Why convert SHP to XLS?
A Shapefile stores vector geometry and an attribute table. XLS/XLSX holds tables, not geometry. Exporting to .xls lets non-GIS users work with the underlying data - field names, feature values, and optionally coordinates for point layers - in a familiar spreadsheet application.
How to convert SHP to XLS
Microsoft Excel APP
Open the .dbf sibling file directly in Excel via File > Open (change the filter to All Files), then save as .xls or .xlsx.
LibreOffice Calc FREE
Open the .dbf sibling file directly via File > Open in LibreOffice Calc, then save as .xls.
QGIS FREE
Right-click the loaded Shapefile layer, choose Export > Save Features As, select Microsoft Excel (XLSX), and optionally check Add X/Y fields for point layers.
About these formats
.SHP
Esri Shapefile (geospatial vector data)
A .shp file is almost always an Esri Shapefile - geospatial vector data (points, lines, polygons) used by GIS software. It is one piece of a set: it needs its sibling files (.shx, .dbf, and…
Open .SHP details →
.XLS
Microsoft Excel 97-2003 Workbook (Binary Interchange File Format, BIFF8)
An XLS file is an old-format Microsoft Excel spreadsheet from the Excel 97-2003 era, saved as a binary file rather than the ZIP-based XLSX used since 2007. You can open it free without…
Open .XLS details →Quality & what to watch
- Field names in the
.dbfare truncated to 10 characters (a dBASE limit), which carries into the spreadsheet. - Geometry (lines and polygons) has no simple column representation and does not transfer to XLS.
- For attribute-only export, only the
.dbffile is needed; for QGIS export, all sibling files (.shp,.shx,.dbf,.prj) should be in the same folder.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get coordinates in the spreadsheet for a point Shapefile?
Do I need GIS software to export attributes?
.dbf attribute file that Excel and LibreOffice Calc can open directly without any GIS install.
