Trying to convert excel file to table in confluence, but it's not working
Asked by Vineela Vandanapu:

I have an excel spreadsheet that I need to import into Confluence as a Confluence table so it can be edited on Confluence. I've tried multiple things:

- I attached the excel file, which didn't really work well at all and wasn't what I was looking for

-I embedded the file using the Excel office macro and that was better, but to edit it you had to open in in Excel and upload it again which once again wasn't what I was looking for

-I tried to create a table in confluence and then paste the cells from excel into it because I've seen a lot posts saying that should work. But anytime I tried to paste the cells they pasted into confluence as an image. I made sure I wasn't copying as a picture in excel but it still didn't work. I really hoped this method would be the one but it wasn't.

Using external macros is a bit hard due to security reasons so I can't do that either. Anyone have any suggestions?


Answers:
author: Kimberly Deal _Columbus ACE_
body: Hi [@Vineela Vandanapu](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/1640347)

Can you let me know what version of Confluence you are on?   
I am on Confluence Server 6.6.3 and I also use the excel office macro. When I edit, it does indeed open excel for me to do the edits in externally, but it automatically updates the file I have uploaded too. there isn't a need for the manual step of save and then re-upload. I can just save.

comments: author: Fabienne Gerhard
body: Hi Kimberly and [@Vineela Vandanapu](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/1640347)

I 've made the experience that edit the document directly works best when using Internet Explorer (I know....) but you have to check some presets in your system, so that saving directly works.

Had a huge discussion about that with our IT department...


author: Vineela Vandanapu
body: I tried using the macro again and this time saving worked fine, so I'm not sure what the problem was last time. Now when I try to use the macro in a different page though, it can't find the file even though it's definitely attached. I'm not sure what's going on there.


author: Kimberly Deal _Columbus ACE_
body: Make sure you have the correct page name defined, in the settings for the Macro. If it's looking at the wrong page, it won't auto detect it.   

Here is a link to some documentation about working with that Macro.  

<https://confluence.atlassian.com/conf66/view-file-macro-943962200.html#excel>


author: Vineela Vandanapu
body: Hi, I figured it out, I have to publish the page first and then go back and insert the macro. Thanks for your help.


author: Kimberly Deal _Columbus ACE_
body: Ah! yes! I've been tricked by that too, when I was in a hurry. I should have remembered to mention that. Glad you were able to sort it out. I'll add that to my troubleshooting notes, to remind others with the same troubles.


author: Katerina Kovriga {Stiltsoft}
body: Hi there,

As this question mentions our [Table Filter and Charts for Confluence](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/27447/table-filter-and-charts-for-confluence?tab=overview&hosting=cloud&utm_source=atl_community) app, we are happy to introduce its new macro -- [Table Spreadsheet](https://docs.stiltsoft.com/display/public/TFAC/How+to+use+Table+Spreadsheet+macro?utm_source=atl_community).

This new macro allows you to work with fully functional Excel spreadsheets right in Confluence.

You'll be able to use cells' formulas, filters, conditional formatting, etc., create pivot tables and charts from the page view and edit modes.

![](https://docs.stiltsoft.com/download/attachments/83100938/Conditional%20formatting.png?version=1&modificationDate=1641987630000&api=v2&effects=border-simple,shadow-kn)

The Table Spreadsheet macro is available for Cloud and Server/Data Center.

comments: author: Stiltsoft support
body: And now you may also check two more macros from [our spreadsheets' family](https://spreadsheets-for-confluence.stiltsoft.com?utm_source=atl_community&utm_medium=answer&utm_campaign=table-filter-traffic-sources&utm_vendorID=1216111):

* The **Spreadsheet from Table** macro that allows you to turn your manually created and macro generated (such as Jira Issues, Page Properties Report, etc.) tables into fully functioning live sheets.
* The **Table Spreadsheet Include** macro that allows you to reuse your spreadsheets' data across your Confluence instance.

We hope it helps your cases!


author: Steffi Frank
body: what worked here (with older Confluence versions): copy your spreadsheet into Word, than mark the table in Word and copy/paste it into Confluence

comments: author: Vineela Vandanapu
body: I tried this and it worked albeit clumsily, so for now it looks like this might be my best bet.


author: amiram.fuerst
body: How do you copy a spreadsheet into word?


author: Kimber Miller
body: Select the cells you want to reproduce from Excel.

Ctrl+C

In Word document, Ctrl+V, *then*

When you see the formatting control box icon, click to display your options and be sure the first icon is selected. You want to maintain the formatting from Excel.

Next, Click the Table Selector so that the entire table is selected.   
Right-click and choose Table Properties.

In the Table Properties dialog, in the Table tab, clear the "Preferred width" option.

