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ONLYOFFICE · Files and compatibility · Beginner

Save and Reopen an ONLYOFFICE Workbook Safely

Keep an XLSX master, create a separate ODS exchange copy, and compare formulas and values after reopening.

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Quick answer

Save and reopen an XLSX master first. Make an ODS copy through the actual desktop Save as choice, then reopen that copy and compare formulas, values, sheets and formatting. Keep the master until the receiving application has also passed your checks.

A successful save is only the beginning of a compatibility check. This exercise keeps an editable master, makes an ODS exchange copy, then compares formulas, values, two worksheets and formatting after reopening. It deliberately avoids macros and advanced objects: passing this small test does not certify a complex workbook.

Before you begin

Use a new local spreadsheet in ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, with only one sheet tab selected. The instructions use the English interface and ordinary cell ranges, not formatted tables. Formula examples use English function names and commas; if your configured formula language or separator differs, use the editor’s function dialog rather than changing the data to text.

Scope and evidence: ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors 10.0.0; local workbooks (XLSX masters and ODS exchange copies) on Windows/Linux. Documentation-qualified workflow, checked against current English help on 2026-10-19; no native execution or exact OS/build verification. macOS, hosted collaboration and receiving-program fidelity are not tested. The desktop changelog identifies 10.0.0, released October 13, 2026. The desktop overview establishes the local-file product and supported operating systems. The feature help linked below is rolling documentation, not a frozen 10.0.0 manual. Expected results here are independently calculated practice checks, not observations of a running application. No screenshots are presented as current native evidence.

Create the master and its acceptance checks

Create a new workbook. Rename the first sheet Orders, and enter the following ordinary range in A1:D4.

Row A: ID B: Units C: Price D: Amount
1 ID Units Price Amount
2 A-01 2 12.5 =B2*C2
3 A-02 3 8 =B3*C3
4 A-03 1 19.95 =B4*C4

In Orders!C6 enter Total; in D6 enter =SUM(D2:D4). Amounts must be 25, 24 and 19.95, totaling 68.95. Make A1:D1 bold and give C2:D6 a two-decimal number format. Blank cells can remain blank.

Add a second sheet using the plus button and rename it Summary. Enter Order total in A1 and =Orders!D6 in B1. Enter Service date in A2 and =DATE(2026,10,14) in B2, then apply a date format. Enter Rate in A3 and 0.075 in B3, then apply Percentage with one decimal place. Summary!B1 must be 68.95, B2 must represent October 14, 2026, and B3 must represent 7.5%.

Save a baseline before exporting

  1. Use File → Save as in the desktop editor and choose XLSX. Name the local file oo-exchange-master.xlsx in a folder you can locate again.
  2. Close the file and reopen that exact path using Open local file. Check the filename, both sheet names, Orders!D2:D4 and D6, and Summary!B1:B3.
  3. Inspect the formula bar for Orders!D2 and Summary!B1. Correct-looking cached numbers alone do not prove that formulas survived.
  4. Keep this master unchanged. Record the expected checks above outside the workbook if it will be exchanged with someone else.

Make a separate ODS exchange copy

The official supported-formats page separates native viewing/editing, conversion for viewing/editing and Download as outputs. These are different operations. Its XLSX output row lists ODS for Download as, but that online matrix alone does not establish a desktop Save as menu. The desktop overview identifies ODS support, and the save help describes desktop Save as. Use the actual ODS choice in your desktop Save as dialog; if it is absent, stop rather than renaming the extension.

  1. With the reopened master active, choose File → Save as, select ODS, and name the result oo-exchange-copy.ods. Do not overwrite oo-exchange-master.xlsx.
  2. Read any conversion warning. If it mentions a feature your real workbook needs, cancel and investigate before exchanging that workbook. For this disposable fixture, continuing is a deliberate test of the copy, not proof that no features are lost.
  3. Close the exchange copy, then reopen the .ods file from its saved folder. Confirm the filename, activate Orders, and repeat every numeric and formula check. Activate Summary and repeat its checks, including the date and percentage displays.
  4. Inspect the header styling and two-decimal amounts. Record each check as pass, changed or untested; do not mark an unopened receiving application as passed.

Test recalculation without altering the accepted copy

After the reopen comparison, save the active ODS workbook under the separate name oo-exchange-recalc.ods. On Orders, change B2 from 2 to 4. D2 should become 50, D6 should become 93.95 and Summary!B1 should become 93.95. Verify the cross-sheet formula still targets Orders!D6. Restore B2 to 2 explicitly if you want the experimental file to match the starting values; no cross-session Undo is needed.

The master and exchange-copy files should still contain the original 68.95 total. Close the experiment, reopen oo-exchange-copy.ods, and verify 68.95 again. If you accidentally changed the accepted copy, remake it from the preserved master and repeat the comparison.

Decide what to send

Send a workbook format when the recipient needs sheets and formulas. CSV is a flat text exchange, not a workbook backup; documented CSV export discards formulas and formatting. PDF is for a fixed reading/printing result, not normal spreadsheet recalculation. A different extension does not repair unsupported features.

For a real workbook, extend the checklist to each business-critical feature: named ranges, validation, conditional formats, charts, pivots, hidden content, links and automation. A macro-enabled extension does not establish macro execution or fidelity. Test the exchange file in the actual receiving application before retiring the master. This tutorial has not performed that receiving-program test.

If formulas fail after exchange, start with ONLYOFFICE formula compatibility diagnostics. For flat-file dates and identifiers, use CSV import checks.

Official references