A practical list-to-Excel exporter
The download is a `.xls` file built from an HTML table. Excel, Numbers, Google Sheets (via upload), and LibreOffice Calc all open HTML-table-as-.xls natively - it is the lightweight spreadsheet delivery method, no `.xlsx` library needed in the browser. The on-screen output panel shows the tab-separated version of the same data so you can see exactly what will land in the sheet.
Columns controls the layout. Set it to `1` for a single column (one item per row), `2` for pairs (items flow left-to-right, wrapping every two), and so on. The tool fills rows across before starting a new one, which is the same convention a human would use when manually pasting into a grid.
Header is optional. Leave it blank and the spreadsheet starts directly with your data. Fill it in with a single label (`Item`) and - if you have multiple columns - the tool will auto-number as `Item 1`, `Item 2`, etc. Or supply a comma-separated list of labels (`Name,Price`) to name each column explicitly; extras are truncated, missing ones are padded with blanks.
How to use export a list to excel
- 1Paste your list into the input panel, one value per line
- 2Set Columns to choose how items wrap across the spreadsheet (1 = single column, 2 = pairs, etc.)
- 3Optionally set Header - a single label (auto-numbered per column), or `Label1,Label2` for explicit per-column headers
- 4Output shows the tab-separated preview; Download writes an .xls file Excel opens natively
Keyboard shortcuts
Drive ListShift without touching the mouse.
What this exporter actually does
Specific behaviors that matter when the spreadsheet has to open cleanly.
Downloadable .xls that opens in Excel, Numbers, LibreOffice
The download is an HTML table saved with an .xls extension and the `application/vnd.ms-excel` MIME type - a format Microsoft Office, Apple Numbers, and LibreOffice all parse as a native spreadsheet. No macros, no complex XML, no library needed in the browser.
Row-major column flow
With Columns set to N, item 1 goes in row 1 column 1, item 2 goes in row 1 column 2, and so on. When column N is full, the next item starts row 2 column 1. That matches how most people expect a "reshape into columns" tool to behave.
Single-label header auto-numbers
If you set Header to `Item` and Columns to 3, the spreadsheet gets a header row of `Item 1 | Item 2 | Item 3`. That saves typing when you just want columns labelled but named similarly.
Comma-separated header for explicit column names
Set Header to `Name,Price` to label column 1 `Name` and column 2 `Price`. If you provide more labels than columns, extras are dropped; if fewer, the remaining columns get empty header cells.
Blank lines dropped; tab-preview on screen
Empty input lines are skipped before the rows are built. The on-screen output shows the same data as tab-separated text - useful for copy-paste into a cell directly, without downloading. Download wraps that same data in the HTML-table-as-.xls envelope.
Worked example
Six items into 2 columns, with an auto-numbered header.
Apples Oranges Pears Plums Peaches Cherries
Item 1 Item 2 Apples Oranges Pears Plums Peaches Cherries
Settings reference
How the options shape both the on-screen preview and the downloaded .xls.
| Setting | What it does | Effect on the sample |
|---|---|---|
| Columns: 1 | Emits each item on its own row in a single column | Six rows, one item each |
| Columns: 2 | Pairs items across two columns, wrapping every two | Three rows of two items each |
| Columns: 3 | Wraps every three items | Two rows of three items each |
| Header: (blank) | No header row - data starts at row 1 | First spreadsheet row is `Apples, Oranges` |
| Header: Item | Single label auto-numbered per column | Header row `Item 1, Item 2` |
| Header: Name,Price | Comma-separated labels assigned per column | Header row `Name, Price` (extras truncated, gaps padded blank) |