You might want to change the Layout of that section to be landscape in order to accommodate the width of the new table.


author: Paul Coutry
body: not a great feature


author: Jonathan Smith
body: [@Vineela Vandanapu](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/1640347)

Is the requirement to convert the spreadsheet into a native Confluence table? The reason why I ask is because you tried the excel macro. If a Confluence table is is not a requirement, you can always import the file into a file list and keep it a spreadsheet.

Note: Excel office macro will show the spreadsheet's content in the first tab, so if you have multiple tabs in your spreadsheet, this won't work.

We tend to keep large spreadsheets in spreadsheets due to the limited functionality (compared to Excel) of Confluence's tables.

comments: author: Steffi Frank
body: Jonathan: using the option "worksheet name" enables you to show every tab when you place the macro as often as you have tabs in your spreadsheet


author: Vineela Vandanapu
body: It's not a requirement to use a native confluence table. I would use the excel macro but it stopped working for some reason on every page I try it on apart from my first test page. Even when the file is attached the macro can't find it, so I'm not exactly sure how to proceed.


author: Vineela Vandanapu
body: figured it out, I have to publish the page first and then go back and insert the macro.


author: Lajos_Fidy
body: wow Atlassian, congrats on making Confluence absolutely useless. Ran into 2 mayor issues compared to older version within the first 20 minutes of using it.

Collapsible code blocks are not available. This makes it impossible to use Confluence for documentation as multiple 100 rows of code makes the whole page unreadable.

Not being able to copy paste data into Confluence Table from Excel. I mean seriously?? How essential would it be for everyone. I mean you must be trying hard to get people to stop using your application.

comments: author: Katerina Kovriga {Stiltsoft}
body: Hi [@Lajos_Fidy](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/4741114) ,

You may try to browse the Atlassian Marketplace and search for the apps that allow you to recreate tables from CSV attachments. I think there should be free apps.

Our own add-on that is [Table Filter and Charts for Confluence](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/27447/table-filter-and-charts-for-confluence?tab=overview&hosting=server&utm_source=atl_community) provides all the basic Excel functionality right in Confluence, so it's a paid one.

The app also provides the [Table from CSV](https://docs.stiltsoft.com/display/public/TFAC/How+to+use+Table+from+CSV+macro?utm_source=atl_community) macro that allows you to recreate tables from CSV attachments and URLs (Google Spreadsheets).


author: Jonathan Smith
body: [@Lajos_Fidy](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/4741114) The add-on Table Filter and Charts for Confluence is a must if your doing any sort of tabling within the application. You won't get much functionality (table wise) out of the box with Confluence.

If you can't get this add-on, your only other option is to work out of a spreadsheet on a file list page imo.


author: Lajos_Fidy
body: Thanks for the suggessions, not really looking to buy paid addons,**I just want the basic functionality of inserting row and column data into a table.** Also not working with big tables, I just want to document some database table structures (MAX 50X5 fields), which are just too big to insert field by field. **It just boggles my mind that such simple, essential funcionality has been REMOVED from Confluence**, and as a result a 1 minute job turns into a 15 minute job, multiply it with the number of database objects (around 100), it takes aways 1400 minutes of my (or someone else's, as im not gonna do it like this) time.


author: Laura Rusenstrom
body: I'm not sure if this was just luck on my part, but I was able to paste content from Excel into Confluence Cloud as a table by first converting my Excel selection to a table (select your data -\> Insert -\> Table).

Copying that table and then pasting into Confluence worked for me. It even kept the colours and formatting (which I didn't need, but it was nice to see).

Should not need a paid app to perform this very, very basic function.


author: Jane
body: Hi, [Polaris spreadsheet for Confluence](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1223556) might be a good option for you.

You can import an excel file and can directly edit data in a confluence page.


author: Jaclyn Mazzarella
body: Hi, I think I can help you with an app available for Confluence called [Excellentable](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1211672/excellentable-spreadsheet-for-confluence?hosting=cloud&tab=overview). It allows you to have a fully functional, exportable spreadsheet right inside Confluence. So, instead of using a Confluence table, you can put your data into Excellentable and export it to display perfectly in Excel. You can also import an Excel file to display in Confluence!


author: softcrts
body: Hi,

With "Easy Tables For Confluence", you can import data from excel into a table in Confluence. Here the plugin and documentation. I hope it will help.

[https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1220484/easy-tables-for-confluence?hosting=server\&tab=overview](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1220484/easy-tables-for-confluence?hosting=server&tab=overview&_ga=2.255209228.52264421.1567876934-1793627573.1536443159)

<https://softcrts.com/easytables/index.php>


Tags: table

confluence-server

filter

ms-excel

server

table-filter

table-filter-and-charts

table-filter-charts-spreadsheets

table-spreadsheet