ODS File: Understanding the OpenDocument Spreadsheet Format in New Zealand

If someone in New Zealand has emailed you a file ending in .ods and your computer isn’t sure what to do with it, you have received an OpenDocument Spreadsheet — the open-standard cousin of a Microsoft Excel workbook. An ODS file holds rows, columns, formulas and charts just like an .xlsx file, but it is saved in a free, publicly documented format that almost any spreadsheet program can read. You do not need to buy anything to open, edit or convert one.

This guide explains what the ODS format actually is, how it is built, which free tools open it on Windows, macOS, Linux and in a browser, and how to convert an ODS file to Excel or PDF without wrecking the layout. It also covers the practical New Zealand questions — GST tracking, record-keeping and privacy — that tend to come up when a spreadsheet is more than just a personal to-do list.

What is an ODS file?

An ODS file is a spreadsheet saved in the OpenDocument Spreadsheet format, part of the wider OpenDocument Format (ODF) family. It stores information in a grid of rows and columns, where each cell can hold text, a number, a date or a formula that recalculates automatically when the figures it depends on change. In everyday use it behaves exactly like an Excel workbook: multiple sheets (tabs), charts, conditional formatting, filters and pivot tables are all supported.

The important difference is that ODS is an open standard, not a product owned by a single company. The format is standardised internationally as ISO/IEC 26300 and maintained by OASIS, a non-profit standards body. Because the specification is public and royalty-free, anyone can build software that reads and writes ODS files without paying a licence fee. For a small business, a school board or a community club, that openness means your historical records are not locked to one vendor’s software or pricing.

How the ODS format is built

Under the surface, an ODS file is not a single blob of data — it is a ZIP archive containing several XML text files plus any images or charts the sheet uses. One XML file holds the cell contents and formulas, another holds the styles, and a manifest lists everything inside. You can prove this yourself: rename a copy of a .ods file to .zip and your computer will open it like any other archive. Because every ODS file begins with the same ZIP header, utilities can identify the format from its file signature — one of the magic numbers catalogued on Wikipedia — even if the extension is missing.

This plain-text, XML-based design is why the format is considered safe for long-term archiving. The structure follows a published specification, so a file you save today should still open in open-source office software years from now. The format is actively developed, too: the most recent version, ODF 1.4, reached full OASIS Standard status in December 2025. The same OpenDocument family covers presentations and word-processing documents — if you also deal with slide decks, see our guide to ODP presentation files.

ODS vs XLSX: what is the difference?

ODS and XLSX do the same job — they store spreadsheet data in a grid — so most of the time the choice does not matter. The practical differences come down to ownership and defaults:

• Who controls it: XLSX is Microsoft’s format, developed around Excel. ODS is an open standard maintained by OASIS, with no single owner.
• Default program: ODS is the native save format of LibreOffice Calc and Apache OpenOffice Calc. XLSX is the native format of Excel.
• Cross-compatibility: Excel can open and save ODS files, and LibreOffice can open and save XLSX files, so you can move between them. Very advanced features (certain macros, some Excel-only functions, or complex pivot tables) can shift slightly when a file is round-tripped between the two.
• Cost: Both formats are free to use. XLSX simply tends to assume you own Excel, while ODS was designed to be read by free software from day one.

A good rule of thumb: keep working files in whichever format your main program uses, and convert to the recipient’s format (or to PDF) only when you send the file out.

How to open an ODS file for free

You can open an ODS file for free on any modern computer or phone — either by installing a desktop office suite or by uploading the file to a browser-based spreadsheet tool. Desktop apps run entirely on your own machine, which is faster for large sheets and keeps the data offline. Browser tools need no installation and make sharing easy. The table below compares the main options; each links to the official download or sign-in page.

