How to open the .xlsx in Google Sheets
We provide spreadsheet files rather than Google links, so the first step is an upload. The whole import is quick, and the sheet that results sits in your own Drive where only you decide who sees it. You can also keep the original file on your computer as a backup.
- Download the Excel file in the design you want.
- Open Drive, press New, pick File upload and point it at the .xlsx.
- Right click the file and choose Open with, then Google Sheets.
- If an .XLSX badge appears beside the name, choose File, Save as Google Sheets to convert it.
- Type one test line and check that the line total and the amount due change.
Which formulas carry over
All of them. The sheet uses only multiplication, SUM and ROUND, which Google Sheets reads exactly as Excel does. The tax rate sits in its own cell, and the tax and total formulas point at it, so changing the rate once updates the whole invoice.
To see a formula, click the cell and look in the bar above the grid. If you ever overwrite one by mistake, press Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on a Mac), or open File, Version history to go back to an earlier copy.
Adding lines and protecting formulas
Add rows inside the line area so the subtotal range grows with them. Right click a row number between the first and last line and choose Insert 1 row above. Then copy the line total formula into the new row by dragging the small square at the corner of the cell above.
To stop formulas being typed over, select the total cells and choose Data, Protect sheets and ranges. You can set it to show a warning rather than block edits, which suits a sheet only you use.
Keeping a run of invoices in one spreadsheet
Google Sheets makes it easy to hold a year of invoices in one file, one tab each. Right click your master tab, choose Duplicate, and rename the copy with the invoice number. Your master tab stays clean and every invoice is one click away.
Add a summary tab with columns for invoice number, date, customer, total and date paid. It becomes a simple sales list that shows at a glance who still owes you money.
Currency and date settings
Sheets formats numbers and dates by the spreadsheet’s locale, so set it once before you start. Choose File, Settings, and pick your country under Locale. Dates and the default currency symbol then follow local habits, such as 27/10/2026 in the UK or 10/27/2026 in the US.
To show a different currency, select the amount cells and choose Format, Number, Custom currency. Writing the due date with the month as a word avoids confusion with customers abroad.
Sending a PDF from Google Sheets
Customers should get a PDF, not a link to your spreadsheet. Choose File, Download, then PDF. In the export settings, set the scaling to fit to width and turn off gridlines so the page looks like an invoice rather than a spreadsheet. Check the preview, then export.
Prefer a printable sheet for handwritten bills? See the invoice PDF downloads. The designs also come as Word files and as Excel files for desktop use, and the desktop menus are explained step by step in how to build an invoice in Word and Excel. The free invoice generator does the same sums with no spreadsheet at all.
Fill it in on screen and download or email a real PDF. No sign up.