01
ADD YOUR XLS
Drop the XLS file into the box above or choose it from your device.
XLS → YAML / online converter
XLS to YAML Converter
Turn an old .xls sheet into a YAML list. Each row becomes an item and each header cell a key.
01 / how to
How to convert XLS to YAML
02
CONVERT TO YAML
YAML is already selected. Press Convert and wait a few seconds.
03
DOWNLOAD
Save the finished YAML file. The original is deleted from our server.
02 / what you get
What happens to your data
Kept
- Rows of the first sheet, with the first row used as the header
- Dates become readable text, for example 2026-01-15
- Formulas are exported as the result they last calculated
- A readable YAML list where each record is an item and each field is a key
Good to know
- Only the first sheet is converted. Move the sheet you need to the front in Excel first.
- Colors, fonts, merged cells, charts and images are not part of the data and are dropped.
- Password-protected workbooks cannot be opened.
- Dates and numbers that were text are quoted where YAML would otherwise change their meaning, such as '007'.
03 / formats
XLS vs YAML
XLS
An XLS file is the older Excel workbook format (Excel 97-2003). It still turns up in old exports and archives. Converting it gives you the first sheet as plain data (JSON keeps every sheet), or a modern XLSX.
Used in: Legacy Excel files · Old exports · Archives
YAML
A YAML file stores structured data in a clean, indentation-based format designed to be easy for humans to read and write. It's the go-to format for configuration files, so you'll often need to edit or convert one when setting up developer tools.
Used in: Docker · CI/CD pipelines · Kubernetes configs
04 / more
More conversions
Have a different file? Open the main converter — it detects the format for you.