Free desktop apps

The most direct way to open an ODS file is a free office suite that uses the format natively. LibreOffice Calc is the most widely used option, updated several times a year (the 2026 release series carries version numbers such as 26.2). Apache OpenOffice Calc is the long-running sister suite; its most recent release, 4.1.16, came out in November 2025 and keeps a traditional menu layout that many long-time users prefer. Both open a .ods file with a double-click once installed — there is no import step because ODS is their default format. If you are deciding between them, our comparison of free OpenOffice alternatives weighs up the main suites, and you can get the software directly from our LibreOffice download guide.

Running a desktop suite has real advantages for New Zealand users working outside the main centres: the calculations happen on your own computer, so a dropped fibre or mobile connection never stops you editing, and sensitive financial data stays on your hard drive rather than a remote server.

Open an ODS file in your browser

If you would rather not install anything, a browser-based spreadsheet will open an ODS file in seconds. In Google Sheets, upload the file to Google Drive, right-click it and choose Open with > Google Sheets; the data, formulas and formatting convert into an editable sheet. Excel for the web (through OneDrive) and Zoho Sheet work the same way — upload, then open. Browser tools are ideal when you are on a borrowed computer, a library terminal or a phone, because your files follow your login rather than living on one device. For building and troubleshooting calculations once the file is open, our guide to Google Sheets formulas is a useful companion.

How to convert an ODS file to Excel (XLSX)

Converting an ODS file to Excel’s XLSX format takes a few clicks in any of the free tools above. Do this when you are sending a file to someone who only uses Excel and you want to avoid any compatibility questions.

• In LibreOffice Calc: open the file, choose File > Save As, then set “File type” to Excel 2007–365 (.xlsx) and save. LibreOffice may ask whether to keep the current format or switch — choose the Excel format.
• In Google Sheets: open the sheet, then choose File > Download > Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).
• In Excel itself: open the .ods file, choose File > Save As and pick Excel Workbook (.xlsx).

After converting, open the new file once and check that totals, dates and any charts still look right before you send it. Converting in the other direction — Excel or Google Sheets back to .ods — uses the same menus; just pick “OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods)” as the output.

How to convert an ODS file to PDF

Export to PDF when the spreadsheet is finished and you want it to look identical on every screen — a quote, an invoice, a committee report or a financial summary that nobody should edit by accident. A PDF freezes the layout, so fonts, borders and charts render the same whether the reader opens it on a laptop or a phone.

• In LibreOffice Calc: choose File > Export As > Export as PDF, then adjust the page range or quality if needed and click Export.
• In Google Sheets: choose File > Download > PDF document (.pdf), where you can set the page size, orientation and which sheets to include.

Before exporting, use Print Preview to confirm the sheet fits the page the way you expect — spreadsheets often spill onto extra pages, which you can fix with the print area and “fit to width” settings. The same principle applies to text documents; see our walkthrough on how to convert an ODT document to PDF for the writer side of OpenDocument.

Keeping formatting and formulas intact

Most problems people blame on the ODS format are really about fonts and formula differences between programs, and both are easy to avoid. The single most common cause of a spreadsheet “looking wrong” on another computer is font substitution: if your file uses a font the recipient does not have installed, their software swaps in a default such as Arial. Because fonts have different character widths, numbers can then overflow their cells and show as #### or push columns out of alignment.

A few habits keep layouts stable across machines:

• Stick to common fonts such as Arial, Calibri, Liberation Sans or Times New Roman, which are available on almost every system.
• Leave a little column width around numbers so a font swap does not immediately clip them.
• Export to PDF for the final version when exact appearance matters, so fonts and spacing are locked in.
• Open the file once in a second program before you send it, to catch any shifts.

Formulas are well supported across ODS-capable tools, including lookups such as VLOOKUP and the newer XLOOKUP. The main thing to watch is that a handful of functions and macros are specific to one application; if a file relies on Excel-only automation, test it after converting. Live cross-file functions (for example IMPORTRANGE in Google Sheets) also stop updating offline, so keep reference data in the same workbook if your team works in areas with patchy coverage.

