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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2025-07-25
Concept: Managing Workbooks

Concept: Managing Workbooks

Use these primary actions to manage workbooks. For more details, select
Help
User Guide
from any workbook.
Action
Description
Create an empty workbook
From Drive, select
+New
Workbook
.
Import (upload and convert) a file to create a workbook
From Drive, select
+New
Upload
.
When uploading XLSX files, keep in mind that this upload action is intended only for workbooks that contain exclusively Excel-supported content; don't use it to upload workbooks that you worked with in Worksheets and then downloaded to Excel using the Worksheets download action.
When you upload a file in the XLS, XLSX, CSV, or HTML file type, Worksheets automatically converts the file into a workbook and also keeps the original file. Worksheets doesn't convert Excel files to workbooks if they require a password to open.
Notes on uploading and converting
:
  • For Excel files, check the file size in addition to the number of cells before uploading it. In some cases, an Excel file is apparently small but the file size is disproportionately large. We call this Excel file a bloated file. A bloated file might upload very slowly or it might fail. You need to eliminate the cause of the oversized file. See the User Guide for tips.
  • For HTML files, Worksheets uses only the table data when creating the workbook.
  • Worksheets doesn't support Visual Basic macros. If a spreadsheet contains macros, the conversion to a workbook might fail. Save the Excel file without macros before uploading it into Worksheets.
Copy a workbook
From Drive, select the workbook and click
Make a Copy
.
If the copied workbook is based on live data, you initially see the same data as the workbook owner based on their permission level, but as soon as you refresh live data in the workbook you see only the data that you have access to. If you don't have access to one or more data source fields, an error occurs when you refresh live data.
Download workbooks
From the workbook, select
File
Download as
and select the file type to create. You can download workbooks as XLSX, PDF, CSV, TSV, HTML, or WXF file formats.
When you download a workbook as a PDF, you can choose to download a range of cells, a single sheet, or multiple sheets in a workbook. You can also choose page formatting options such as page order, type of layout, page orientation, and other data details.
Tenant settings determine whether mobile app users can download workbooks.
Transfer ownership of a single workbook
Make sure that you already shared the workbook with the person you want to transfer ownership to. Then select to
Share
the item, and select
Transfer Ownership
in the permissions drop-down list for that user.
When you transfer workbook ownership:
  • Your permission level for the item changes to Can Edit.
  • The new owner has the ability to remove your access.
  • You won't be able to edit any protected ranges.
  • Worksheets cancels any existing live data update schedules; the new owner must create a new schedule.
Transfer ownership of several workbooks
Only administrators can do this action. See Transfer Ownership of Drive Items to a Different User for details.
Remove (move to Trash) a workbook
From Drive, select the workbook and then click
Remove
. The workbook moves to the Trash view, but it isn't permanently deleted.
Worksheets removes access for all users, and the workbook no longer displays in Drive except for the owner's Trash view.
If an integrating application such as Projects or Payroll automatically created a workbook, you can remove the workbook only if you disable the entry area first. Some integrating applications refer to disabling the entry area as locking.
If you remove a workbook that someone shared with you, you remove yourself from the list of shared users. The workbook disappears from Drive and it doesn't display in the Trash view.
After removing a workbook, you can restore it only if you are the person who created it.
Restore workbooks from Trash
From Drive, select
Trash
. Select the workbooks and then click
Restore
.
You can restore a workbook only if you are the person who created it.
Permanently delete workbooks
Drive administrators can permanently delete up to 1000 workbooks at one time by accessing the
Drive Permanent File Delete
task.