Excel Online: What the Free Web Version Can and Can't Do

Excel Online (Microsoft now calls it Excel for the web) is the browser version of Excel, and it’s free with a Microsoft account. You can create, edit and share workbooks in your browser, and they save to OneDrive. What you don’t get are macros, offline use and some of the heavier data tools.

Below is what the free version handles well, where it stops, and how to tell whether you need a paid plan. Microsoft changes the web apps often, so treat everything here as accurate as of October 2026.

How to start using Excel Online

All you need is a Microsoft account. Microsoft’s free web apps page says the browser versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint are free for anyone to use.

1. Go to Microsoft365.com in your browser and sign in with a Microsoft account. If you don’t have one, you can create one with a new or existing email address.
2. Open Excel from the app list and choose a blank workbook or a template.
3. Start working. New files save to your OneDrive automatically, so there’s no Save button to remember.
4. To open an existing .xlsx file, upload it to OneDrive first and then open it from there.

Free accounts come with 5 GB of OneDrive storage, which is plenty for spreadsheets but fills up quickly if you also store photos there.

Microsoft notes that the free apps page is written for users in the United States, so some offers or details may vary in other regions.

What works well in the browser

For everyday spreadsheet work, the web version covers most of what people actually do:

• Formulas and functions. The common functions work, along with sorting, filtering and conditional formatting.
• Charts and PivotTables. You can build standard charts and PivotTables from data in the workbook.
• Sharing and real-time co-authoring. Microsoft lists sharing and real-time collaboration as part of the free tier. Several people can edit the same workbook at once, which is the web version’s biggest advantage over emailing files around.
• Templates. Microsoft offers a set of free templates for budgets, schedules, trackers and similar files.

If your work is mostly data entry, lists, simple models and shared trackers, you may never notice you’re not using the desktop app.

Where Excel Online falls short

The gaps show up with automation, large data models and offline work. Most of them are documented in Microsoft’s Excel for the web service description.

Macros (VBA) don’t run

You can’t record or write VBA macros in the browser, and existing macros won’t run there. The good news is that opening a macro-enabled workbook in the browser won’t strip out or corrupt the VBA code, so you can edit the cells and open the file in desktop Excel later to run the macros.

Microsoft’s browser-based automation tool is Office Scripts. Its platform limits page lists limits such as 5 MB per request or response and five million cells per range. Office Scripts isn’t something free personal accounts can count on, so check your plan before you rely on it.

Power Pivot and the Data Model are desktop-only

You can’t create or edit Power Pivot data models in the browser. PivotTables on the web also can’t connect to external data connections, OLAP cubes or the Data Model. If your reporting relies on any of these, you need desktop Excel.

Power Query depends on your plan

Older guides say Power Query isn’t available on the web at all. That changed. Microsoft’s Excel team announced the full Power Query experience for Excel for the web, including the import wizard and Power Query Editor, with some limits:

• Viewing and refreshing existing queries is available to Microsoft 365 subscribers.
• Creating and editing queries in the browser requires a Business or Enterprise plan.
• Microsoft’s Q&A forum has reports of the “Launch Power Query Editor” button doing nothing. The suggested fix is to check browser settings such as third-party cookies for Office sites.

On a free personal account, plan on doing Power Query work in desktop Excel.

No offline mode

The web version needs an internet connection. If you’ll be on a plane or somewhere with bad Wi-Fi, download a copy first or use the desktop app.

Large files

Microsoft’s service description says workbooks over 100 MB can’t be viewed in Excel for the web from SharePoint Online. Even below that size, independent reviewers say large or formula-heavy workbooks run noticeably slower in the browser than on desktop.

Other gaps

Independent reviews (for example How-To Geek’s rundown of free Excel) also list missing COM add-ins, fewer advanced chart options and less control over page layout and printing. These details change as Microsoft updates the web app, so if a specific feature matters to you, try it before you commit.

Free web version vs. paid Microsoft 365

Microsoft’s comparison of the free web apps and a subscription boils down to this:

Prices and plan names change, so check Microsoft’s site for current pricing rather than relying on figures quoted elsewhere.

Should you use Excel Online?

From a long-term-fit perspective, here’s how we’d decide:

• Stay on the free web version if you mostly build lists, budgets, trackers and simple models, especially if other people edit them too. Co-authoring in the browser works well, and you avoid the “which version is the latest?” problem.
• Get desktop Excel if you depend on macros, Power Pivot, large datasets, offline work or precise print layouts. Those gaps don’t go away once you’re used to the browser.
• Check your work or school account first. Many organizations already provide Microsoft 365 with the desktop apps, and Business or Enterprise plans unlock more in the browser, including the full Power Query editor.

A common setup is to do day-to-day editing and sharing in Excel for the web and open the same OneDrive file in desktop Excel when you need the heavier tools. The file stays the same, so you can switch between the two without converting anything.