Using ODS spreadsheets for NZ business: GST, invoices and records

A free ODS spreadsheet is a capable, low-cost ledger for sole traders, contractors and small clubs across New Zealand. You can track income, expenses and outstanding invoices, and build a column that automatically separates the 15% GST portion from a tax-inclusive total so you always know what belongs to Inland Revenue (IRD) rather than to you.

Two New Zealand rules are worth building your spreadsheet around:

• Record retention: IRD requires most business records — including invoices and expense records — to be kept for at least seven years. A dated, well-labelled spreadsheet (or its PDF exports) is an accepted way to hold them, provided the figures are complete and legible.
• GST at 15%: the standard GST rate remains 15% in 2026, so a simple formula (total divided by 1.15, subtracted from the total) isolates the GST on each line.

Under the Electronic Transactions Act 2002, electronic records carry the same legal standing as paper ones, so a tidy digital ledger is perfectly valid for audits. If you issue invoices as well as track them, a ready-made GST-ready invoice template for New Zealand saves rebuilding the layout each time and lists the fields IRD expects to see.

Privacy and security with cloud spreadsheets

Where you store a spreadsheet matters as much as how you format it. If your sheet holds personal information — IRD numbers, income figures, home addresses or customer details — the Privacy Act 2020 sets out how that information must be collected, stored and protected, and it applies whether the file sits on your laptop or in the cloud.

The practical steps are the same ones that protect any online account:

• Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) for the account holding your files, so a stolen password alone cannot open them.
• Share by named person, not open link, and review who has access periodically.
• Keep genuinely sensitive data offline in a desktop suite if you would rather it never touch a third-party server.
• Know how to delete your data if you switch providers, so old copies are not left behind.

Reputable cloud providers encrypt files both in transit and at rest, but your own login habits remain the deciding factor in keeping records safe.

Common mistakes when working with ODS files

A handful of avoidable errors cause most of the frustration people have with ODS files:

• Assuming you need to buy software. You never have to pay to open a .ods file — free desktop and browser tools handle it completely.
• Sending the editable file when a PDF would do. If the recipient only needs to read the numbers, a PDF avoids accidental edits and all formatting surprises.
• Using decorative fonts. Unusual fonts are the top cause of clipped numbers and shifted columns on other people’s screens.
• Round-tripping repeatedly between ODS and XLSX. Converting back and forth many times can slowly degrade complex features; keep one master format and convert only when sending.
• Relying on live cross-file links offline. Functions that pull from other files or the web stop updating without a connection, so consolidate critical data into one workbook for field work.
• Forgetting version history. When several people edit a shared sheet, use the built-in version history so a mistaken change can be rolled back.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What is an ODS file and why did I receive one?

An ODS file is a spreadsheet saved in the open-standard OpenDocument Spreadsheet format. You most likely received one because the sender used free software such as LibreOffice Calc or Google Sheets, both of which can save in .ods, to share data, totals or a tracking log without assuming you own Microsoft Excel.

Can I open and edit a .ods file for free?

Yes. ODS is an open, royalty-free format, so you can open and edit it at no cost. Install a free desktop suite such as LibreOffice Calc or Apache OpenOffice Calc, or upload the file to a browser tool like Google Sheets, Excel for the web or Zoho Sheet.

How do I convert an ODS file to Excel?

Open the file in LibreOffice Calc and choose File then Save As, setting the file type to Excel (.xlsx); or open it in Google Sheets and choose File, Download, Microsoft Excel. Excel itself can also open a .ods file and re-save it as .xlsx. Check totals and charts in the converted copy before sending it.

What is the difference between an ODS and an XLSX file?

Both store spreadsheet data in a grid and do essentially the same job. XLSX is Microsoft’s format, built around Excel, while ODS is an open standard maintained by OASIS and standardised as ISO/IEC 26300. Modern versions of Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets can all read and write both.

Are digital spreadsheet records accepted for tax in New Zealand?

Yes. Under the Electronic Transactions Act 2002, electronic records have the same standing as paper, and IRD accepts digital ledgers kept in spreadsheets provided they are complete and legible. Remember that most business records must be kept for at least seven years.