How to open XLS file in proper format using mac numbers?
I am using mac numbers to open an xls file but all I see is html tags when I open the file. Refer to screenshot attached.
How do I fix this?
MacBook Air 13", macOS 10.14
Question marked as
Top-ranking reply
That .xls file contains HTML syntax, so it is not a proper spreadsheet, but something someone changed the .html extension to .xls in belief it would convert the HTML table to Excel format. You probably would have better luck making a copy of it, and renaming that extension back to .html — then opening it in a browser.
Here is a Quick Look of an HTML table, where the extension was renamed to .xls. Not only does the original HTML present as it would in a browser, but that table is scrollable too. If I force open it in Numbers, the HTML syntax spews in the spreadsheet.
However, if this table is presented in a browser, I can select what is visible, and using Paste and Match Style starting with the selected cell A1 in a Numbers spreadsheet, deposit the selection in rows and columns of the spreadsheet as if typed in it.