---
title: Excel Translator: Translate Spreadsheets with AI | Smartcat
description: Translate Excel files into 280+ languages, every sheet in one pass, with your own column and row scope and formatting kept. Free 15-day trial, no card needed.
canonical: https://www.smartcat.com/excel-translator/
language: en
updated: 2026-08-23
---

# Excel Translator: Translate Spreadsheets with AI | Smartcat

## Excel Translator: Translate an Excel File to English — Every Sheet, Only the Columns You Choose

Smartcat translates the cell text in your whole workbook in one pass — your own **column, row and per-sheet rules** set the scope, and your glossary keeps every header identical on sheet 1 and sheet 12. Accepts **.xlsx, .xls, .xlsm and .csv**.

**Before you upload: convert formulas to static values.** Smartcat translates cell *text*, not spreadsheet logic — formulas are not evaluated, extracted or carried through as working formulas, so a workbook full of =SUM() and =VLOOKUP() comes back with them skipped or broken.

Paste-as-values into a copy, translate the copy, and keep the original as your calculating master.

- [Book a demo](https://www.smartcat.com/book-a-demo/?n-upl)

- [Sign up free](https://smartcat.com/sign-up?n-upl)

## What Smartcat does with your workbook — and what it does not

To translate an Excel file to English — or any of 280+ languages — **upload the workbook, choose your languages, and download the translated file in the same .xlsx format**.

Cell text is translated in place, formatting and sheet structure are kept, and you set which columns, rows and sheets are in scope before upload. **Formulas are the exception** — read this first.

Spreadsheets are not prose; they are structure that happens to contain words. So a spreadsheet translator owes you two answers up front: **which cells it will touch**, and **what it does with the parts it cannot handle**.

### A:H

### the scope you set, per sheet

Enter a column range like A:H or a row range like 1:50 — or both — and choose whether that range is translated or left alone. Separate rules per sheet.

### 1

### Smartword per source word

Metered by words processed, not file size or sheet count. No cap on how many files you upload, on any plan.

### Scope control

### You decide which cells get touched, before anything is translated

Enter the columns (A:H) or rows (1:50) in Excel upload settings, **per sheet**, and choose whether that range is translated or skipped.

**Seven switches** decide what enters the upload: sheet names, hidden cells and sheets, headers and footers, comments, graphics, shape text, nested presentations.

- [Try it on your own workbook](https://smartcat.com/sign-up?excel-translator_tabs-carousel)

### Every sheet

### Translate a whole workbook into 280+ languages at once

All sheets are translated **in one pass** with the same glossary and translation memory, so a column header or product name reads identically on sheet 1 and sheet 12.

One source, as many targets as needed — **no splitting the workbook**, no reassembling afterwards.

- [See how it works](https://smartcat.com/sign-up?excel-translator_tabs-carousel)

### Formula limits

### The limitation to know before you upload

**Formulas aren’t carried through as working formulas** — they’re skipped or broken. Translate a copy with results pasted as static values.

Macros in .xlsm survive untranslated, so VBA strings stay in the source. Numbers, currencies and dates arrive as authored; text inside images isn’t reached.

- [Start with a values-only copy](https://smartcat.com/sign-up?excel-translator_tabs-carousel)

### File formats

### XLSX, XLS, XLSM and CSV — plus a Google Sheets extension

**.xlsx and .xls** carry formatting, merged cells and multiple sheets, so every upload setting applies; **.xlsm** keeps macros untranslated.

A **.csv** is plain text: watch delimiters, encoding and comma quoting. **Google Sheets** has no .xlsx round trip; the extension fills empty target cells in place.

- [Upload a spreadsheet](https://smartcat.com/sign-up?excel-translator_tabs-carousel)

### Marketplace

### Add a human review pass when numbers will be reported from the file

Any translation can be reviewed in Smartcat's editor before export, and Smartcat matches your workbook with **pre-vetted expert reviewers** when you want a second pair of eyes.

That is the pass to budget for when local number, currency and date conventions need a person.

