ODS to PDF

How to use it

Choose which sheets to include, and whether to fit each sheet to one page wide.
Choose one or more ODS spreadsheets, or drag them onto the box. The first time, the converter downloads (about 78 MB).
Download each PDF, or all of them together as a ZIP file.

What you get

A PDF of your spreadsheet as it would print: number, date and currency formats kept, cell colours, borders, merged cells and charts as they are. Print areas, page breaks and landscape or portrait settings saved in the file are used. Hidden sheets, rows and columns are left out.

Fit each sheet to one page wide (on by default) shrinks wide sheets so that every column fits across the page, using as many pages down as the sheet needs. Turn it off to keep the spreadsheet’s own print settings. Which sheets lets you convert all visible sheets, or only the sheet that was selected when the file was saved.

Paper size: if your spreadsheet does not specify a paper size, we use A4. Spreadsheets that do specify one, such as US Letter, keep it.

Figures, comments and links

Figures are shown as they were last saved in the spreadsheet: formulas are not worked out again. The exceptions are formulas that always change, such as NOW and TODAY, which show the date and time of the conversion. Comments are not included in the PDF.

Nothing a spreadsheet links to is fetched or updated. Figures taken from other files show the copy saved in the spreadsheet, which may be out of date; web data and pictures stored only on the internet are left out. Spreadsheets protected against editing convert as normal, without a password.

Spreadsheets that may not convert exactly

The converter is LibreOffice, the free office suite that uses ODS as its own format, running inside your browser. Spreadsheets saved by other programs, such as Excel or Google Sheets, can come out slightly differently. Fonts unavailable to the converter may be substituted, which can change the layout. Check the PDF before you rely on it.

Templates (.ots) are converted in the same way. Password-protected spreadsheets cannot be converted; save a copy without the password first. Macros are never run.

Your spreadsheet stays on your device

The converter is downloaded from FilePresto first. Then the page locks itself, and only after that is your spreadsheet opened. Once locked, the page cannot send or fetch anything on the internet, so your figures cannot leave your device, even by mistake.

The first-time download

The converter is a full document engine, about 78 MB, the same one used for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, ODT and RTF. Your browser normally keeps it, so later conversions start much faster, but browsers can clear it to save space. Wi-Fi is recommended. It is designed for computers; on a phone it may be slow or stop, and phones are limited to files of up to 10 MB.

Questions

What is an ODS file?

ODS (OpenDocument Spreadsheet) is an open standard format for spreadsheets. It is the usual format of LibreOffice Calc and OpenOffice, and Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets can open and save it. Many public bodies publish their spreadsheets in it.

Why does my spreadsheet come out on lots of pages?

Wide sheets spill their columns onto extra pages unless they are fitted to the page width. Tick Fit each sheet to one page wide.

Can I convert just one sheet?

Yes. Under Which sheets, choose Only the sheet that was selected when the file was saved. If the file does not record which sheet that was, FilePresto says so rather than guessing.

Why is the first conversion slow?

The first time, your browser downloads the converter, about 78 MB. After that it is usually kept, and conversions take a few seconds.

Are my files uploaded?

No. The work happens inside your web browser, on your own device. Before your file is opened, this page locks itself: from then on your browser refuses to let it fetch, upload or send anything at all. You can check: once the page has loaded, switch off your internet connection and it will still work. How the lock works.