Direct answer
Can I compare spreadsheets saved in different file formats?
Diff Anything compares stored spreadsheet values by sheet and cell coordinate across CSV, TSV, XLS/XLA, XLSX/XLSM/XLAM, XLSB, ODS, and Apple Numbers. The two files can use different formats, so an XLSX can be compared directly with ODS or Numbers without converting both files first.
Accuracy note: reviewed against Diff Anything 1.4 on .
Supported formats
Use a shared value model across spreadsheet containers.
Open any supported pair of CSV, TSV, XLS/XLA, XLSX/XLSM/XLAM, XLSB, ODS, or Apple Numbers files. The extensions do not need to match.
Diff Anything normalizes sheets and populated cell coordinates, then compares the stored values rather than the unrelated internals of each file container.
- Excel: XLS, XLA, XLSX, XLSM, XLAM, and XLSB
- OpenDocument: ODS
- Apple: Numbers
- Delimited data: CSV and TSV
Sheet-aware review
Inspect changed cells in two aligned grids.
Choose a sheet, scan row numbers and column letters, and select a changed cell to connect its coordinate with the Differences pane.
Populated rows and columns are virtualized so large ranges remain navigable instead of rendering the entire workbook at once.
Exact boundary
Treat a clean result as value equivalence—not workbook identity.
Spreadsheet comparison uses stored cell values. Formulas, formatting, charts, macros, and workbook layout are not compared.
Use the original spreadsheet applications when you need to validate calculation logic, styles, charts, print setup, VBA, or editing behavior. A formula and a literal value may compare as equal when their stored results are equal.
Best for
Where this workflow fits.
- Checking data after moving a workbook between Excel, LibreOffice, and Apple Numbers
- Comparing a source workbook with a CSV or TSV export
- Reviewing private spreadsheet data without uploading it
No accounts, cloud comparison service, analytics, or telemetry.
Relevant capabilities
What Diff Anything brings to the job.
Practical workflow
From setup to a reviewed result.
Choose sources
Open files or folders, paste content, or use Pro to load a saved profile with known options.
Select a mode
Use automatic detection or explicitly choose text, structured, cross-format spreadsheet, folder, archive, document, image, binary, or API comparison. Archive detection can recognize supported container signatures even when the filename is misleading.
Review and resolve
Navigate stable differences, apply supported changes, resolve three-way conflicts, or approve a folder synchronization plan without losing source context.
Save or automate
Use Pro to export a report or retain a profile, invoke the CLI, or wire the comparison into Git and CI.
Useful in practice
Related searches
One workflow, several common names.
This page focuses on compare spreadsheets different formats. People also describe the same or closely related job as Excel compare tool, compare XLSX and ODS, compare Numbers and Excel, spreadsheet diff tool, offline workbook comparison.
Direct answers
Questions about compare spreadsheets different formats.
Can I compare spreadsheets saved in different file formats?
Diff Anything compares stored spreadsheet values by sheet and cell coordinate across CSV, TSV, XLS/XLA, XLSX/XLSM/XLAM, XLSB, ODS, and Apple Numbers. The two files can use different formats, so an XLSX can be compared directly with ODS or Numbers without converting both files first.
Can Diff Anything compare XLSX with ODS or Apple Numbers?
Yes. Supported spreadsheet formats share the same sheet-and-cell value model, so mixed-format pairs such as XLSX with ODS or Numbers can be compared directly.
Are formulas and spreadsheet formatting compared?
No. Spreadsheet mode compares stored cell values. Formulas, formatting, charts, macros, and workbook layout are outside this comparison.
Do spreadsheet files leave the computer?
No. Spreadsheet extraction and comparison run locally, with no Diff Anything account, cloud comparison service, analytics, or telemetry.
Go deeper
Review cross-format spreadsheet values, release trees, documents, and visual assets with purpose-built navigation, safety checks, and rollback.
Read Compare folders, spreadsheets, documents, and images