![Hire expert reviewers automatically via our Marketplace](https://gqucouwbfxremfdhdosu.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/sc-store/1718697935613tab-placeholder.png)

- [Explore Marketplace](https://www.smartcat.com/marketplace/)

## Rated by real users on ease of setup and ease of use

### 9.6/10

for ease of setup

### 9.3/10

for ease of use

### 1,000+

enterprise brands

### 4.6/5

average rating on G2

Bring your actual workbook to the call

A 1:1 consultation with a specialist — scope rules, formula prep and review workflow on your own files.

- [Talk to a specialist](https://www.smartcat.com/book-a-demo/?from_excel-translator)

## How to translate an Excel document in six steps

Step one is the manual one, and it is worth doing: formulas do not survive translation, so translate a values-only copy.

### Flatten the formulas

Save a copy and paste its calculated cells as static values (Home → Paste → Values). Keep the original as your calculating master.

### Upload the workbook

Drag your .xlsx, .xls, .xlsm or .csv in. Multi-sheet files upload as one file, not sheet by sheet, and there is no cap on how many you add.

### Set the scope

Enter the columns (A:H) or rows (1:50) you want, or both, and choose **include-only or exclude-only** — separate rules per sheet.

Plus switches for sheet names, hidden cells and sheets, headers and footers, comments, graphics, shape text and nested presentations.

### Pick your languages

One source, as many of the 280+ targets as you need, with glossary and translation memory keeping headers and product names consistent across every sheet.

### Review the draft

Check the translation in the editor, or export straight away when the draft is enough. Numbers, currencies and dates come through as authored, so this is where a reviewer sets local conventions.

### Export the same file type

Download the format you uploaded. Translating several workbooks? Select the projects and click Download for one ZIP, sorted into folders.

- [Try it on your own workbook](https://smartcat.com/sign-up?excel-translator)

## Teams that translate spreadsheets at volume

### 2–3 days

### eLearning translation turnaround, down from 10 days

Smith+Nephew, for the same course length, against an average of 10 days with their previous providers

- [Read case study](https://www.smartcat.com/cases/smith-nephew/)

### $1.20

### per 1,000 words, down from $200–300

Stanley Black & Decker cut L&D translation costs by up to 70% and average turnaround by two weeks

- [Read case study](https://www.smartcat.com/cases/stanley-black-and-decker/)

### 31 hours

### of work time saved monthly

For Babbel’s marketing and L&D departments

- [Read case study](https://www.smartcat.com/cases/babbel)

“Smartcat addresses the entire localization process, helping me deliver faster, more consistent.”

Verified User in Medical Devices, Small-Business

Jun 16, 2026

“The translation memory and AI suggestions help me work faster. They usually preserve the document's formatting, which saves me time.”

Hika T., Freelance Translator

Jun 29, 2026

“When the reviewer changes specific content the system remembers, so it translates technical terms consistently… it places the translation back into the document keeping the look and feel of e.g. a PowerPoint.”

Verified User in Mechanical/Industrial Engineering, Enterprise

Jun 17, 2026

Every sheet in another language, with the columns you chose

Upload the workbook (values, not formulas), pick your languages, and download the same .xlsx with **every sheet translated**, formatting kept and your terminology identical throughout.

Free for 15 days with 15,000 Smartwords, no credit card.

- [Translate an Excel file free](https://smartcat.com/sign-up?excel-translator_bottom-cta)

## Excel translation — the fine print

### Does Smartcat keep my Excel formulas?

**No** — get this answer before you upload. Cell *text* is translated in place, including text in the columns you mark as translatable, and formatting and sheet structure are rebuilt.

Formulas are **not evaluated, extracted or carried through as working formulas**: they are typically skipped or broken.

What to do instead:

- Convert the cells you need to **static values** first — copy, then **Paste → Values** in a duplicate.
- Translate that copy.
- Keep the original as the file that calculates. If a translation tool does not tell you what it does with your formulas, assume the same and check the output before anyone reports numbers from it. Macro-driven workbooks have their own quirks — see [how VBA and macro text is handled](https://www.smartcat.com/excel-translator/vba/).

