names the hidden sheet in the note. Hidden rows go into the table too, also with a note. Hidden columns go in without one.
A hidden sheet can hold old figures, lookup lists or personal data. Before you share the Markdown, unhide the sheets in Excel and look at what they contain, or delete their sections from the Markdown file. Microsoft's instructions: Hide or Unhide worksheets.
Merged cells keep their value in the first cell of the merged range, and the other cells of the range stay empty. The file is marked Needs review with the note "Merged or complex cells were simplified".
Empty rows and columns inside the range stay in the table as empty cells. Because every table starts at A1, a sheet whose data begins at C3 gets two empty columns and two empty rows first. A formatted but empty cell far below the data stretches the table down to it. Delete such rows in the Markdown, or clear the stray cells in Excel and convert again.
A sheet larger than 500,000 cells, counted from A1 to the last used cell, is not converted, and the whole workbook is marked Failed. Split the data or remove unused rows and columns first.
Charts, images, comments and links
Charts are not converted. The file is marked Needs review with the note "Some document content could not be represented in Markdown", followed by the sheet name. If the chart's data sits on a sheet of the workbook, those numbers are already in that sheet's table.
Pictures placed on a sheet are saved to the images folder and linked below the sheet's table. Text from text boxes and shapes appears there as well.
Cell comments and notes are left out, and so are the addresses behind hyperlinks: a linked cell keeps only its visible text. Neither produces a note. If comments or link targets matter, copy them into cells before converting.
Colors, fonts, borders and conditional formatting do not carry over. If a color carries meaning, such as red for overdue, add a column that says so in words.
Check the result
Click Needs review in the file's row to read the notes. A note about one sheet ends with its name, for example: "A hidden sheet is included in the export. (Archive)".
Then compare the Markdown with the workbook:
- One heading for each sheet, hidden sheets included.
- The first and last rows of each table, and one total you can recalculate.
- Date columns, especially dates calculated by formulas.
- Codes with leading zeros, such as postal codes and article numbers.
- Cells that start with an equals sign: these are formulas without a saved result.
- Hidden rows and columns you did not mean to share.
If you edit the Markdown file and later convert the workbook again, MD Factory keeps your edited file and saves the new result as Budget (2).md.
When a CSV export or the workbook is better
Export a CSV file from Excel when you need values exactly as the cells display them, such as 25% rather than 0.25. Excel's CSV format saves text and values as they are displayed, but only from the active sheet. Microsoft lists what else is lost: Excel formatting and features that are not transferred to other file formats.
Save each sheet you need as its own CSV file, then add the CSV files to MD Factory.
Keep the workbook itself when the formulas matter. A Markdown table holds results only: it cannot recalculate, sort or filter.
For an AI agent, Markdown tables suit sheets the agent should read, such as a price list, a schedule or a summary. For large sheets that need sums or filtering, give an agent that can run code the CSV or XLSX file and ask it to calculate with code. To organize sources for an agent, see Prepare documents for AI agents with Markdown.