JSON to Excel on Windows 10 and 11 — Free, No Software Install

You do not need Python, Power Query, or a Microsoft 365 subscription to convert JSON to Excel on Windows. A free browser-based converter handles this in seconds — paste your JSON array into the tool, click Convert, and download a formatted .xlsx file. Works in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox with no installation required.

The Fastest Method for Windows Users

Open Chrome or Edge and navigate to wildandfreetools.com/spreadsheet-tools/json-to-excel/. Paste your JSON array into the text area or drag a .json file into the drop zone. Click Convert. The .xlsx file downloads to your Downloads folder.

The downloaded file opens in any version of Excel (2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, Microsoft 365) as well as LibreOffice Calc and OpenOffice. If you do not have Excel, the file also opens in Google Sheets after uploading to Google Drive.

This is particularly useful on Windows machines at businesses or schools where you have Excel but do not have Python installed, or where IT policies prevent running scripts.

How to Import JSON Directly in Excel for Windows (Power Query Method)

If you prefer to stay entirely within Excel, the built-in Power Query connector can import JSON files directly. This is available in Excel 2016 and later on Windows:

1. Save your JSON to a .json file (e.g., data.json on your Desktop).
2. In Excel, go to Data > Get Data > From File > From JSON.
3. Select your .json file.
4. Power Query opens. Click the "List" or "Record" item in the navigator and expand the columns you want.
5. Click "Close and Load" to bring the data into a worksheet.

The Power Query method creates a refreshable connection — useful if the JSON file updates regularly. But it requires more steps and can be confusing with nested structures.

For most one-off needs, the browser converter is faster and does not require manually expanding nested records in Power Query.

For a detailed comparison, see JSON to Excel Without Code: Power Query vs Browser Converter.

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Common JSON to Excel Issues on Windows — and How to Fix Them

Excel opens .xlsx but dates show as numbers. This can happen if Windows regional settings use a different date format. The browser converter stores dates as ISO 8601 strings, which Excel then auto-formats. If formatting looks wrong, select the date column, right-click Format Cells, and choose the Date format matching your locale.

Special characters appear as garbled text. This typically means a character encoding mismatch. The converter outputs UTF-8 encoded Excel files. If you see garbled characters for accented letters or non-ASCII characters, close Excel and reopen the file — sometimes Excel auto-detects encoding on the second open.

Edge browser warning about the download. Edge's Smart Screen filter occasionally flags .xlsx downloads from lesser-known sites as suspicious. Click "Keep" or "Show more > Keep anyway" to accept the download. The file contains only worksheet data generated from your JSON — nothing executable.

File too large to paste. For very large JSON files, use the file drop zone instead of pasting. Drop the .json file directly into the browser tab rather than copying the text content.

PowerShell Method: JSON to Excel on Windows Without Third-Party Tools

For Windows users comfortable with PowerShell, there is also a scripting approach that does not require Python:

$json = Get-Content 'data.json' | ConvertFrom-Json
$excel = New-Object -ComObject Excel.Application
$workbook = $excel.Workbooks.Add()
$sheet = $workbook.Sheets.Item(1)

# Write headers
$headers = $json[0].PSObject.Properties.Name
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $headers.Count; $i++) {
  $sheet.Cells.Item(1, $i+1) = $headers[$i]
}

# Write data rows
for ($row = 0; $row -lt $json.Count; $row++) {
  for ($col = 0; $col -lt $headers.Count; $col++) {
    $sheet.Cells.Item($row+2, $col+1) = $json[$row].($headers[$col])
  }
}

$workbook.SaveAs('output.xlsx', 51)
$excel.Quit()

This uses the Excel COM object, so it requires Excel to be installed. The browser converter is faster and simpler for most use cases — but the PowerShell method is useful in automated Windows environments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this work on Windows 10 and Windows 11?

Yes — since the converter runs in a browser, it works on any version of Windows that can run a modern browser. Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 with Chrome or Edge work fine.

I have Excel 2013 on Windows — will the .xlsx output open?

Yes. The tool outputs a standard .xlsx file compatible with Excel 2010 and later. It does not use any features specific to newer Excel versions.

Can I do this offline on Windows?

The browser tool requires an internet connection to load the page the first time. After loading, the actual JSON processing happens locally in the browser. If you need a fully offline solution on Windows, the PowerShell method described above works without any internet connection, as long as Excel is installed.

My IT department blocks certain websites. Is there another way?

If you cannot access the web converter, the PowerShell method using Excel COM objects works entirely locally without any external tools. Alternatively, Python with the pandas and openpyxl libraries converts JSON to .xlsx with about 5 lines of code.