### Can ChatGPT translate an Excel file?

Partly. ChatGPT accepts an **.xlsx** and translates the text it extracts, but it works on that extracted text, not the workbook:

- Output comes back as chat text or a rebuilt table **rather than your file**.
- Formatting and merged cells are frequently lost.
- Large multi-sheet files hit **context limits**.
- The same header can be translated differently on different sheets, because there is **no glossary**. Formulas do not survive that route either. Fine for reading a small sheet; unreliable when you need the workbook back.

### Can DeepL translate Excel files?

Yes — DeepL accepts .xlsx uploads and generally returns a formatted file. The limits show up at work volume:

- File-size and **monthly document caps** by plan.
- No **.xls or .csv** in the same flow.
- No **column- or sheet-level scope control**.
- No **translation memory across files**, so terminology drifts between this month's report and last month's. Translate the same workbook repeatedly and that consistency gap is the cost.

### Can Google Translate handle Excel files?

**Only partially.** Google Translate's document upload accepts .xlsx, but the output frequently loses formatting, merged cells and chart context, and there is **no way to protect designated columns** or enforce terminology.

Fine for a one-time gist of a simple sheet — that is what it is for. For a workbook that has to read consistently across twelve sheets and a dozen future versions, you need **scope control and shared terminology**.

### How does Smartcat handle workbooks with many sheets?

As one file. All sheets are translated in a single pass with the same glossary throughout, so a term translated on sheet one is identical on sheet twelve. Nothing to split, nothing to reassemble. This is the same route as translating an [entire Excel document](https://www.smartcat.com/excel-translator/entire-document/).

### Can I translate only specific columns or sheets?

**Yes, at upload.** In the Excel upload settings, enter a column range (for example A:H) or a row range (for example 1:50) — or both — and choose whether that range is translated or left alone.

You can set **separate rules for each sheet**, and hidden sheets stay out entirely if you leave the “hidden cells and sheets” option switched off. More on [scoping a spreadsheet translation](https://www.smartcat.com/excel-translator/spreadsheet/).

### How do I translate cells inside Excel itself?

Excel has a **built-in Translator pane** (Review → Translate). It is useful for reading a cell or two, but it translates selections one at a time, does not apply across a workbook, and does not enforce consistent terminology.

It solves “what does this cell say,” not “deliver this workbook in Spanish.” If cell-level work is what you need, see [translating individual cells](https://www.smartcat.com/excel-translator/cells/).

### What does it cost to translate an Excel file?

Translation is metered in **Smartwords**, one Smartword per source word processed — not by file size or sheet count, and with no cap on the number of files, on any plan.

One exception on a spreadsheet page: text inside an image costs a flat **1,000 Smartwords per image**, whatever the amount of text.

Every plan starts **free for 15 days with 15,000 Smartwords** and full access to translation capabilities, no credit card. Details on the [pricing page](https://www.smartcat.com/pricing/).

### Is my spreadsheet confidential?

Smartcat is **SOC 2 Type II compliant**. Files are encrypted in transit and at rest, and workspaces are isolated so no other account can reach your workbooks.

Access is granted **per user, with role-based rights**. Details on the [security page](https://www.smartcat.com/security/).

### Is Smartcat affiliated with Microsoft Excel?

No. Microsoft and Excel are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Smartcat is an independent platform, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Microsoft. Smartcat translates Excel files while preserving their formatting and structure, including [workbooks stored in Microsoft 365](https://www.smartcat.com/excel-translator/microsoft-365/).

Question not covered? [Book a demo](https://www.smartcat.com/book-a-demo/) — a 1:1 consultation with a specialist, and bring your actual workbook.

## Sources

1. Smartcat customer case study, Stanley Black & Decker. [https://www.smartcat.com/cases/stanley-black-and-decker/](https://www.smartcat.com/cases/stanley-black-and-decker/).

2. Smartcat customer case study, Smith+Nephew. [https://www.smartcat.com/cases/smith-nephew/](https://www.smartcat.com/cases/smith-nephew/).